This race was on my bucket list for a while. I wanted that Tiffany’s necklace! I registered with a group of 4 (2 doing the full, 2 doing the half) and we got in! Let me preface this review by saying I love Nike. They thing of some amazing things!! But at the same time, there were definitely some issues.

What I loved:
· THE NECKLACE!! – Seriously this is so brilliant. I love having something that represents my dedication and training that I can wear every day! lovelovelove
· Shirt – Nike does it right. Fits beautifully and love the design!
· Social Media Motivation – Again, done beautifully
· App (in theory) – See more below on what didn’t work, but in theory this app was amazing. Post your training and share to FB, it delivered updated race info, runner updates, official time etc. If this is operating at 100% this app is amazing
· Expotique (in theory) – the idea of makeovers and hair styling, so cute! But see more below
· Starting Line – SO. Cool. It really amped me up. The DJ, the announcers, the female runners (love you Joan Benoit Samuelson!). The spotlights and pyrotechnics all did an amazing job of setting the scene.
· Swag – love the dry shampoo, lip balm, etc. great stuff for women overall.

What I didn’t:
· The lottery – held 16 weeks before the race? This is clearly not geared towards marathoners that need to plan their training in advance. WHY was it done so late!?
· Race Information – impossible to find in one location. Having FB as the host of all the race info was very hard AND why was info so hard to find all the time. This is not an issue most races have.
· App (in reality) – Great in theory but this HMTL5 non-native app was SO sticky, not intuitive to navigate
· Expo (in reality) – UGH. What a hot mess. The space was NOT big enough to accommodate the crowds. Plus all the cool/fun stuff had lines that were 1+ hour. If you wanted make-up, hair, AND an airbrush tattoo you’d have to be at the expo in line for 4+ hours! NOT ideal before running a marathon
· Spectators – what spectators? How did a race of 30K people have so few people cheering? I expected it on the full marathon course but it was super empty during the first half, too
· Post-Race – Ugh. WAY too crowded and overwhelming for hobbling marathoners to try to navigate through throngs of half marathoners who weren’t leaving enough space for those of us that could barely walk. I ended up not taking advantage of ANY of the post-race perks because I had to get out of the craziness.

Nike clearly is on to something hot but they have a lot of improvements to make to be one of the best!

Seriously, such a fun race. I loved having all the mascots at Fleet Feet when I went to pick up my bib. The school colored shirts alone make it worth it. Then beer PLUS chicken sausage at the end? Awesome.

I loved the start and finish by the planetarium. I’ve never done a race that began down there and it made for a unique scene and some great views. The tailgate post-race was fun though the lines for the school colored sunglasses was a little ridiculous. Can’t that just get handed out with the bags?

Want to get a group of Big Ten alumn to do the race next year. Definitely a fun time!

This is the only 5K I’ve done and it was a delight! The race as a whole was pretty low-key and easy to navigate. I loved the post-work run and enjoyed the path through Lincoln Park and then on the lake path. The crepe stand was AMAZING and thank you for the beer, too!

Shirts were adorable and fit really well!