WEATHER: According to the race director, the weather was actually quite temperate in comparison to past years. It was around 32 degrees at the start and warmed up to the mid 40's by the time I finished the 25K.

PACKET PICKUP: Runners picked up their bibs the same day between 6:30-7:45am prior to the start of the race. I did not have to wait long in line and easily received my packet by showing an ID.

PARKING/BATHROOMS: The parking lot was right next to the start/finish line. There was a men's and women's bathroom near the start as well. Indoor and Heated. Surprisingly, the women didn't have to wait as long as the men since they had more stalls and the men only had 1. There were no Porta-potties along the course, therefore, you had to your business behind the trees, if necessary.

START TIMES: The 15k runners started at 7:45am and the 25K/50K runners began at 8:00am. The race started about 5 minutes late.

T-SHIRT/MEDAL: Women received florescent pink, long-sleeved tech shirts with the Arctic Frog logo on the front and the tagline 'Did Not Croak" on the back. Men got yellow shirts. 'Arctic' was misspelled on the medal and we were told that we will be receiving a replacement medal in the mail.

COURSE: The race started at the Independence Grove Forest Preserve in Libertyville. The course was comprised of pavement, wooded, and crushed limestone trails that ran North and South of Des Plaines River (DPR) and Northwest Casey Trails. Scenic course with some rolling hills. 25k- 1 loop and 50K- 2 loops. Since I do the majority of my running in the city of Chicago, I found the scenery to be pleasant and the hills to be challenging and fun.

AID STATIONS: There were 6 aid stations- spaced out between 1.1 and 2.2 miles throughout the course. The main aid stations provided water and sports drink plus a variety of snacks, including bananas, oranges, cookies, pretzels, chips, Jelly Beans, M&M’s, Gummy Bears, trail mix, Cup-O-Noodles, chicken broth, coffee and hot cocoa. I heard they offered chili too.

OVERALL: I was pleasantly surprised with how much fun I had during this race. The race staff and volunteers were very friendly and I had several other runners/strangers cheering me as I passed by them on the course. Seeing the 50k runners inspired me to sign up for my first 50K this upcoming March. I would definitely recommend this race!