Great race, with plenty of on-course support and a fantastic post-race finish line spread. Race day packet pick up went smoothly, and the lakefront course was nice and scenic, as always. A little crowded at the 10k finish due to 5k starting 15 minutes after and using the same course, but other than that, everything was fine. Looking forward to running again!

The Rudolph Ramble seems to have been around for a while, and having run it twice before and knowing that it was and is a Fleet Feet race made the decision to run it again pretty easy. Fairly inexpensive for the distance ($38), convenient enough to get to (Diversey Harbor near Lincoln Park Zoo) by transportation and ample parking since the zoo traffic is minimal this time of year. Nice, non-traditional swag (a wool hat) and easy, convenient pick up at multiple Fleet Feet locations made it better than the previous year that I had run it and the weather even cooperated this year with starting temps in the mid-40s. Only complaint would be the weird, 180-degree turn that goes over grass and slightly (and quickly) downhill at the race's northernmost turnaround, that minor quibble aside, this race is highly recommended, year-after-year.

Good to the 8k distance back in Chicago after LifeTime Fitness took over the Turkey Trot 8k in Lincoln Park and switched it to a 5k a few years back. F^3 Events normally puts on great races (the F^3 Lakefront Half is fantastic) and even though this race had it's share of inaugural year kinks, I'd definitely run it again with confidence that they'll improve.

No expo- packet pickup at Universal Sole Lakeview was smooth and came with a discount on any purchases that day. The race location was easy to get to by public transport and had plenty of paid parking available directly across the street from the start area. Start area was about 1/4 mile walk away from the start line through what can only be described as 'unincorporated downtown Chicago' (it was safe but looked kind of desolate) and when we got to the start line, the pre-race instructions were impossible to hear as they were being called out on an old-school megaphone to the ~800 participants. There also was not a Start Line banner giving runners a clear visual indicator as to where the race begins- the start was simply a timing mat on the ground that seemed to come out of nowhere for those that weren't lined up in front. Needless to say, there's room for improvement in the pre-race experience.

The course itself was a flat, scenic out-and-back on the lakefront path. There was some crowding at first, but the field thinned out right around the first mile- at least I think it was around the first mile; I didn't check my watch and there were no mile makers/clocks anywhere on the course that I could see. There seemed to be plenty of post race nourishment in the form of bananas, hot chocolate and apple cider (although no coffee?) for those that stuck around. The cost of $43 (including fees) was fine for the distance, and the swag, which was a nice, warm, red hoody and free race photos from Lil Girl BigCam Photography, was better than most races of a comparable price/distance have on offer. All-in-all the race was very fun and I can see it becoming a Thanksgiving tradition with a few improvements.

I love Oktoberfest celebrations, and racing is pretty cool, so an Oktoberfest 5k on a weeknight seemed like a no-brainer to sign up for and race. The Lincoln Park location was fine, and while a 6:30 pm start time makes parking and access more difficult than normal, it's somewhat understandable due to the time of the year. Still, a 7 o'clock or later start would've likely been fine and allowed most racers to finish before the sun went down.

The course is standard small-to-mid-sized Lincoln Park 5k, running almost entirely on the inner lakefront path, which isn't too crowded with recreational runners but does crowd easily in the early part of the race, causing runners to weave excessively (wasting energy) or fall in line behind slower runners (wasting time). Even worse, after a little rainfall, it gets wet and puddle-y and somewhat difficult to navigate.

Cost was a little over $30 with fees and whatnot, so it didn't seem like too big of a risk. A nice hybrid cotton t-shirt was included in traditional Oktoberfest colors, but the race really went off-theme from there. Post-race party, rather than having German pretzels, brats and other Oktoberfest style foods, was held at an Italian restaurant. They did provide free pizza, but it was gone in a flash, well before anyone in our group could get to it, as the line for the one free post-race beer was mutli-purposed as the pizza line when the food was brought out, so those that finished early and got their beer were in a bad position to grab pizza. Fine, we ordered some food from the menu, no biggie.

Normally, swag doesn't do too much to sway whether or not I run a race, but I do use it as a metric to gauge value and help determine whether or not I'd run a race again. This race advertised a beer mug, which made me think, 'worth it', upon signing up. The 'mug' was actually plastic, which, okay- I've done races with pint glasses before so I'm not sure why, other than cost, would go away from that model but the thing wasn't even a mug. No handle. Insult-to-injury: not only was the post race beer not an Oktobefest style beer (it was an IPA), the bar didn't even have any Oktoberfest beers available for purchase. I'm torn, because as far as a 5k race is concerned, this one is servicable enough, with very little wrong with it, but as far as an Oktoberfest-themed race, it fails pretty hard this year. Here's hoping that next year they'll make the race a little more worthy of a hearty 'PROST!'.

F^3 has a reputation as a grass-roots, runners-first organization, so I had high hopes for this event in spite of better judgement usually swaying me away from first year events. That said, even if this was a new organization that had never put on a race before, I would have been disappointed, but it was a little more disheartening seeing the little things missed by a 'Runner's First' group like F^3.

First, the easy and good things- simple online sign up, multiple pre-race packet pickup options with race day pickup an option, convenient enough location at Soldier Field and a late evening race start. Alright!

However. Cost was $35 for the 5k, and while that included a nice tech shirt (can't get enough white tech shirts for summer long runs), cowboy hat, a bolo tie, a post-race beer and free race pictures (which my inner narcissist loves), for a few bucks off I could've done without a frill or two. Getting to Soldier Field on a weeknight via public can be frustrating, and the $20 parking fee was no incentive to drive. Many races at Soldier Field have discounted parking, so it's not unheard of and while not necessary, it's definitely preferred.

Once at the race, self-seeded corrals went off in waves, and self-seeded corrals are almost always a bad idea. Even though the field was small-ish (<1,000 runners), there was some crowding in the first half mile that could have likely been avoided with some sort of qualified corral system. Course was a simple out and back along the lakefront path, sufficient aid stations for the distance and not much congestion on the path. Can't complain about views of the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan for course scenery.

The theme was a bit of a miss for me. I get the concept of bringing a country music themed race to the city, but it seemed a bit forced and thin, with the initially marketed 'Country Music Festival' replaced with... a quick line dancing party that consisted of maybe two songs? I don't recall the headlining act coming on, but after the line dancing there was a gap in entertainment (that might have just been the end of it) and an even longer food line that prompted my girlfriend and I to leave for a late dinner.

There was plenty of space at the post race afterparty area to converse with other runners (always fun) and stretch out and I would give the race another chance next year at an early bird price,