For the past two years I've loved this race. Any marathon kicks your butt, but the scenery and the crowd truly make this an amazing experience worth the pain. You know that feeling of excitement you get when you first run past the start line? You get it again at mile 8 when you hit Boystown - where cheerleaders and performers greet you alongside families, drag queens, and friends. Just as you're starting to hit a wall around mile 20-22, you run through Chinatown, where the energy and the sights, colors, and music get you pumped yet again. And while the Michigan Ave stretch is rough, and Roosevelt hill feels like a mountain, there's nothing like the burst of emotion you get when you see that 400m sign as you hit the midpoint of that hill. The post race is great, and the swag always delivers. All around, an amazing marathon.

This was my first half marathon, and I had some friends who ran this race before with mixed reviews. It appears that whatever was the issue before, it was clearly fixed this time around, as even my friends said had only good things to say about it.

The expo was fairly well run, but the actual event was great. The aid stations were unbelievable, complete with wet sponges around mile 10, which were an amazing help during the mid-summer heat. Add the excited crowd and the bands throughout the course, you can't help but smile - even through the pain.

Honestly, the best part of this race is that finish line. The run itself is pretty solid. The course starts outside the stadium. The only bad part is running through McCormick tunnel, where you lose all GPS tracking. It's not well lit, either, so watch your step. Otherwise, the course is flawless, and the rush down the tunnel is like no other. See yourself on the jumbotron and hearing your name echo in the stadium when they call you out (sometimes), it's an unbelievable feeling.

While it's nice to run with your colleagues, this race is shoulder to shoulder. For any serious runner, it's a nightmare. The heat is always hit or miss. There are homeless people on Lower Wacker, which also radiates the heat exhaust from the hotels above. The turnaround point is a tight squeeze.

If you try to run with your colleagues, make sure to set a meeting point for after the race, because with so many non-regular runners out and about, it's a headache trying to navigate the race space.