Hands down this race was probably one of the most beautiful and challenging even for a runner who loves hills I felt it.

So happy I got to experience this with my mom who ran her first half. She was back of the pack but still made it in about 3:35 and beat the turn around point. I finished in 2 hrs which was good considering I stoped for the restroom 3 three times.

The expo was small and felt a bit sophisticated in the conference area and I liked how they had it separated by floors to be your big and head down.

We stayed at a local motel since we live about 3 hours away. I totally recommend staying in the area if you could. The weather was nice and the crowds helped along the way. I was just not used to all the hills.

The finish line goodies box and long sleeve shirt is definitely nice along with the medal. The race it’s self started later but we finally got the go ahead. Since I went back for my mom after finishing I was happy to still see people cheering the those still coming in. She absolutely loved it. If this is you first half marathon attempt try to get so hills in. You will need it! Overall loves the wild life, sunrise and how you never felt alone!

Having entered the lottery 3 times I was excited to finally be taking on the streets of Chicago! Having never been to the city I wanted to make sure I took full advantage of my trip coming from Fresno, CA!

Race week came faster than expected! I was so ready for my summer training temps of 100+ In Fresno (with our fire air quality) to come into play on race day! Arriving in Chicago I kept hearing people talk about how humid it was that week. I dismissed it as I tried to level that I came from a climate that was hot. Little do I know I was I surprised with how different Chicago climate really is! I’m a runner that takes each race as a experience and makes adjustments and needed!

I loved the efforts of the expo although the lines seemed like a human maze at times. It made sense for the scale of the event. The volunteers and staff had it down and it felt in my opinion well thought out from section to section. The vendors that showed up all added something useful for those last minute needs.

The day of the race I headed on the redline from Wrigleyville and met some others at the start line! Getting inside the start felt like a big movie set and runners from all others had their own scripts! The only thing considering the high temperatures I would of liked is if we started earlier! One thing about world majors is you usually start after 8 which in my opinion is just not the same as other race starts.

From the Start to the finish of the race I felt the energy the whole entire time from the crowd. Mrc Chicago run group let some of us know that if we put our name on our bib the spectators will cheer your name. (There is nothing like hearing your name when you need a little push it went so far) and so I took on the so race with how my body felt and made sure I was feeling good and hydrated as I seen people passing out. Not once did I look at my running strava time on my phone because I was just so distracted that I was in awe to be running in Chicago! I used the restroom when I needed and walked too with a smile. Although my legs felt tired from time to time I still smiled because the energy of the spectators was just that encouraging! The weather ranged from humid under the bridge passages, to windy, to sprinkles here and there) I was a bit confused on how to react as I wanted to make sure I was not too long incase it rained)

And so I wrapped out the last 10k running and speed walking to gather my energy and just counted down the miles!
I finished in 4:36 and got my medal! What felt like a long movie without a commercial break to check out and cry 😭 or be mad like I seen on the course I smiled because it was over! I totally recommend this race. Let the energy take you and re-adjust when unusual Climate is out of your control!