I ran the half yesterday! The course is a beautiful out and back with views of the skyline and the sculptures and art along Burnham wildlife corridor. It was nearly 90 degrees this year, and the heat was an issue (I passed a lot of people receiving medical attention). However, the race management and medical teams handled the surprise heat like pros. They had ice and misting stations along the way and cold towels at the finish line.

Pros:
-The crowds. Cheers to the AMAZING spectator who made my race by handing out cold towels at mile 6. You made a difference!!
-Aid stations were FABULOUS. Amazing crews. Plenty of water, gatorade, ice, and GU gel at mile 10.
-Great finish line complete with music, pizza, beer
-HUGE, beautiful medals
-Information: Race directors sent informational emails and plenty of good pre-race details
-Parking: I arrived at 6:15am was able to find FREE parking in the University of Chicago lot on 60th and Stoney Island.

Cons:
-I was disappointed by the Expo. You have to pay to park and it's at soldier field, which is an awesome Chicago hotspot, but no Chicagoan actually wants to drive there the day before the race (and then drive back down again the next day). The Expo had tons of vendors, but almost everything was for purchase. I would have preferred to pick up my race packet at a local running store and be in and out.
-The run was along lakeshore drive, lots and lots of pounding on the concrete. I would have preferred to be running on the lakefront biking path than the actual road, but it was probably because there so many runners.
-The heat was killer and made me run slower (whatcha gonna do?)

This is a great winter race, and it draws an amazing crowd of Chicago's most dedicated runners and running organizations. I was surprised by the major turnout and the awesome pre-race buzz and runner talk inside the United Club.

Race day was 29 degrees with a slight wind. We kept warm in the united club until about 10 minutes before the race and then lined up outside. We ran down along the lakefront through the Burnham Wildlife Corridor. There were some cool trees that had been carved into sculptures along the way and crowd members with fun signs. The course was mainly flat (an excellent place to PR) with a few mild hills along the way. Aid stations were frequent, had port-o-potty bathrooms, water, and gatorade. The volunteers were amazing and always cheering us on, despite the fact that they were probably so cold! The last mile was downhill (love when this happens). The finish line was stocked with perfect recovery foods. I grabbed a cinnamon raisin bagel, a banana and some gatorade (though there was also muscle milk, hot chocolate, pita chips, etc.). The only thing I wish had been better was the parking. Because it is Soldier Field, there probably isn't much that can be done about this, but the lines to park ($19) took a long time. I left my place in Lakeview at 8:45 and didn't get into the United Club until 9:40. So leave early!

Overall, amazing well-put together race for real Chicago Runners.

The Schaumburg half was a great post-thanksgiving race. I was surprised by how many people turned out (probably because of the sunshine and 40 degree weather)! I arrived about an hour early to pick up my packet and was surprised by the line of cars waiting to get into Busse Woods. It took a bit, but I found a space by the start line. The start line was well organized and there were ample facilities. The race had a number of pacing groups, which made it easy to gage your time. The course followed a paved bike path through the woods. Aside for one small hill to get over the highway, the course was relatively flat and fast. The highlights were passing by an Elk pasture and running alongside a sunny lake. Overall, the scenery was a little monotonous, but pleasant and calm through the winter woods. There were water/gatorade stations every 2 miles. There were lots of people cheering at the finish line, orange medals, soup, gatorade and muscle milk. The shuttle back to the start line took quite a bit of time so I would park at the finish line.

Absolutely incredible race. I'm so glad I ran it. The trees were all shades of orange and yellow and the course was beautiful and rolling. The course takes you down the bike path by the lake for about 2.5 miles before you ascend into the trails (I'd been going to Mackinac every summer and never knew these tree-lined trails existed!). There course is hilliest from miles 3-9, but these are moderate midwestern hills and are rewarded with equal amounts of downhills. Bring your own goos or nuts for the run as the aid stations are simple and there are no bathrooms on course. The weather this year (in 2016) was perfect. 40 and sunny. (we were lucky, many racers said last years race was pouring rain with a bumpy ferry ride over, but they were still back!). All in all, I will do this one again.