The course was out and back on several segments of the Busse Wood path which is overall very flat. After the first two miles and the Elk Grove Community Bridge which includes a nice incline over the highway, you enter the woods that are intermixed with water and grassy areas which were gorgeous and serene with only a faint buzz of the highways. The aid stations were so-so and I’m not sure if they were all Gatorade and water or not. I started having a tough time around mile 10 but had caught up to a pace group that was really great and helped me through the last few miles. The finish was brutal along the frontage road and around the office park to the finish. At the finish line there was a band, not much post-race festivities beyond that.

This race reminded me of a cross country race, but it might also be because Dick Pond is synonymous with high school cross country to me. I found it strange that the only email I received from the race management was following my online registration. I had to double check to make sure that I actually registered. The race start/finish is organized around an office park with race day packet pick-up start/finish in one area and parking on the far side of the parking garage making it a little hard to locate where to go. Packet pick up was easy, but had a quirky organization by bib number, which you didn’t know without looking at another list in another area, which was essentially by last name. Full and half start at the same time and didn’t split off for a few miles. You would have to be a mentally very strong runner to do this course as a marathon since it loops twice and spectators/distractions are sparse.

What I liked:
Out and back course on forest preserve path (not so much the frontage road)
Awesome pace group that I picked up on the last 3-4miles (thanks 1:55!) that herded us through the last few miles that included a nice incline to go over the highway and the desolate frontage road.
Calm, natural scenery short distance from Chicago

What I disliked:
Running along the Frontage Road

What I felt Mixed about:
Start area with limited signage
Lack of pre-race communication

Price:
Less than $60 after online processing fees. You can save on the fees by sending a registering by mail with a check. . . did i mention this race had an old school vibe? I did take advantage of early bird pricing.
Swag: Large finisher medal, long sleeve technical fabric hoodie

The race day was a cold/windy/bitter day just like most of the winter. I was advised not to run by some caring parents, but I trained all winter long outdoors so had an expectation for how it would feel and was pumped to race.

Packet pick up was fairly easy with several days and locations around the city to do so.

I arrived about 40 minutes before the start in anticipation of possible traffic getting into Montrose Harbor and to do gear check and get ready. Gear check was pretty easy and the start/finish area did have a nice vibe considering the elements. Ample port-a-potties were available. There were maybe two "warming tents" which were 3 sided event tents and not much of anything else. I felt like the penguins in Antarctica during winter on Planet Earth huddling and shifting to minimize the exposure to the elements. By the time I started I was pretty cold but warmed up after a mile or so. I trained all winter outdoors so I was used to the frigid temps, just not standing around waiting for a race to start for 30 minutes!

The start was pretty easy with two waves loosely organized. It was hard to hear announcements.

My biggest issue was that there were no mile markers which the race management cited the high wind conditions making it too dangerous to place them out and they could not move volunteers from other assignments to be at the markers. This was really frustrating since my GPS device stopped working during the race so I had very little clue as to where I was. I could only imagine how hard this could be for someone who is not used to running in the area. I hope that in the future the management plans to bring spray paint to mark the miles and/or have a plan to shift volunteers from water stations (because who wants water/gatorade when it's frozen into an ice cube anyways?) if the mile markers cannot be placed.

One of the benefits of this being a winter half during one of the coldest winters, the course was not congested despite not being a closed course. There was a steady stream of racer l. It snowed that morning, where snow was not removed or not removed well, it was icy and bumpy. I thankfully did wear a pair of yaktraks in anticipation of the ice and gave my stability muscles a good work out.

All things considered I did PR but missed my goal time by about a minute. . . now what would have happened if there were mile markers?

This is one of the few winter half marathons in area. I would consider running it again, but would come better prepared to stand around in the elements and not have mile markers depending on the conditions. I gave two starts to the race management because of the lack of mile markers and contingency plan that went beyond a "just deal with it" attitude. I do hesitate to do any other races they put together in less extreme elements. I would recommend this to a friend, but with a be prepared for ANYTHING attitude that comes with winter running.

This was my first half marathon race and first race longer than a 5k ever so I was not quite sure what to expect. In hindsight it was a pretty good overall first race experience. I purposefully chose a smaller race to not feel overwhelmed and to get out of the city. The course is a loop that goes through Batavia including a brief run through the downtown area, primarily in the neighborhoods adjacent to the Fox River and along the river path. Because of the location along the river, there are some hills, particularly one right at the start. During the last mile, you can tell you’re getting closer to the finish because of the loud music and the announcer call off finishers names. Post race there were plenty of snacks and beverages to consume if you decided to stay after. Race management communicated plenty by email prior to and after the event. The participants seemed very relaxed like they were just going to get their long run in for the week.

What I liked:
Feels like all the neighbors are coming out the cheer for you on your daily run and are even okay with you running through their sprinkler.
Well organized, high energy, relaxed race.
Shady course for hot summer morning

What I disliked:
I was not too familiar with the area and did not always understand where I was going as the course meandered through Batavia.
Not a closed course on the road, so Grandma heading to Church on Sunday morning is very confused as to why there are hundreds of people running down her street and won’t get out of the way. At the start, car drivers seemed confused too, with someone driving through the crowd and grazing runners as they went.

Price:
I paid $80 after online fees. I now know there is plenty of early bird pricing prior to the event (I want to say it was $65 to register right after the race for the following year).