I had no idea what to expect for this race. My reason for being there was as a good Samaritan to be a Pacer for the race. Naperville is a nice long ride from the city for a race at this point of the season.

I did not have a chance to make the expo so its safe to say that race morning was going to be chaotic. At 7am, the organizers were still figuring out what volunteers they had and the packet pickup hadn't been staffed for a 7:20 start. The weather was a nice chilled 50 degrees making the start exactly what one would expect. There were some happy faces but most seemed simply exhausted and not sure from what.

The course had a few too many turns and loops through the forest preserve, enough to drive you crazy. If you are a woods person then the constant feeling of being engulfed by the trees would be fine. For the rest of us, we would have wished for a bit of asphalt. Amazingly enough, Pacing the 2:10 finish had its rewards. To my amazement, many of the original group stayed with us or at least within 5-10 minutes. Aid stations were strategically placed but being in the woods turning up and down and around made for a more confusing race.

Its not the best race around but if you are in the west suburbs, this will do just fine. I will likely pace again next year and will be better prepared for the forested scenery along with bringing my nauseating pills.

Link to this review