What an awesome race! Though it was a pretty hot and humid day, this race had a great showing and I would definitely do it again.

Pros:
Swag- You can choose a dry-fit that represents your favorite Big 10 school...though it may be too hot too wear during the race. Your bib also grants you a ticket for a sausage sandwich and Revolution Beer. The medal is pretty huge for a 10k/5k and you get to attach your "school coin" on the front, which you can pick up at your school tent after the race.

Entertainment - Games, live band and mascots. They had a former Bear's player and Penn State alum MC the start of the race and he was fantastic!

Course: Relatively flat, with some slight inclines

Aid stations: Water available on the course and cold rags, water for after.

Post-race snacks: Pretty simple, bananas and cliff bars. I've been to races where they really load up that section...but the beer and sausage after the race definitely made up for the small assortment of snacks at the finish line.

Cons:
Hydration: It was a super humid day and while they provided water on the course and at the finish line, it was hard to find any before the race. Many runners like to warm-up before the race, so it would have been nice to have a water station to get some hydration before the race, especially with it being such a humid day.

Course: While running through the Lower Wacker portion, it smelled awful. Like, human feces awful. Wasn't the most ideal scent to inhale for more than a quarter of a mile.

If you went to a Big 10 school, I definitely recommend this race! Even as a non-Big 10 alum, I still enjoyed watching the rivalry unfold. Lots of elites show up to this race for the cash purse, so that was exciting to see in the 10k!

Second year running this race and overall a great experience!

Pros:
It takes place the day before Chicago's Gay Pride Parade-- great way to kick off the weekend of Pride festivities!
-Flat, fast course. It doesn't get much easier than running at Montrose Harbor.
-Moment of silence for Orlando victims. Compared to last year's celebration of same-sex marriage being nationally legalized, this year had more somber moments throughout the Pride festivities. While the tragedy was nothing to celebrate, I'm glad it was recognized and given due respect.
-Tons of vendors giving away freebies at the end.
-Great after party with live performances from the Spirit Squad and other groups.
-Goes towards a good cause. Proceeds benefit Center on Halsted, TransTech and About Face.
-Medals. Appropriate size for a 5k with a great multi-color ribbon. Last year's was my favorite because the medallion acted as a bottle opener :)
-Shirts. I liked this year's fit and material much better than last year's. Order those again for next year! :). I did packet pick-up the morning of the race and got stuck with a size too big, so I'd suggest picking your packet up before race day!

Cons:
-Price. $54 (total seems way too high for a 5k, especially since there wasn't a price change between the 5k and 10k (which is unheard of, the 5k is almost always cheaper for most races). Most road races benefit some sort of charity, but stay between $25-$35 for a 5k.
-Course overlap. They should probably start both races at the same time or time it better as the 5k runners had to weave in an out of 10k runners towards the last mile of the race

My favorite short distance race in Kansas City, hands down. KC is known to throw some hilly courses your way, but Trolley Run is an exception and is a great course to run fast times with lots of downhills!

Pre-race:
Since this is a point-to-point race (which I love), you have the option to park your car at the start or at the finish with shuttle buses transferring you each way.

The cause:
CCVI is the Children's Center for the Visually Impaired in Kansas City. Most road races benefit charities, but this one is unique because those who benefit from this charity are very present at the race. From groups of children cheering throughout the race to program graduates-turned-Paralympic athletes competing, it was really cool to see how much of an impact this race made on fundraising efforts and how much appreciation they showed to all the runners who were just out there to have a good time.

Race:
Like I said, FAST COURSE! You might even hit a 5k PR during the race, it is that fast. There's maybe a couple gradual hill climbs in the neighborhood, but other than that, pretty quick. You can really gun it on the last mile. The weather is typically pretty good, today was a bit warm, but there are plenty of aid stations to fuel up.

Post-race party: Amazing! SOOO much food. You could probably just stay and eat enough for your breakfast and lunch. There's Papa Murphy's Pizza, some random guy frying bacon, muffins, cookies, yoghurt, chocolate milk, Panera, towels, lemonade, cider, organic fig bars...my advice is to bring your bag and load up for later.

Prizes: A lot of elites show up to this race because of the generous amount of cash prizes. They also raffle off a brand new car, no big deal.

Swag: Shirt, no medal. Honestly, I would take that much food over a medal any day. I think medals are a bit frivolous and I usually toss mine out or donate them, so it was nice to see that excess item cut out and be replaced with what I truly care about, food.

Though I'm not a Big 12 alum, it was cool to see a ton of runners out sporting their school pride and going head-to-head in some friendly competition. The post-race after party was like no other, live bands and beer and games. Felt like a tailgate. But before we get to the party, lets start with the race and all that went before.

Parking: All the parking garages in the vicinity are opened up and free to park, so parking shouldn't be an issue. Remember which garage you're in, or you'll end up like I did, cold and sore after a race searching for the right garage.

Race: Well-marked, appropriate amount of aid stations and great finish line. Downtown tends to have a lot of hills and this course was no different. Lots of hills, so be prepared. The good thing though, is that if you can conquer this race, you can conquer almost any course in the KC metro area. A great tune-up race before Rock The Parkway half-marathon. After running the Big 12 12k, Ward Parkway felt like a flat pancake.

Swag: Cool 3/4-length baseball-style long sleeve shirt. A nice change from the 100% cotton tees or dry fits you usually see at races. Medal is a good size for a 12k race, and it has all the Big 12 schools' logos on the ribbon so it's a great souvenir for any alum runners.

After party: Live bands, games, beer...need I say more? Unfortunately, I had plans after the race so I had to dip out. In that case, was the high entry fee of $55 worth it for me? Probably not. But if you plan on staying and celebrating your race and the Big 12, then its reasonable.

This year, I skipped the Westport St. Patrick's 4 mile race to run Big 12. I like that one a bit more, has more of a local and less commercialized feel to it and the key lime pie after the race is a perk. If you have to choose between the 2 and are not set on a specific distance, I would choose the Westport 4 mile race for fun and Big 12 for more of a challenge. There is also a 5k race at the Big 12, but I ran the 12k.

This is my second year running this race, and all and all...it's a pretty okay race. The big positive is that you get to run in controlled temperatures of 65 degrees. Where else in Missouri can you run in shorts and a tank in the dead of winter? True to its name, the Groundhog Run takes place in one of the underground caves of Kansas City.

When you get there, you'll probably have to park at the casino parking lot. There, they have free shuttles take you to the race site, so I suggest getting there 30-45 minutes before your race (an hour if you like to warm-up). Shuttles ran smoothly going to the race, but after the race, there was probably a 15 minute wait in the cold to get a ride back to the parking lot.

For a 5k, it is a bit pricey...costing $45. My company comp'd it for me, but I'm not sure I would pay for this race if that wasn't the case. You receive a t-shirt (not dry-fit) and the medal is nothing to write home about. The overall and age group awards are basically the same medal with a different colored ribbon. Post-race snacks are standard water, chocolate milk, bananas and granola bars.

There are a lot of sharp turns, so my biggest tip would be to stay wide and not closest to the turn or else you'll get cut off by runners outside of you. If you aren't in the first and fastest wave, it's easy to get stuck in the crowd.

The caves are cool to run in (definitely beats the dreadmill in the winter), but myself along with a lot of my friends who run it usually get pretty nasty colds after running in there...the air's pretty tough to take in. But if you're looking for a race to get you out of your winter running slump (without freezing your butt off), then this is definitely a good choice and probably the only indoor race in the KC area that takes place in the underground.