General Info
Location: Crown Point, Indiana
Price: $45 for the half marathon (2023)
Date I ran it: 9/17/23
Participants: 107 (2023)
Weather: High 50s, humid and overcast (2023)
Overall Opinion:
This was a unique half-marathon that I enjoyed. It’s the smallest race that I’ve ever ran. For comparison, the 2022 Chicago Half-Marathon had 7,187 participants, this race had 107. That’s not a bad thing, it was just very different from what I was used to. It was also the most convenient race that I’ve done, everything was easy.
The course was mostly flat and the majority of it was on a paved trail in a prairie/forest preserve. It also goes through downtown Crown Point and the surrounding neighborhoods, which are both nice. It’s an out and back course, so you run 6.55 miles and then turn around and run back. There were almost no spectators on the course.
The runners were on the older side, it had a family-friendly vibe. These were the ages of the top finishers of the half-marathon: 52, 46, 42, 49, 39, 58, 46, 30, 47, 39. That definitely didn’t mean they were slow though, the 52 year old that won ran 1:22:59, which is a 6:20 per mile pace! I was very impressed and hopefully I’ll still be running in my 50s.
Pros
- It’s an out and back course, which I like. There were 4 water stops and 3 restroom stops, which were passed twice.
- There’s plenty of room on the course, no zig-zagging through a crowd.
- It’s cheap. $45 is a great price for a half-marathon, in Chicago and the suburbs they’re usually around $100.
- They had a race day packet pickup option which was great. There was no line, it took about 10 seconds to get my bib.
- The starting and finishing area was in a huge barn, which was perfect. It was a little wet outside so it was nice to warm up and stretch in. It’s also a nice shaded area for friends and family to wait during the race.
- Parking was close, about 5 minutes from the starting line.
- No lines for the starting porta potties or the on course ones. They also had a real bathroom near the starting line, it was big and clean so that was nice for washing up afterwards.
- Their website and emails were organized, the whole event was organized nicely.
- Volunteers and Police officers were friendly and helpful, definitely has a friendly midwest vibe.
Cons
- It was a bit more hilly than I thought. There’s no big hills but I was used to running in Chicago and the suburbs, which are usually completely flat. My legs were sore for a few days after.
- We had decent weather, although it was humid, but Indiana in mid September has the potential to be very hot. There’s very little shade on the course.
- There was no gear check. I don’t know if this is really a con because the parking lot is close anyways. I had a sweatshirt that I left on a table and it was there when I got back.
- There’s practically no crowd support other than at the start and finish.
- The medal felt and looked cheap. I didn’t get a shirt.
