The Quarry Crusher series is a national series put on through Vulcan quarries. In 2019, the race series came to Chicago for the first time. I don't remember how I found the race, but growing up less than a mile from a Vulcan quarry (in Wisconsin) made this a must run for me.

The race offers two distances, the Quarry Crusher (3 and change miles) and the Double Quarry Crusher (5 and change). The difference between the two is pretty self explanatory. Run down into the quarry, run around, and then come back out.

The race offered packet pick-up the day before at a pizza restaurant (race sponsor) as well as day of. It seemed like most opted for the day of pickup (yours truly included). Pretty simple, sign a waiver since you're running in an active quarry, grab your bib, shirt, and swag bag: full of Vulcan Quarry things.

Around the start, parking was across the street in a gravel lot. Maybe a half mile walk, maybe. So not too bad. There were plenty of bathrooms at the start area as well. The only thing the race didn't have was a gear check. Since we had to park further away, it would have been nice to have, but no big deal. There were a few local vendors at the start/finish as well.

For the race itself. The first mile is almost entirely downhill, and a fairly steep one at that. You're running down into the quarry, so what do you expect. The second mile features mostly climbing, including two steep hills close to the second mile marker. The third mile is a mix of gradual climbs and descents, but nothing like miles 1 and 2. The Double Crusher does this again, the single loop (and second time for the double) heads back up that big hill you ran down to start.

The surface is almost entirely crushed limestone that the quarry smoothed out the day before. Road shoes with some grip, or light trail shoes, would do the trick just fine. For reference, I wore the Saucony Freedom, and had zero issues.

The post race had your standard water, bars, and fruit; nothing to wild.

It's worth noting that the volunteers for this race, and the Vulcan staff, were absolutely incredible. You would be hard pressed to find a better volunteer staff.

Most of the Vulcan races are in the south (plus Cali) so if you find one in your area, I highly recommend it! Or come up for the Chicago race next year, I'll see you there.