i see the reviews about this race are from last year or prior, so let me say 2015 was one of the strangest weather years for the end of May in quite a while. The whole weekend felt like late fall vs. late spring and the temperatures of mid-upper 40s reflected that. The 15-20mile per hour winds made it feel like the Hot Chocolate 15K in November. While I did wear shorts, which made me a minority in this year's run, I did have a couple upper layers on to protect me from the wind which whipped around a bit in more open areas along the route, especially when there were less trees or when we got closer to Lake Michigan.

Overall, I actually enjoyed the scenery of the route save for miles 9-12 where it was essentially a long loop through what others called Fort Sheridan (I'm not familiar with the north suburbs). The wind here was noticeable due to the general lack of trees and more open layout of the homes. The gently rolling hills weren't *as* bad as I expected given that I trained primarily along the flat Prairie Path trails in DuPage county.

So, I had heard about the "hill" at mile 7. To a midwesterner, it is very real and not fun. I knew if I tried to run it I would have killed my energy for the rest of the race so I did a brisk walk up it, though many around me did run it (good for them!) I will say for some reason regardless of that walk, any elevation change after that was not met with much excitement.

Aid stations were plentiful enough for a half marathon and the people handing out DD jelly filled munchkin donut holes at the station shortly after "the hill" was a nice treat. There are not a lot of people out there cheering through the neighborhoods of very nice homes, which makes it feel a little quiet.

Despite the rolling hills and windy cold weather, I am glad I ran it since it was a good challenge. I'll consider running it again next year.