General Info
Price: $99 was the early registration price (2022)
Date I ran it: 10/15/22
Participants: 482 (2022)
Weather: Low 40s, breezy and sunny (2022)
Overall Opinion:
I enjoyed this race and I definitely recommend it. It’s a very small event compared to other races in or around Chicago. It had a peaceful low stress vibe. Parking was easy, bathroom lines were very short, and it was quiet. It’s mostly a trail race so there isn’t much noise from street traffic. If you are looking for an exciting atmosphere this probably isn’t the race for you. It was congested at the start because trails aren’t as wide as streets and there aren't any starting corrals. There were some big puddles and a lot of twists and turns that slightly slowed down my momentum. Other than that it was great and it’s a nice way to experience the Chicago Lakefront Trail if you don’t live in the city.
Pros
- A lot of water/gatorade stops on the course.
- No lines/short lines for the porta potties. I loved this, there is nothing worse than a long porta potty line at the start of a race.
- Packet pickup was easy in Lincoln Park. I got a metered spot for $3 right next to the store. It’s $18 to get it mailed, which in my opinion is worth it if you live in the suburbs.
- There is some good scenery. It goes along the Chicago Lakefront Trail and through some of the parks that are close to the trail. There are some nice views of the lake and the harbor.
- There is easy parking. It starts in Montrose Harbor which is in Uptown. There are a lot of metered spots close to the start line and plenty of free street parking if you don’t mind walking for 10 minutes.
- It had a nice quiet vibe, it didn’t feel chaotic or stressful like some bigger races.
- They had a country band and everyone at the finish was having fun despite the cold.
Cons
- I didn’t like the medal and shirt. The shirt is low quality and I doubt I’ll ever wear it. The medal is all black so it looks kind of boring.
- The whole course is on a trail and that causes some problems: there’s some other traffic on the trail like cyclists, there were some twists and turns that slowed my momentum, the first mile was congested, and there were a lot of puddles to avoid.
- There aren’t starting corrals since it’s a smaller race, so I had to fight through the crowd at first. If you are a faster runner try to show up early and get a spot towards the front at the start.
- You never go into downtown Chicago. You actually don’t even feel like you’re in the city other than the tall buildings in the distance. It didn’t matter to me because I live in Chicago, but other people might be disappointed that it’s not a race that goes through the city.
- Very little crowd support. It’s a smaller race that doesn’t go through any neighborhoods and it’s usually cold out. I didn’t care but I know some people thrive off of the crowd. The finish line was kind of underwhelming, there weren’t many people and it was kind of quiet.
- It thins out considerably, especially for the slower runners. If you are running over 2:15:00 you will probably be running without anyone else around for a lot of the race.
- The BBQ pork sandwiches were alright but there weren’t any tables to eat at. It was also cold out so the food got cold after a few minutes. I get that they want to do a country themed meal but I would have preferred coffee or hot chocolate.
