C and I did our first 10k and in Chicago no less! Truth be told, it was pretty awesome. Never…read morethought I would want to run during my vacations, but I've been getting more into these types of runs lately. This one went pretty smooth and organized I thought. We registered pretty late, so our 10k cost $65+fees. The race included gender specific tech t-shirt, medal, free hot breakfast buffet (taco shell, eggs, potatoes, sausages, salsa, French toast, BACON, fruit cup, water bottle), a pint of beer from Lagunitas, timed chip, photographers, bag check. I'm really glad we had this in our itinerary, it was so fun! You get to run along Lake Michigan. Con: packet pick up be prior to race day at Fleet Feet or $25 for will call pick up day of race.

I have run this race twice. Once when it was the Magellan Chicagoland Spring Half Marathon…read moreback in 2013 and another time most recently in 2016, Michelob ULTRA Chicago Spring 13.1 & 10K. This is a half marathon, just thought I would point that out, which starts on Lake Shore Drive path along side Dusable Harbor. You head out south towards Soldier Field and McCormick Place until you get to 47th Street where you turn around and come back. The course is relatively flat, as is all of Chicago, but there are a few dips and climbs when going over bridges or through under passes. Be ready for great lakeside views and it will probably get a little warm during this May race. There are a good amount of aid stations, water, and time clocks throughout the course. You won't have many spectators as it is an out and back course. There are only a few spots with entertainment/cheering sections. The CSHM finishes in Lake Shore East Park. Run just past the starting area, under LSD, and up a slight hill. Round a corner and you are home free. This race has great giveaways. Starting with the full breakfast plate, you get two beer tickets, and all kinds of free treats. They provided wet towels, Drink Body Armour, bananas, chips, fruits, and more. It is a well timed race for those who have been training all winter and want to strut their stuff come spring time. There is a series which includes this race and the one in September.

The Rockdale Ramblin' Run 10K is organized by the Joliet Park District as part of the Run3 Series,…read morewhich includes the Sundowner 5K and the Red Eye 8K. Ramblin' Run winds through the paved, hilly streets of Rockdale and Joliet. It is considered "the Toughest 10K in the Midwest" and was quite popular in the 70's and 80's. A 5K option is also available, but is not part of the Run3 Series. I thoroughly enjoyed the run. I did the 5K version of it and found it to be pretty challenging with the steep inclines, but nothing anyone with a little bit of running experience and in decent cardio shape couldn't handle. The nice thing about being in the smaller race was that there were only 102 people who raced, so it left the course clear and easy to navigate. It allowed me to take in the scenery instead of having to worry about weaving through a crowd of runners or being in someone's way. The course is USATF/CARA Certified with time being marked at each mile and at the finish-line. Water was handed out somewhere around 1.5 and 2.5 miles. They also have a number of cops to regulate traffic and medical teams in case of emergency. At the finish-line volunteers handed out bananas, water and super sweet dog tags with Rockdale Ramblin' Run 2011 engraved on them. I wish more races would do this. The after-party was held in a small tent near the finish-line. Michelob was one of the sponsors and they handed out samples of their new fruity beers and cans of their lite beer. A local restaurant provided pastries and bagels. They had a raffle for the school and drawings for prizes. Everyone was super friendly and complete strangers would strike up a conversation. You can tell this town is proud of their race. I recommend it to everyone and it is definitely worth the drive!

This is a fantastic small town race. Might be one of my favorite races ever. It's affordable (I…read morethink $35?), and you get a hoodie, which is a nice change of pace from the usual short sleeve shirt. The course is hilly - but this race is billed as "the toughest 10K in the Midwest," so hills are expected. I thought the course was a nice tour through Rockdale - through residential and park areas, under the expressway, up and down hills. The course never felt crowded. Post-race, you get a little finishers medal - a dog tag, which was nice and unexpected for a shorter distance race. Overall, I think this race is very well done and a great deal for the price. I definitely recommend it.

