This was a great race to get into the spirit of St. Patrick's Day.

Leading up to the race, the race organizers have away several raffle prizes on social media that fit in with the St. Pats theme, which I thought was fun and helped build excitement towards the event. Packet pickup was available one evening during the week leading up to the race, as well as morning of. The start/finish was set up at a shipping center, which meant plenty of free parking. The Stacked Pickle (an event sponsor) was even open for spectators who wanted to start the party early.
Three morning began with a kids fun run, followed by the half and 5K. The courses were out and back, and took us through some running trails in Plainfield, as well as along some streets. The course was well marked, with signs and volunteers and police. There were 3 or 4 water/Gatorade stations set up along the route, and a Portalet at the 3ish/9ish mile markers. We briefly crossed a footbridge that was cool, but had been made slick by the snow that had been falling when we started the race. A course monitor was starting at the bridge to make sure everyone was aware of the conditions and got across safely. A few manageable hills on the course, but it's still Central Indiana, so not too bad.
At the end of the day, I PR'd, which was exciting, but my Garmin showed 12.9 miles instead of 13.1. Not sure if the error was the course or my gps device. At the finish, we got cool medals and granola bars and water. Swag for the event included a beer ticket and a soft, comfy sweatshirt.
I'd definitely do a Racemaker race again. Course management was great, and atmosphere was fun.

I ran the half; as did my partner. My goal for this one was just to have fun and help maintain some of my fitness from having trained for a November full marathon...I ended up PR'ing, and having a pretty good time.
We opted to pick up our race packets the day before the race (Saturday, race was on a Sunday), as we were already planning to be downtown that evening. Pick up was in a ballroom at a hotel downtown, and didn't offer much more than picking up bibs and shirts. There was one other vendor there, so it was not really an 'expo'. Packet pick up went smoothly, and we received all the items we'd expected: chip timed bib, hoodie, and Santa hat/beard to wear during the race.
The day of the race was very cold, but clear. We lucked into a street/metered parking spot right by the start line. There were several holiday decorations you could get your photo taken near, and an abundance of race photographers roaming around taking photos. Portalets were near the start/finish, and there were a good amount of them available for the crowd size. The DJ was enthusiastic and did a good job of trying to keep everyone pumped up in spite of the cold.
The race began on schedule. Part of the fun/silliness of the race was that there were cookie and candy stops along the route. Both of these happened in the first 3 miles of the half course, which I think worked. I had just been looking to have fun with this race, so I took both and managed not to get an upset stomach. I also ran portions of the race in the Santa gear, but was grateful that I had worn the race hoodie, so I had a nice big pouch to shed layers into as it got warmer.
There was one big hill that stood out in the course, by the velodrome. Otherwise, I found the course to be pretty manageable and fairly scenic for Indianapolis.
As far as course management, I was disappointed by some of the water stops. While early stations were well staffed and stocked, water stations around 7-10 miles were out of water and/or cups by the time I came through (I finished in about 2:30). I suppose this worked out fine, because I ended with a good time for me, but seemed like a pretty basic thing that they let slip. Additionally, I'm not so sure how well the course was measured. Fairly consistently, the mile markers were a bit earlier than my Garmin mile notifications...to the extent that when I hit the Mile 12 marker on the course, my Garmin showed 11.75. When I crossed the finish, my Garmin showed right around 13.0. I want to believe that is just as likely the course was correct and my Garmin was wrong, but I kind of feel like this finishing time for me will always have an asterisk behind it.
At the end of the race, there were basic recovery snacks and water available, and there were plenty available when I finished.
I really liked the sweatshirt we received for this race...not sure how well it will hold up in the long term. The Santa garb was really fun, and helped keep things light during the race. Medal was very cool.
At the end of the day, I had a good time running this race and would probably do it again if I had a discount code for it. I think there's room for improvement in how they could manage things. The dysfunctional water stops were a turn off. When I signed up for the race, I had missed the spot to add my coupon code. I emailed the race organizers immediately to see if they would apply it to my charge, and they never got back to me at all. On the other hand, general pre race communication was good, and I really enjoyed the race photos and the frequency of on course photographers. A fun one if you're not looking to take it too seriously, and want to enjoy the holidays though a running event.

