Let's go through categories: overall, this was a great race benefiting a great organization. The swag came in the form of a cotton tee, and I gave it a 4 based on the fit (I've been wearing a S for the past few months and this one was TOO S for me!). Aid stations were wonderful, there were volunteers right past the transition point handing out both water and Gatorade. Near the transition point, there were bagels (along with butter and cream cheese!), hot chocolate, and protein bars - all for free! I definitely had food and drink options throughout the day, and thanks to the unfortunate weather, the hot chocolate was VERY welcomed!

The course scenery wasn't bad - far from it, actually. The course offered views of the White River, IUPUI campus, local spots (like the JW Marriott hotel), and a killer view of the downtown Indianapolis skyline. If you don't mind seeing the same thing over and over again, the course would be fine for you in terms of scenery. For myself (doing 20 miles of the race) and the individuals that did the full marathon distance, it got boring pretty quickly since the race was set up in a 2.2 mile loop. The upside was that despite the bone chilling wind, the elevation was flat and the volunteers were HAPPY! There was a small bridge that hit near the 2 mile marker, and that particular gentleman was cheerful every time I saw him; he had a huge smile on his face, was handing out high fives, and actually ran the hill with me a couple times since I went through over and over again. He was AWESOME, as were all the other volunteers - I can't say enough great things about them!

Parking was easy; there are plenty of options downtown (either street level or underground, which was $5 for the entire day!) and the management of the race was great, they clearly know what they're doing and how to put on a fun event. The only downside was the weather (which of course can't be helped!), it was truly a typical Indiana day, where we experienced both sun and an almost sleet type of rain, along with biting winds.

Overall, would do it again - though with a larger team so I wasn't getting bored! Hanging out with teammates was one of the best parts of the experience, and all of the teams were SUPER fun and cheerful even though we were all cold. Great event.

This year was the 8th annual Ripple Effect 4 miler. They offered both a timed and untimed option, so it was definitely a family and walker friendly event.

The course started near BlueMile in Broad Ripple, wound through some key parts of the city, and then went out on to some of the bigger roads surrounding the Broad Ripple area. Overall, the course scenery was pretty good - I gave it a 4/5 based on the scenery over the first mile or so (in the city), and then being familiar with the scenery in the last couple of miles, which made it feel easier to me.

There was no expo, but packet pick up was easy and went smoothly. We arrived around an hour early due to being unsure of the parking situation - the race site said free parking would be offered right beside the start line at a local high school, but there was also a large festival going on and we were concerned that we wouldn't be able to park. After grabbing our packet (with a tee shirt, a couple informational handouts, and a timing chip), we went back and waited for the race to start in the car.

The race started on time, but with no official timing pad to go over, gun time was the only option. We lined up at the front, and lots of people SHOT past us as if shot straight out of a cannon cartoon style. Given the weather, that was a little strange, but we had no issues with doing run/walk intervals.

The only cons: there were two water stations on the course, both were well staffed but only offered warm water, which was disappointing considering the weather. Another issue was the starting line; essentially, one of the race management individuals counted down 3,2,1 and set everyone loose - not the most organized start!

Overall, I would do this race again. It was very affordable at only $20, and aside from the weather, it wasn't a bad race experience.

Would I do this race again? Probably, now that I know what it's all about. After hearing over and over again about how wonderful the Rock n Roll series is, I thought Chicago would be the perfect first time to have my RnR experience - the course would be fun, flat, fast, and have great scenery!

My weekend kicked off with a less than stellar experience at the Expo - being from Indiana, we arrived around 6:45, and the Expo closed at 7. We had to quickly pick up bibs and shirts for both days (a little confusing on where to go for the different shirts), and then while we were on the Expo floor, they announced only 5 minutes left and actually started shutting off the lights. While I understand wanting to close down and get everyone out on time, it was difficult for us to come in from out of state and have such an early shut down time. We didn't get to see any of the exhibitors, as they were either gone or packing up when we exited. All in all, it was okay; thankfully we had a friend who wasn't racing, so rather than pay $21 to park at the Expo, she just drove our car around in circles for us.

The Saturday 5k was a little hillier than I expected, but overall fine; the meet and greet with Shalene after was by far & away the highlight of the day! This was really well organized and everyone surrounding us in line was super appreciative.

The Sunday half marathon left something to be desired. I anticipated a lot more entertainment on the course (since it is a RnR race, afterall) so up until around mile 10, I was pretty disappointed in that aspect of the race. The aid stations were great, mixing both water and Gatorade so we had options at each stop. Volunteers were actually cheering on the runners, which was awesome! They also had a couple misting stations, hoses, and eventually cold sponges on the course which was much needed and ultra refreshing. Around mile 10 or so, things got VERY congested as the course path narrowed pretty dramatically. Runners were about three people wide and that was all the path could handle, which made passing difficult. The last few miles were VERY hilly, which was a little disappointing as I had been expecting something very flat being downtown. After the race, the snacks were great and the cold towels were even better. The Cold War Kids show was also great, it was nice to prop my legs up and just relax for a few minutes.

Overall, good not great but not the worst ever either. Hoping for a better experience with RnR races in the future since I've now been through this experience. I would still recommend it to a friend, but would definitely caution them about things like the Expo early shut down time as well as the potential wait to start, since we were in corral 22 and didn't cross until about 7am.