One of the best fall races there is! It doesn't get much better than this…read more For a very reasonable registration fee ($30), the amenities are as follows: Rockin' goody bag. Actually the bag itself is one of those nylon drawstring backpacks with the Frank Lloyd Wright (FLW) race logo on it, stuffed to the gills with fun, cool things. I love a fun goody bag! It sucks when they're filled only with boring coupons and fliers with info about hundreds of other races. My mom, a good friend of hers, and my husband did the 5k walk and so also recieved the same goody bag. We were all tickled. Good amount of parking on race morning - a huge plus. The pre-race atmosphere was awesome. Tons of volunteers, and tents offering lots of fun give-aways. There was the big Stewart's Coffee truck on site; much appreciated by spectators and participants alike on such a cool morning. (I myself, cannot partake of coffee before a run. I won't get into why. But the root word there is "run". Ok, enough of that.) The course itself is stunningly beautiful. As a sidebar, I'd like to thank Mother Nature, and any other participating powers that be for making a perfect day for it. Crisp, chill air. The fall colors. Sunny skies. Pair all of that with running through Oak Park and marveling at the beautiful homes and the equally beautiful architecture. It was marvelous. The course support was pretty unbeatable! It's so cool that SO many residents are out on their porches with flags and horns and groups of people singing and hollerin' to cheer you on. Sometimes you need all the motivation you can get! The post-race offerings were perfect. I stopped at a physical therapy tent to have my stupid, uncooperative, dumb old foot stretched out (plantar fascitis) and the gentleman who helped me easily took about 20 minutes to stretch it, assessed my shoes, and gave me tips and at home exercises. Dang! Very generous. Plus - awesome recovery food. I appreciate that very much. A long review, I know. But there are so many aspects that make this one of the best fall races of all time. See ya next year FLW!

Do not run this race. I have run the 5K for the past 4 years, and I used to love this race but now…read moreit has been taken over by small children. The past 2 years there have been so many children in the race that you might as well be racing the youth mile (that's right, they have their OWN RACE but they still race with the adults). Yesterday a small child was at the front on the start line and he dropped his ipod right when the gun went off. He then bent down to pick it up, impeding everyone behind him. I was hoping he would get trampled just so the morons in charge of this race would get the message: STOP ALLOWING CHILDREN IN THIS RACE. IT IS NOT SAFE. Someone is going to get hurt and you will be responsible. I am done with the FLW Races. Until the race director learns how to put on a race for grown-ups THIS RACE IS NOT SAFE.

- Now I've had the Ragnar of my life. - No, I never felt…read morethis sore before. - Yes, I sweat. It's the truth. - And I owe it all to GU. There is a meme by someecards floating around on the internet and it says: My life is just a bunch of "it seemed like a good idea at the time" strung together. I feel this is a pretty accurate description of some of the craziness I get myself into. I'm one of those people who wants to try everything (save for skydiving or petting spiders) and I impulsively jump at the chance for new experiences without really thinking about what that all entails. Ragnar would be a perfect example of one of those bucket list type items that sounded too good to pass up but that I dreaded as it came closer and closer to the actual relay race weekend. Lori L. had participated in the race in 2011 and was talking about how much fun it is and how it really pushes you. I had been training a lot for 5Ks and obstacle courses last year, so I figured if I kept at it then I could easily partake of this adventure in 2012. I told her to count me in and started the planning. Unfortunately, I was having knee problems and starting to doubt whether or not I could really do this. The shortest legs are 13.1 miles when combined and there isn't much time for rest. However, I really wanted to do this, so I just kept at it and went forward with the planning. We had some bumps along the way with other people being injured and having to find volunteers so we wouldn't have to pay more money, but we pretty much got everything sorted out in time and drove up to Madison the night before the race. I was scared shitless. Race day came and time both dragged and flew. It was such a whirlwind of excitement, adrenaline and the hangries. Van 1 started at 6am and Van 2 (my van) met up with them around 11am. We checked-in, got all of our goodies, relaxed before Van 2 took over, and then it was just a non-stop "Friturday" of awesomeness. I loved my team. I couldn't have asked for a better team (50 Ways to Lose a Runner). A number of us were off of Yelp (Lori L, Mary T, Rhoda G, Aurore L and driver Dalibor Z), but we also had 7 other people who knew runners in our group. More than half the people were strangers to me, but we soon became friends and we all got along. There was no fighting and everyone was so encouraging. The other teams were even friendly and helpful. I'd be plugging along at a snail's pace and get passed up by someone who would say, "Good job!" or "You can do it!" For the most part, Ragnar itself was run incredibly well. They made everything pretty easy, but I do have a few suggestions for next year. 1) They need better driving directions and maps. 2) Pay more attention to the shirt sizes. I didn't get the correct size, so I guess trying to fit into it gives me more incentive to lose weight. I would do Ragnar Relay again in a heartbeat. I'm even thinking of going out-of-state to compete in another run in their series either this year or next year.

