Took a while to get to the review of the 2015 edition of the Terrapin 5k because I am mourning its loss yet again. RAMracing originally ended the Terrapin after the 2013 race and replaced it with the Rock the Night 5k, but brought it back for one last time because of the Grateful Dead's final appearance. We have not yet had our fill of tie-dyed race swag, RAMracing! Please come back next year!

Thursday night 5k races on the Chicago Lakefront make great summer speed workouts without sacrificing long runs on the weekends. In June and July you can put together a nice little sequence: The Original 5k, Terrapin 5k, Bastille Day Run 5k, and Rock the Night 5k. There's always the potential for heat and humidity and thunderstorms in the area, but there's also usually a nice breeze off the lake and a starry night for a post race party.

This year's Terrapin was a change of venue to Arvey/Hutchinson Field in Grant Park, away from Soldier Field, which spared us the always dreadful McCormick Place tunnel and gave us much better views running along the water. Course is flat and fast from the Museum Campus north along Lake Shore Drive to the turnaround at Monroe Harbor, back along the shoreline to Columbus and almost a lap around Hutchinson Field. Here's a GoPro video from within the race, Corral A start: https://youtu.be/L7tDJMoe-a8

As always, RAMracing produced a solid event with good postrace refreshment and entertainment. For the race itself, qualified start corrals flowed well, the start and finish were appropriately played up with inflatables and banners, announcer was professional and impeccable, and the whole atmosphere was supportive and fun. Many runners had obviously participated before, wearing shirts from previous years with psychedelic pride. The Terrapin 5k has also always been a staple race of the Chicago Blade Runners, and it's always an honor and inspiration to run alongside those folks.

And oh yeah, free race photos! Can't beat that.

So please, RAMracing, keep the Terrapin 5k on the calendar for next year. Was a great kickoff to the 4th of July weekend!