This was my first time running on Thanksgiving as well as running with the Palatine Park District, and I had a great experience! At first, driving into the parking lot, my friend and I were a little skeptical we would be running around Harper College, however it turned out to be a nice, quiet, scenic run. The race was managed very well, there were plenty of water stations and they were consistently filled. The race volunteers were cheerful and really encouraged everyone throughout. However, as we were about to cross the finish line, the Drumstick Dash (0-5 year olds) started and the kids and parents were completely blocking the finish line. Next year, I would hope they might consider waiting until everyone finishes the 5 mile race before beginning the 30-second dash. The design of the long-sleeved shirt was nice, but I prefer a more fitted shirt. Overall, I had a great experience and this was a great way to start the day. Next year, I may try another district to experience another race!

This was my first Rock & Roll Chicago 10k!!! I had a great time with the race overall despite the scorching hot day! The organization for the 10k I felt was well put together. They changed the start of the course last minute and the workers at the expo were great about making sure we knew it was changed and where we were supposed to start. This was my first ever expo and while I would have liked it to be a little bigger, I very much enjoyed the different booths and the free samples I was able to explore! At the beginning of the race, the announcer did a great job pepping everybody up. I also enjoyed that there were not specific corrals for the runners. Because there were not as many in the 10k, they told us to have generally faster people in the front, medium-fast people in the middle and not-as-fast people at the end. We all began the race at the same time and my last race I was so far back in a corral I spent half my time and energy dodging walkers. Immediately finishing the race, they had a wonderful assortment of drinks and snacks to refuel: gatorade, chocolate milk, water, bananas, granola, bagels, muffins, powerbars, etc. and I VERY much enjoyed the post-race beer!

There were several things I did not like about the race. Even though they did a great job notifying us the starting line was moved, it was nowhere near the finish line, so it was a very long walk back to our car. Before beginning the race, they played an instrumental version of the National Anthem on an ipod instead of a live person or even a recording of a singer. My two biggest issues with the race were the music and the water stations. Mile 1 started out great, there was an oriental drum band that really set the mood for the race. They were great! However, there was then no music until about mile 3 and it was a set of speakers blasting music. The next mile there were also speakers. It was not until the last 2 miles were there real bands playing. Finally, the water stations were a bit of a hot mess. The first one was alright around mile 1 but then it was another 1.5 - 2 miles before another one and some of the volunteers were standing behind the table to offer water. I went to grab one off the table myself and it was empty. With the heat and humidity, I was definitely frustrated. To top it off, the last misting station was completely broken which was even more frustrating.

Overall, I had a great time with the race, I would definitely do it again (and maybe prepare myself for the heat a little better). This is the farthest distance my fiance and I have run to date and we are stoked! I just hope next year has a little better organization with their water stations and some live bands.

This was a great way to start my Chicago races! I've been wanting to do this race for a while and I'm so glad I did. This is a good one to do with friends.

Pros:
- I LOVE running around Chicago! The course was not very difficult (which was good because I hadn't been training that much) and it was nice to be in my hometown.
- The race overall was very well organized. They had all of the corrals clearly marked and the announcer was loud enough where I could hear what was happening and when other corrals were starting.
- LOVE THE SWEATSHIRT...enough said.
- Picking up our gear and bibs was easy and on race day, parking was easy to find as was the race.
- All of the people working were knowledgeable on where everything was located and were able to answer all of our questions.
- All of the chocolate and goodies at the end were great! Who doesn't want hot chocolate and fondue after a race?

Cons:
- The starting of each corral was a little chaotic. It was hard to see what was going on and why it was taking so long to make to the start line.
- The bag check was pretty far from everything else and there was no easy way to get through the fences to get to the corrals. I would have liked a few more entrances.
- I spent a lot of my energy (and time) dodging people, I would have liked to be in an earlier corral.

I recommend this race to anyone and everyone and will be signing up again next year!