Expo: I picked up my packet the day before the race. The expo was a bit underwhelming - there were only a few tables set up and the vendors weren't the friendliest. I did appreciate that there were multiple pickup locations around the Chicagoland area though - I just wasn't able to get to one of them due to being out of town.

Aid stations: there were plenty of aid stations but due to the extreme heat, they could have been staffed/stocked a lot better. I was in the front of the pack and the back end of the course's aid stations were already starting to dwindle.

Course: the route is a little weird - you loop south, loop north then loop even further south. You pass the finish line area a couple of times which is hard especially when the weather is so extreme and literally run right next to it as the half marathoners are finishing. The north loop takes you through some rolling hills and they are much harder than you would anticipate. The second south loop takes you through gravel roads with little shade. The course was clearly not my favorite

Parking: this was incredible. There were plenty of close options and because the race is huge, there were no issues finding a place to park.

Post-race: the brat and beer were the perfect way to end this dreadful race. There were plenty of picnic tables set up to lounge at and they had music and fun cutouts to take pictures with. I was very disappointed in the fact that we didn't receive free picture downloads because I actually had a few good ones, especially with the nice lake background. It was $15.95 for ONE picture download which just seems absurd.

Overall: it was a decent race but I don't think I will ever participate again as there's nothing outstanding pulling me back other than the close proximity and great parking. It was managed well but I'd rather try a new one.

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