General Info
Price: $95 was the early registration price (2022)
Date I ran it: 9/25/22
Participants: 7,187 (2022)
Weather: cloudy, low 60s, and breezy (2022)
Overall Opinion:
A lot of people on social media are calling this race a “dumpster fire” and I agree. It was unorganized every step of the way. The wrong distance was unacceptable and their handling of it was weak, they didn’t even notify anyone other than a comment on one of their instagram posts. Other than that it was just kind of a boring race that started in a bad location (it’s 7 miles south of downtown Chicago). The expo was a disappointing hassle. It had all the inconveniences (and price) of a big city race but the runners didn't get to experience the city. This was the worst race I’ve ever participated in and I’ll never run it again.
Pros
- There were plenty of water stops.
- Since it’s on Lake Shore Drive, there is a lot of room. I didn’t have to zig-zag through the crowd much. It had an open spacious feel that was really nice.
- I like the shirt a lot.
- Course is flat and fast.
- There is a lot of free street parking that is within a mile of the start line (if you know where to find it).
Cons
- THEY MESSED UP THE LENGTH. It wasn’t a half-marathon, it was 12.5 miles. That completely ruined the race, everyone was very upset about it. They offered no refund and they didn’t even tell any of the runners until later that day (through an instagram comment). It was a huge waste of time and money and I was incredibly disappointed. I contacted them and they basically pointed to the fine print and said there will be no refunds. Update: They did give me a 50% discount on a future race, which is better than nothing.
- The expo was small and unorganized, it also had a half hour wait for bibs. It was at Willis Tower, so everyone had to take public transportation or pay for garage parking.
- They ran out of water, I didn’t experience this because I was more towards the front, but it definitely happened.
- The porta potty situation made no sense. There were 6 porta potties (with a giant 30 minute line) by the start line and 10 porta potties at the finish. No one was using the ones at the finish, there should have been more at the start line.
- The course was surprisingly boring. I couldn’t see much of the lake or the surrounding neighborhoods. It just felt like running on the expressway.
- The race started 15 minutes late.
- The medal is gigantic, everyone was joking about its absurd size.
- It’s hard to get to the start line. There isn’t any train stop close by and there aren’t any Spot Hero spots close by. There is free street parking that’s not far off, but that can be tricky for someone that’s not familiar with the area. There are some very dangerous neighborhoods that are close to the start. I parked by the University of Chicago which is generally safe.
- There was very little crowd support, probably because it’s so far south and it didn’t go through any neighborhoods, it was all the highway or the park.
- I didn’t take the shuttle, but I read on instagram that it was chaotic and unorganized.
