I'm not typically a 5K runner, and I honestly couldn't tell you the last time I ran such a race. Luckily, the Rock the Night 5K (formerly known as Terrapin 5K) exceeded my expectations and made me excited for my next race!

Things I Loved-
-The quarter-zip gray tech top- really high quality for a 5K race, and it's almost enough to make me excited for cooler weather so I can bust it out!
-Location near Soldier Field- pretty easy to get to using the CTA
-The fact that people were having their free beer BEFORE the race even started- everyone was out to have a good time!
-The way RAM Racing handled the poor weather and very real chance that we would get struck by lightning- they used their Twitter account to make sure everyone knew the race was still on and the festival set up still looked awesome despite the weather!
-The post-race food and drink- It's pretty standard for a race to give you a free beer afterwards, but instead of going for a cheap domestic, Rock the Night had Bell's on as a sponsor, meaning I got to enjoy my favorite Bell's Oberon after my race! Also, I was SHOCKED (in a good way!) at the post race food- grilled corn on the cob in the husk and your choice of hot dog/hamburger/veggie burger! As a vegetarian I was THRILLED, plus wow, that's an awesome value for a free meal!
-National anthem was done on electric guitar- cool touch!
-The race directors had drones videoing the start/course/finish- I thought that was absolutely hilarious and awesome.

Things that I didn't love:
-As is pretty standard for races around this area, the course went under McCormick place- however, this part of the course is rarely well lit, and this race was no exception. It was dark, and this was especially nerve-wracking because of the recent storms and puddles everywhere. I was pretty nervous about stepping in a puddle or slipping on a slick spot.
-I wish there had been more tables to stand around in the festival area. Because of the rain, Cassie and I didn't want to sit on the grass, so we stuck to the concrete sidewalk pretty far away from the stage.

My complaints are pretty nitpicky- overall, I thought this was a great race and I would definitely recommend it as a fun 5K to do with friends in Chicago!