I dislike Cinco de Mayo so I have never done this race. Plus, I think RAM races are expensive. The only reason I did it is because a friend of mine asked her family and friends to run with her in lieu of going to her graduation.

Packet pick up is a hassle. I dislike going to Fleet Feet Old Town because of parking and traffic. I went anyway because I had to. They should have race day pick up. It isn't like so many people sign up for it that they cannot handle onsite pickup.

I arrived early to Montrose Harbor to get a good parking spot. But that meant I had to wait a while for the race to start. It was cold and windy.

I like the distance. It is manageable. Great atmosphere. There were lots of runners and wonderful camaraderie. The course was along the lakefront which I always enjoy.

The food was horrible. Nasty tamales. It was not a real tamale. I took one bite and threw it out. There was also nachos (Tostito chips and cheese). Those were OK. I ate it cause I was hungry.

I'd probably will not do it again because of price and location. I think it is easier and more convenient to have this race downtown. Why was it moved? And again, personally I do not like the Cinco de Mayo theme.

I've been doing this race for a number of years. As long as I am in town (it takes place during Memorial Day Weekend), I plan to do this race.

Packet pickup is a hassle. The closest location is Fleet Feet Old Town which I dislike going there because of traffic and parking. Luckily, a friend of mine picked it up for me.

This year the race began inside the stadium as opposed to outside. Also, there were two waves depending on your corral. I was in G but moved back to M to run with friends. However, I still had to wait about 30 minutes to begin running. It was well organized

I am familiar with the course because part of this course is the route I use while marathon training. The view is beautiful with the lake and skyline. There was Nuun on the course which I like. Many volunteers also as well.

I ran this race because of my goal to run a half marathon in each state.

The expo was about a little over half a mile. No big deal. It was a the convention center and there were a decent number of vendors.

On race day I knew I was in trouble before Mile 1. I was too HOT. More hot than usual. Plus, I had a headache. I struggled the rest of the way. I was literally running one mile at a time and counting down each mile till the finish line. I thought about dropping out because I was feeling horrible.

I did not like the course. The one thing I did like was that most of it was shaded. I am thankful for that because I know it would have been much worse. It is also flat but nothing gorgeous or exciting to see along the way. There weren’t many spectators but there were great volunteers. There were plenty of water stations and a few even gave us cups filled with ice. Plus the locals used their water hose to cool us down and that felt wonderful. I did see three runners on the ground needing medical assistance.

There was some construction going on on the same road that we were running. Why? That made the course even more narrow and unsafe.

I know every race will not be a great race and this was definitely one of them. There was nothing I could do about the weather. I did my best to enjoy the race and to finish it.

This is one of my favorite races!! Great location and distance.

The expo is at McCormick Place. There are so many vendors and it is easy to spend a few hours there. They also gave discounted parking which is a relief because normally parking is around $20.

The race is well organized with various corrals. You need to make sure to arrive at the gate prior to corral closure as you will not be allowed to go in once it closes. You can move back to the next one.

The race course is part of the Chicago Marathon which is nice. You start and finish in the same area as the marathon.

The crowd support is amazing. Wonderful! So many people out there cheering you.

If you have not run this race, make sure to do so because you will love it.