The Hot Cider Hustle started and finished in White River Park area. The day we ran, it was pouring. For a fee, you could have your packet mailed to you in advance of the event. We opted for morning-of pickup. An email that we received prior to the event let us know that some event shirt sizes were not going to be available the day of the event, and would be mailed the following week. In light of that, organizers offered a 15% discount code for next year's race.
Parking was closeby, but not free. Packet pickup was fairly smooth (though soggy, as it occurred outside under a tent). An appropriate amount of Portalets were set up at the start/finish.
The course was interesting and pretty flat, and traveled by a lot of the downtown museums. With the rain though, portions of the first mile of the course were flooded and kind of hard to navigate. I think if they'd run the course backwards, so that the separation of pace groups had happened in the wider parts of the course, it would have made for a smoother race. The start/finish area was also in a grassy area, that got marshy with the rain. I didn't slip, but was a little bit worried about that as I came into the finish.
Those working the water stop in mile 2 and finish line were great sports about the weather and made sure we had what we needed. In lieu of medals, finishers got a mug that could then promptly be filled with delicious hot apple cider. That was the best.
Swag to take home was the event hoodie (it was fine, but not my favorite), the finishers mug (also fine), and caramel apple (yum!). Bottled waters were also available at the finish.
I think the best parts of this race were that it was the first that I'd done in a downpour, and that I did it with friends. It would be interesting to come back and see how it goes in better weather, but I could go either way on running it again.

I have family in Elmhurst, so checking out the local Turkey Trot seemed like a good idea. Kind of pricey for a 5K with minimal swag (we did get a nice long sleeved tee, which we promptly put on as it was freezing and there was no gear check), but the money goes to fight local food insecurity.
We got there early, since we'd heard it was one of the largest Thanksgiving races in Chicagoland. We opted to be dropped off and walked to the packet pick up area on race day. Free street parking could be found a handful of blocks away from the start and finish lines.
We'd signed up online, and when we arrived we were issued bibs and handed our shirts. No chip timing....which was a bummer.
We walked over to a warming tent to hang out, and a bar was being set up. Merch was available to purchase. Slowly, it became clear that this was more of a day-drinking event than a race for many of the participants. (No judgement....it was just a new thing for me to see participants move to their corrals with a fresh drink in hand.) When it was time to line up for the start, there was a long series of fly-overs, which was cool and unexpected.
Finally, the starting pistol went off and we went...nowhere. We'd lined up behind the 10 min group (My 5K pace just under 11), at the front of the "walking" corral. There were definitely folks with dogs lined up in front of us, and people finishing their drinks, and no one was going anywhere fast. A few minutes later, once we'd crossed the start line, we found ourselves weaving all over the place to get through the crowds. Eventually, runners seeped out onto the yards and sidewalks along the course just to get by the strollers.
It felt like all of Elmhurst was on the course at some points. There were groups of participants cutting the course, or ducking into bars as we went through downtown.
Mile markers were in the form of small signs indicating kilometers left (brought to you by Tito's Vodka). The water stop was well staffed and stocked with water, but set up along one of the hairpins of the course, so kind of a mess with the two-way traffic and discarded cups underfoot. There was a hill to contend with--coming and going under the bridge--but everything else was flat.
There were a handful of Portalets at the finish, along with some vendors (Athletico!). I don't recall any post race refreshments. We stayed for a stretch at the Athletico tent and then got out of there.
My two cents: offer timed and un-timed options for the event, and start the timed race 15 minutes before the un-timed race. I think it would make it significantly better for everyone.
I was glad we gave this race a shot because of its history, but I'd check out one of the other dozen options in Chicago for a Thanksgiving race in the future. I think I'd only come back if we were going to do it as a super chill family activity...which is how I think most participants approach it.

This was my first, ever, marathon.
The Expo was awesome. There were tons of vendors and even speakers scheduled during the two days before the race. Packet pick up was easy. An awesome selection of race merch was available for purchase. Tons of other races had booths set up and offered great discounts (but I was feeling too superstitious to sign up for anything).
Posters with all of the participants names listed were handed out at the expo. Swag included event-specific tech shirts, a gorgeous finishers medal, and event-specific beanie at the finish line. If you'd completed one of their races the month prior at Ft. Ben, you could also collect an Indython medal, with event-specific charm.
A bunch of Portalets were set up along the start corrals. Water/sports drink stations were well staffed and well stocked and occurred approximately every two miles.
The spectator support along the route was great...People threw parties in their yards along the course, and held signs, and poured drinks....It was like a celebration.
Medical support had a good presence. Portalets seemed regularly stationed as well.
Timing was great, and splits were measured by timing mats. Printouts of times were available at the finish.
Volunteers at the expo and along the course were awesome. Just awesome.
The course was flat, and took racers through cool parts of downtown, Broad Ripple, and the Butler area.
In the finishing chute, there was an abundance of snacks and drinks. Finishers could pick up pizza in one of the tents. Some of the vendors started to tear down shortly after my 6-hr finish time....more motivation to run the next one faster.
Thanks for a great race.... I'll never forget it, and I'll surely be back.