This was my 6th half marathon and it was definitely my toughest - but for context, I am from Illinois and have only ran very fast and flat courses (and often in earlier spring or later fall when it isn't as hot!). Overall, I really enjoyed this race.

Pros:
+ the first 2/3 of this race are very scenic and shaded. You run by nice houses and pretty wooded areas, mainly on the street so there is a lot of room to spread out
+ the race is a little smaller in number of participants (about 2,500 this past year I'd guess for the 5k + half total, a little over 1,500 for just the half) but since the start waves are only 2 minutes apart, you never feel like you are alone/too spread out. There are also a lot of perks to smaller races, ie., short restroom lines pre-race, it seems to be ran more quickly and efficiently than bigger races I've done
+ the "swag" for the race is running shorts, which I think is a neat idea and definitely mixes it up from the usual t-shirt. They shorts come with a zipper for keys as well. The only potential downfall to a more unique item like this is that it clearly isn't for everybody (as much as a t-shirt might be). It depends on personal preference. Personally, I love the shorts and I will wear them a lot this summer!
+ this race (for Illinois) has a few more inclines than a Chicago native is used to, but personally I enjoyed the challenge. I marked elevation as a 3 because as the reviewer before me mentioned, it is pretty elevated for a midwest course but would probably be a 2 in other parts of the country.
+ well-marked mile markers and time at every mile
+ efficiently ran post-race and pre-race, good post-race snacks, great finisher medal.

Cons:
- my mom also ran the half with me, and she said by the time she got to the water stations at mile 7 1/2 and 9 1/2 (probably ~30 minutes after me) they had both run out of water. The race this year was HOT; the weather was around 80 degrees, not an ideal time for two water stations in a row to run out of water. However, she did mention they still had the sports drink option.
- the end of the course is definitely not as scenic as the first 2/3. The last few miles take you through a subdivision area that is not very well shaded for miles 9-12.
- not sure if this is something that I just didn't notice, but I only saw bathrooms around mile 2 and 8 and didn't see them anywhere else. The course map says they are at every aid/water station, so I might have missed where they were, but they weren't obvious to me.

Other things to note:
--> There is a massive hill right after mile marker 7. It's huge. It'll kick your butt. You'll go down a massive hill and see the lake and turn left, and there it will be. Waiting for you. But if you are fairly warned (which I was) you can mentally prepare for it before you get there and it'll be alright. I would have been so much more intimidated if I hadn't heard about it before it was in front of me!
--> There is no BIG post-race party or beer/beverages afterwards, if that's something you often look forward to at the end of races. I didn't mind, there is still music and a few vendors around and a lot of exhausted, happy people.

This is definitely one of the most challenging races I've done in Illinois - but I will probably be back next year to take it on again!