Took to the streets of the North Side of Chicago for the Ravenswood 5k, and it's a definite go-to Spring race. Let's get into the details.

Packet pickup - There is packet pickup the two days (Friday and Saturday) going into the race at the Fleet Feet location in Old Town. So if that works for you, it's a nice way to pick up your packet early. Otherwise, there is race day packet pickup from 6:30 - 7:30 before the race as well. Doing my best to avoid the city traffic, that's what I opted for.

Swag - I gave the shirt three stars because I'm honestly not sure where I stand on it. Super comfortable, and a nice subtle logo design. But the color pattern is what gets me. Gray front, but the sleeves and back are green with a subtle pattern. To me, it makes the wearer look like a snake. So I'm not sure where I stand on the design.

Course - The course runs you through the streets of the Ravenswood neighborhood. So it's mostly residential running, but you do head past some businesses as well. I honestly didn't take in a whole lot of the course, because I was trying not to die while running. In the residential areas there were tons of speed bumps that we ran over. I didn't think they were much of an issue, but the race pulls out all the stops to point them out: spray paint, signs, and volunteers with megaphones. The finish line is in a slightly different spot than the start (which I really like) and it's about a 1/4 mile straight shot into the finish.

The course is also super flat. I think there were technically some hills, but let's be real. There weren't any. Definitely a course to pick up some speed if you're looking for that 5k PR.

Parking - Since it's in the city, parking could always be a question. The race does a great job of letting runners know ahead of time where some parking spots are around the area. Admittedly, I parked a little further away in a ramp, but that's because I was planning to hang around the area for a while. There's street parking to be had, and there were a couple lots the race had available close to the start.

Overall - All in all, this was a great event, as most of RAM Racing's events are. If you're looking for a fast spring 5k in Chicago, look no further than the Ravenswood 5k.