Latest reviews by Kristin Shulman

(2016)
"Excellent, No Frills Half Marathon!"
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The Chicagoland Spring Half Marathon (not to be confused with the Chicago Half Marathon) is held in Schaumburg, IL (which is not Chicago) and run both on streets and on paved trail in the Busse Woods Forest Preserve (IL speak for "park"). Unlike the big city races, this is a much smaller, no frills event. One of the draws of these events is the free and easy parking. Schaumburg is about a 40 minute drive from home so my friend and I left about 5:30 and reached Schaumburg a little after 6 AM. We parked the car in a huge lot a couple hundred feet away from the starting line and went off to pick up her race packet. I had mine mailed to me (a nice option) and it had arrived a few days earlier. Same day packet pickup is also really nice and it took just a few minutes to do so. We walked back to the car, sat for a bit to stay warm and then went to the port-a-potties. Kudos to the organizers, there were more than enough port-a-potties and although there were lines, they went fast.

The start of the race is a little cramped and it takes a few minutes to get the 1500 runners through the shoot. Still, it is nothing like the huge city races with multiple corrals and long waits to get started. Just a few minutes and then we crossed the mat and were off. The first 2.5 miles and the last 2.5 miles of the half (and the full marathon) are run on a mostly cement totally uninteresting road beside a major highway. Fortunately, there is a bit of distance to the highway and it is fenced off so it is not like actually running on the highway. Also, the event organizers close off two lanes of the four lane road so there is plenty of room to run and pass people as need be. This year, the weather was cold (35 to 45 deg during the race), sunny and windy. The run on this open stretch of road, while not exciting, was enjoyable although the way back was in a pretty good head wind. It seemed more brutal than it actually was after having already run 11 miles. On a hot, full sun day this part of the run would be really brutal.

The majority of the run is held in the Busse Woods forest preserve on a paved bike trail. There is only one hill over the highway as the course leaves the road and enters the forest preserve. It isn't much of a hill and is quite short, yet many people just walked it. Once the hill is crested, it is downhill to the flat run through the forest preserve. The Busse Woods trail is fairly narrow and the course runs out and back in a few places. As such, there were times when it was difficult to get around slower runners and there were times when the faster runners felt that they could just run in the wrong lane. Although it was a bit annoying, it didn't happen often enough to ruin the run. Another small complaint about the race is that the Busse Woods path is open to the public during the run (race organizers don't get permission in Chicagoland to close off public access to forest preserve land) and bikers were also on the path. A lot of the bikers are irritated that runners are there and instead of just not riding, they behave badly and just make for an uncomfortable situations. Again, it only happened a couple times, so it was ok. The run through the preserve is really pretty, a number of spots with views of the ponds and some shade.

Overall there seemed to be plenty of aid stations though the first station doesn't appear until a bit over 2 miles (too long for me). I carried water so didn't actually stop at most of the stations but there was water and Gatorade at all of them and the volunteers were enthusiastic. I did stop at the last station for a bit of Gatorade to carry me to the finish.

The race ends where it starts at an office complex. The course runs around the back of one of the big buildings and as soon as the last turn is made, the finish line is right there. The final couple hundred feet is up a tree lined shoot with a very good band playing. As you cross the final mat, they handed out the medals and a bottle of water.

There isn't much of an after party for this race except for the band. There were a couple vendors, Orange Theory is one I remember and some food -- grapes, bananas, granola bars, peanuts, cookies, more Gatorade. No beer. My friend and I hung out for a little while and saw some of the first marathon runners come in and then walked the few feet to the car and drove home.

The swag for the race was a nice technical long sleeved quarter zip pullover. There was a choice of pink or black although both were unisex sizing. I chose the pink one although I really liked the black too. I did not wear it during the race but it was perfect for the day's weather.

I really enjoyed this race and PR'ed by over 13 minutes. It's on my must do list for next year. Totally low key and easy.

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(2016)
"Great Small Race!!!!!"
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The Manny's Mission 5K is a blast! The money raised by this event goes to charity, not some big corporation. From the race website "Manny’s Mission 5k, formerly known as the Supermanny Shuffle 5k and Supermanny Mission 5k, is bigger and better than ever! Once raising awareness for cerebral palsy and epilepsy in the community, we are now expanding our cause by creating a MISSION: to educate the community about multiple childhood disabilities, one year at a time."

