Latest reviews by Jake

(2013)
"Best 5k in the city"
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Another winner for Fleet Feet. This is a great partnership between the Ravenswood community and FF. Great cause, great course, awesome spectators. This race has everything you could ask for out of a 5k: self seeding corrals, a quick course (maybe too many turns), and decent swag. I haven't missed this race in 4 years and don't intend to anytime soon. See you next year!!

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(2013)
"Perfect weather"
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FYI, I always rank the expo quality low for this race because I absolutely despise going to Navy Pier for ANYTHING. However, the actual expo is fine, it's just getting to it that's horrible. On to the race...
This was the first time I started in corral A for the shuffle. The congestion difference from B to A is like night and day. I know I'm lucky to be able to experience the race from this corral but I still think BoA and the city do a fantastic job of managing 40k people. This is a fast, flat course with not a lot of turns. Perfect for a spring PR if you're game. Check out this race which seems to be most of the city's kickoff for race season.

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(2012)
"So much potential..."
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This review is for the 15k distance but many of the frustrations occurred before the race even started. As some of you may have heard, HC this year was a train wreck from the moment the expo opened.
Expo: Instead of having it at Union Station like the year prior, it was moved to McCormick Place. Awesome right? Big event center, plenty of space...etc. Well it was in the parking lot outside in November. Besides battling the cold, the line snaked around for nearly 3 hours before we even got close to the expo tent. They were also having computer/bib assignment issues so many runners had unregistered bibs heading into the race on Sunday.
Race Day: the CTA was completely overwhelmed that morning. I don't know if proper notice wasn't given to them from the race committee/city but there did not seem to be extra train/bus service that day. When an extra 20k people are trying to commute downtown, backups are going to ensue. There did not seem to be any corral accountability for seeding. I started in A and within a quarter mile, there were people walking. I have absolutely no issues with people walking/run-walking races. I do think it can create dangerous situations when these people are near the front with quick runners trying to get around them. The actual course changed this year and took runner under multiple bridges and along the train tracks heading south. It may have been one of the worst courses I've ran on in Chicago. We left right away after the race but I heard they ran out of finisher cups (chocolate fondue + fixings) again that year (I can't confirm this).
Afterthoughts: I really want to like this race and run it again. 15k's are hard to come by and it's a great distance for a race. However, I won't roll the dice on this one again. It's too expensive to chance and there aren't enough positive things to give it another shot.

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(2012)
"Nothing like your first!"
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This is a tiny, well-supported race that will always be a favorite because it was my first marathon. The course winds through parks and suburbs and is pretty well shaded from what I remember. The half and full marathons take off at the same time but because of the size of the race, it's not too big of a deal. I was going for a completion grade for this race since I had never run one before. Compared to Chicago it's hilly but realistically it's pretty flat until the last mile. It's been awhile so I don't remember very many course specifics. The expo is great and had awesome merch available. They even have bonfires prerace to keep runners warm! Check out Indy for a late fall marathon!

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(2012)
"Are you ready?"
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This training race is put on by CARA about three weeks before the Chicago Marathon. It's a point-to-point course starting at Montrose Harbor and winds south to Jackson Park. This fully supported training run mimics the aid stations along the marathon course, down to the same gel and hydration options at the correct miles. The atmosphere of the event is very supportive and the post race is usually a lot of fun. Your gear bag is bussed to the finish and busses leave for the north side every 10-15 minutes. It's a very well-organized run which I would definitely recommend for fall marathoners!

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