This is a very family-friendly, casual, low-key 5K in the pretty part of Chicago's western suburbs.

The race gives out hoodies each year to participants. They design the hoodies with the race logo, the roman numeral for the year of the race (this year was IV), and the colors are determined by the super bowl location. For example, the Super Bowl in 2014 was at the Meadowlands, and the hoodies were green and white for the New York Jets. It's a pretty cool thing, and something that we are very excited for each year.

This race does one of the best jobs of lining people up by pace, of any race that I have ever done. There is very minimal weaving.

The course itself is a concrete path around a park and a farm. It is February, so the weather easily determines course conditions. Dress accordingly. It's always windy. The mile markers are visible and placed perfectly. There is one aid station, about halfway through. At the finish line, you're rewarded with medals, water, and snacks. The post-race party is across the street, where runners are treated to a free beer and other goodies.

Race-day packet pickup and registration are offered, and there are indoor toilets for you to use. There is ample parking at the middle school where the race takes place. One of the best 5Ks in the area!

I've done this race 3 times now, and I still love it just as much as I did the first time. Yes, it's absolutely insane to run a half marathon on the lakefront path in Chicago in January. But once you cross that finish line, you have bragging rights for life.

Chicago in the winter is, in my opinion, so much more beautiful than it ever would be in the summer. You can take so many cool pictures with the sun and the snow and the ice in the lake.

The course is measured accurately, there are ample aid stations, and plenty of enthusiastic volunteers. The bottle opener medals are high-quality and very cool. As for the shirt, this year was a half-zip in both women's and men's sizes, both high quality as well. I have found that I wear my shirts from this race way more often than I would have otherwise expected.

I did the 14 mile option for this race in 2014. Why it was 14 miles instead of a half marathon, the only thing I can think of is that it occurred in 2014, so 14=2014.

My observations:
1. The 14 mile course map, different from the traditional half marathon they had last year, was never posted to the website. While it was NBD, it still annoyed me.
2. 4 aid stations on the course. Okay, again, NBD. But there was no Gatorade. None. Only water. No Gu. No nothing.
3. As for the toilets, the race promised that they would be available on the course. There were 4 toilets. Not four banks of toilets, 4. freaking. toilets. For 3500 people. Are you kidding me?!
4. No professional photos. I’m sure there would be some cool shots of me running in the melting snow with the skyline in the background, but no dice. Just trust that I did that.
5. Out-and-backs with multiple distances on the lakefront trail mean that I weaved for the last 3 miles of the race around 10K walkers. They were walking 3 across on the path, not paying attention to anything around them.
6. When I crossed the finish line, I got my medal (where the volunteer congratulated me on my 14K. Derp.) and headed to the food line. It was stupid long, so I went up to the tent to see what was causing the buildup. Like, was there pizza? Or sandwiches? Nope. Bananas and bagels. That’s IT.

I do not think this race was worth the money at all. It's in an inconvenient location, and pre-paying for parking means you are out $20+ and have to walk all the way to the site from Soldier Field. I won't be back.