This race is run through a neighborhood with many of the racers decked out in super hero costumes. Lots of kids, families and groups running. The race start was not tiered by pace but the fastest runners knew enough to get to the front, there was a timing mat and the streets were wide and shut down so lots of room to maneuver. Not a lot to look at on the running route except the housing in the development but it was fun to check out all the costumes! A nice medal was given to all participants as we ran through the finish shute.

The race measured a bit short so lots of PRs but it is the after party that really makes this race. Age group award winners are given satin super hero capes (no dinky trophies for this race) which is great and hopefully, they will all return and wear them next year. Besides the fun awards, there was beer, wine, donuts, bananas, pizza, pasta, massages, music and a jump house (just to name some of it) What a great community party.

If you don't take yourself too seriously, this is a race for a great cause and a lot of fun!!! Definitely doing this again 2017.

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(2016)
"Hilly, Challenging and Fun!"
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This was my first time running the Quarryman Challenge and I absolutely loved it! The price is very reasonable for a 10 miler, packet pickup was out in the burbs, the cotton t-shirt is a nice one to wear with jeans and the packet didn't contain a bunch of paper advertising other races that would just be thrown out. I may be one of the few who likes cotton t-shirts; I only wear technical shirts when I run and I have way too many.

The Quarryman 10 miler started at 7:30 AM so it was one of the first early races of the spring for me. Getting up at 5:00 AM was difficult. When I arrived at 6:45 AM there was still plenty of free parking available on the streets or in the designated parking garage just a couple blocks from the event. A quick walk to the start line and the after party area where there were plenty of clean port-a-potties and a DJ playing upbeat music. There was also someone cutting up oranges and offering slices before the event. This was a nice touch to start the morning.

Just before the race, someone sang a nice rendition of the Star Spangled Banner and then we were off. I knew this race was hilly because I had been out to Lemont a few weeks ago to check it out. Yet, I was still surprised at just how hilly this race was. For the first half, all we seemed to do was climb. This race is run entirely on the residential streets of Lemont and given that it is held on a Saturday morning, there was a bit of vehicular traffic for those of us in the back of the pack to contend with. Overall though, the drivers were respectful, course marshals and policeman did there jobs, and it was not a huge problem. We ran past some beautiful houses and the spring flowers and trees were beautiful on a cloudy, rainy morning. The weather this year was just about perfect as temperatures never got above 65 and the sun didn't come out until the very end. The little bit of rain that occurred in the beginning felt great and kept us cool.

I carried my own water but it seemed like the aid stations were reasonably spaced. They certainly were staffed with an enthusiastic crew! Seeing all those smiling young faces cheering us on was a real boost.

The second half of the course, while still having a fair number of uphills, seemed to have more fairly steep downhills. Loved being able to pick up some time lost on those uphills during the first half of the race. The last quarter mile is a flat, straight run to the finish line and it was fun to finish without an incline.

The after party at the Quarryman is A+.. Two local establishments were pouring tap beers and just putting them out (none of this one ticket/one beer stuff) and there was also great pizza being served. The age group awards are really different for this race. They're a hunk of quarry stone with a small plaque indicating place. I didn't win one but my friend Muriel (whom I ran with) did and it looks great.

This is definitely a must do again for me! Hope to see you there!

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(2016)
"Fantastic, hilly 10K!!!"
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Billed as the toughest 10K in the Midwest, the Rockdale Ramblin Run is the first race in the annual Joliet "Run3" series (which also includes The Sundowner 5K in July and a new one mile race in October.) I had never run this race before and was just delighted with the race management, the course, the after party and the swag. A truly great event.

This race started on a residential street in the Rockdale area of Joliet. Although early packet pickup was offered, it was a bit far away so I chose to pickup race morning. No problem. I drove right up to the small park where packet pickup was being held and parked on the street --- no charge. It took me all of five minutes to pick up my packet from some very friendly, helpful volunteers. There were plenty of port-a-potties set up and ton of policeman standing by to get on the course. When I got to the car, I pulled the race hoodie out of the bag and I was delighted. It is a nice dark heather grey with the race logo on the breast area and "The Toughest 10K in the Midwest" written down the sleeve.

