I did this race 3 years in a row (2017-2019). The most challenging thing about this one is the weather! July in Chicago is HOT! In 2019, it was so hot that the 5K the day before was cancelled the night before the race! And, I believe if so many runners hadn’t traveled to this race, the half marathon might’ve been cancelled, as well. (There were other races in the surrounding areas that were actually cancelled.) However, RnR’s solution was to reroute those who felt the heat was too much for them onto a 7K course, created the day before the race. I felt that this was a great idea, and liked that they listened to our concerns about the race being cancelled at the last minute. Aside from the weather, this race is a good one! The course takes you on a pretty good tour of the city, and it’s pretty flat! I think RnR needs a lot more music on the course, since that’s what they advertise. But, the few bands they had were really great! The bling was fun, as were the shirts, with deep dish pizza and Chicago hot dogs as their themes! I always enjoy my time in Chicago, and getting some race bling and seeing my east coast runner friends while I’m there are great bonuses!

The logistics for this race were terrible! For some reason, the route was changed from the previous year, which meant a change to the start/finish area. In 2018, the expo and start/finish line area were all in one place, making it perfect for runners. Especially those like me, who are traveling to the race. In 2019, the race moved, but the expo stayed in the same place, so we were forced to travel to get our race kits! Also, they didn’t get our race shirts in time so we couldn’t get them until after the race! This was a problem for me because I was planning ( like a lot of runners) to wear my shirt for the race! So, I was forced to buy a top at the expo! As far as the race, the course was not my favorite! Lots of freeway miles (some underground), back allies, and deserted city streets in outlying areas! Then, at the end of the race a HUGE HILL, and an extremely steep downhill like none I’ve ever experienced! Runners complained more about the downhill than the uphill! After that, the finish was uphill, as well! The finish line festival was typical RnR, with live music, beer, water, Gatorade and snacks. And, when we finally got our shirts they were a different color than advertised and they ran out of some sizes!

Unfortunately, the pros don’t outweigh the cons for me on this one! I’ve done this one twice, and RnR actually improved the course from 2018 to 2019 by adding a little unexpected fun! This race starts and ends outside of an aviation museum, and in 2019, we actually got to run inside of a portion of the museum, through all kinds of cool antique planes! However, other than that, it’s a boring out in back course on one street, far outside of the city! And, the absolutely terrible change RnR made to the 2019 5K was the cancellation of the free shuttle to get runners to/from the race, as there are NO local trains/busses going to this area! So, WE WERE ALL IN UBER HELL trying to get there and back! So much confusion and lack of local drivers to take care of everyone! And, the Ubers were very expensive because of the high demand and distance from the city! RnR also ran out of shirts for participants, so we had to pick them up after the race! Getting our shirts was very chaotic and disorganized, with people pushing and shoving to get sizes before they ran out! I definitely will not be going back!

This race was my first experience with Lexus Lace Up, although my friends had been telling me to attend one of their races for quite a while! And, I was sorry I hadn’t listened to them sooner! The race was so fun from the very beginning! The atmosphere is super welcoming, they gave everyone Santa hats or antlers to wear, lots of people dressed in costumes, and so many parents were running with their kids! It’s like a big Christmas party! The course is uneventful other than a few decorations and some cool “runner signs” with funny sayings. However, the finish festival is GREAT! So much fun, Lexus cars on display, lots of booths with giveaways, a very fancy fresh fruit flavored water station with free Lexus water bottles, and the best FREE FOOD TRUCK FOOD for all participants! It’s all about the race swag at the Lexus races!

This race was great! I loved everything about it! The course is mostly flat, the weather was perfect for running, and the race swag was on point! I loved that they had new BMWs all along the start/finish line! Before the race, they had coffee and other energy boosters available, and everything was extremely organized! What I loved most was the race course, as it truly took you on a tour of the city! It started downtown, then went through a few different neighborhoods, then through a very artsy area with lots of street art, before ending where we started. The finish line festival was in a nice park and had lots of booths, several beer options and cool photo ops set up for us! I enjoyed this race very much and would do it again!