The starting line was about two blocks away from where packet pickup was being held so I left my car where it was and just ambled down to the starting line. The gun went off, and off we went. What a fabulous course!!! Lots of hills, both up and own, beautiful residential neighborhoods to run through and volunteers and policemen everywhere to make sure we stayed on course and that traffic stayed out of our way. There was only one short section where I felt a bit exposed to traffic but I suspect that will be covered better next time. It was such fun doing the hills! Most midwest races are so flat it was nice to have a bit of a challenge.

After the race, the post race party was also exceedingly well run. Unlimited Miller Lite in cans and Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy, as well as water, bagels and bananas. The Joliet Park district after parties are always good. The awards started quickly (we didn't have to wait forever) and then there was a post race raffle. In addition, there were a few interesting vendors scattered around.

I loved this race. I will be back and I will wear my Rockdale Ramblin Run hoodie proudly!

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(2016)
"Verizon Sly Fox - 2nd Year"
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The 2016 Sly Fox was the 2nd running of this late April, combined half marathon & 10K event. I ran the inaugural half marathon in 2015 and even though the weather was awful (cold and very rainy) I enjoyed the run and the after party. So, with a discount incentive, I signed up again but this time for the 10K. As a middle of the pack runner, I knew that the after party was almost over when I finished in 2015; I figured by running the 10K, I would finish in time to enjoy the after party and see my friends finish their half marathons.

Parking for this race is great. The small town of St. Charles has a couple free parking decks and on street town parking was also widely available. As the town is 40 minutes from my home, I skipped early packet pickup, instead getting up an hour earlier to pick it up on race day. I was able to park close enough to the race to be able to pick up my packet, go back to my car and have about a 20 minute nap before going back to the race site. The packet was a small reusable bag with the race number and shirt. I appreciated that it wasn't stuffed with a lot of papers to just throw in the recycling bin later. The race shirt was meh.... very flimsy material and an orange/red color. Doubt I will be wearing it much.

At the race sight, the organizers get high fives for having lots of port-a- potties. No one ever had to stand in line, at all. Way to go!!!!! This is huge on race morning and more race organizers should take note. I didn't see any water available prior to the race but I honestly didn't look too hard for it.

The Sly Fox Half started right at 7 AM after the singing of the National Anthem. The young woman who sang it had a nice voice but unless you're Beyonce, you probably shouldn't rewrite the tune. It was kind of an odd rendition. After the half marathoners took off, we had 20 minutes until the 7:20 AM 10K start time. Enough time to use the port-a-potties again, take group pictures, etc. And then we were off ...

I knew this was a hilly course from last year but I forgot just how hilly it really is!!! The week before, I ran the Rockdale Ramblin Run 10K billed as the "Hilliest 10K in the Midwest". I think they are going to have to give that up and let the Sly Fox have that title. For the first 3.5 miles, this course just climbs. I have been doing a lot more hill work and didn't struggle too much but some of my stronger runner friends started to drop back and walk. At the turn around (this is an out and back course), the uphills became downhills and it was fun to pick up some speed and run down them. As I ran by people still working their way up that last, really steep hill, I could tell people were really feeling the hills. The Sly Fox course runs through the downtown streets of St. Charles, then a small industrial park, a town park and then a beautiful, affluent neighborhood with big lots and nice trees. There were a few people out to cheer us and it was just a beautiful morning.

A couple of comments though on the race. One, aid stations over 2 miles apart on a 10K are way too few!! I've run 5K's with two aid stations. I carried my own water, which I would prefer not to, because on a hilly course, on a warm day, I need more water. I would suggest four aid stations, 2 on the way out and 2 on the way back - that really would just be one more but would really enhance this race. Two, many more course marshalls are needed. Turns were missed and I felt unsafe running one segment of the race where we had a small area coned off in two way traffic. It was really hard to get around slower runners and the cars really were not paying attention to us.

Finally, the after party. I love the Sly Fox after party as it is held in a big bar (Alley 64) and the beer is Sam Adams. On a cold (or rainy) April morning, it is nice to get inside after the run instead of freezing in sweaty clothing outside. I appreciate having a decent beer and personally, I love the hot dogs, hamburgers and chips after the race. Some people were disappointed that there were no bananas or bagels but I for one am happy to have some real food after the race.

One note, this year the Half Marathon course was screwed up and most runners only ran 12.1 miles. Lots of people are angry about it and swear they won't run it again. The race directors have acknowledged their mistake and vow to correct it in 2017. I will definitely run it again, maybe the half again next year. Hopefully, they will learn from these mistakes and it will be a great race - like it was in 2015.

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