Ragnar, you sneaky little bastard…read more... You took me by surprise, and won me over with your ragged looks and smelly ways in just over 2 days. So much so that I keep thinking about you, and consider flying all down there this winter for more. Yup, that's intense. Yup, people are going to believe you are cuckoo up there. Yup, being in a van with 5-6 other runners half of whom you have just met quite literally stinks. But oh the fun you'll have! Before you start dismissing this review on the pretense that we don't have the same definition of "fun", listen: I was highly skeptical as well. The first time I read about it, I felt this weird mix of emotions. Anticipation was not one of them. But after giving it some thought, I decided that it was worth a shot - if only for the running experience. I am so glad I did. Running a Ragnar Relay Race is like nothing else. Read the testimonies on the web: people are ecstatic about it. Yes, you have to run 3 legs of various lengths within a rough 24- to 36- hour period (depending on how fast you are), and yes, you have to stay in a van pretty much the whole time. No hot meal, no shower, no mani-pedi, no room service. In a word, no comfort. But the sense of camaraderie that develops in that van, and builds up more and more with every passing mile is unmatched. You live your team, you breathe your team and after a while, you love your team. And it gives you all the juice you need to keep pushing on your legs at 3 a.m. when you pound the pavement of a deserted road in Wisconsin, piercing the night with your little headlamp, trying to avoid the mosquitoes that fly in your eyes (idiots). There is no other word: it's exhilarating. You will get lost, and pile up the u-turns, screaming mindlessly at your phone: "What is wrong with fucking you?" (to which the appropriate response coming from right behind you is, of course: "As far as I am concerned, nothing at all"). You will add your stench to the ones of dozens of male teenagers who sweat there before you while sleeping on the wrestling floor of a high school. You will publicly acknowledge your lack of skills at peeing. You will be spooked on the trail by a snake or a couple of rockets who call themselves runners and leave you (and dust) behind. You will hear in dismay that boobs (bibs?) have to stay visible at all times. You will pass some town folks chilling on their porch who will ask you, "Where are you running to?", and when you answer, "Chicago", you will smile at their incredulous "What the fuck?" You will queue for the porter potties, drink water from the wells, eat pretzels, Twizzlers, cinnamon almonds and spinach pie and call it "breakfast". You will cross the finish line with your teammates at Montrose Harbor, and experience the biggest high of your life. And, just like me, you will sign up for more.

This year's inaugural run for Gaelic Park's 5k was, in my opinion, a huge success. I've run many…read more5Ks over the years and this is the first one (with the exception of "adventure" style races) where the course is predominately cross country style. Run entirely on the GP grounds, the 3.2 mile stretch was in a double loop on the back of the property (where Irish Fest is normally held and around the Gaelic Football/Hurling field where you'll find the finish line at midfield). Naturally, like any new race, there are going to be a few bugs to work out (for example, directional arrows at course intersections may help challenged runners like myself who have a tendency to get lost in my own house), but for the most part, this was an enjoyable, family style run for all to enjoy. It's not a "walk in the park", though (unless you've literally signed up for the "walk in the park"). If you're running, I think you'll find the off trail running quite challenging. You'll be forced to pay more attention to every step as the gravel and turf you'll have to navigate can be quite tricky, primarily because one false step and you could easily turn an ankle. But don't let that stop you from registering. The new dynamic is exactly what helps the Carraig 5K Challenge live up to it's name. Bottom line, it's FUN and a good time for the whole family.

I have to totally agree with several points made by Yelper Leilo P. OK, so here is a summary of…read moreevents, in order, for my experience with the 2014 Polar Dash 5K / 10K / Half Marathon: 1) Registration is good. I like that they offered early packet pick-up so I could enjoy the fleece and cute penguin hat as soon as it got cold. If I remember correctly, there was some sort of early registration deal via email and I signed up for the Polar Dash and Monster Dash (Oct 2014) in July 2013 and then soon after was able to pick up both jackets later that month to enjoy them ASAP! Both are really nice but the Monster Dash one, in particular, is pretty cool / nicely made. Plus, I get tons of compliments on my penguin hat. 2) Continued promotions -got an email about early registration for the Get Lucky run (March 2014) and was able to pick that up after the Polar Dash. Super cute and nice quality green shamrock-themed jacket. 3) Race Day: OK, here's where it gets crazy. First, the weather made the run difficult -lots of melting snow and big puddles of water on the path. This, obviously, was not their fault. However, that said, I would likely not do another Winter race since this could not be helped. We got lucky with the relief of the sub zero temps but this meant a very messy (melted) course. Second MAJOR issue: disorganization. There was a huge crowd waiting in line -unbeknownst to all of us, we were blocking the path for the half marathoners / elite runners. At one point, the "spotter" bicyclist who was clearing the path for an elite runner hit one of the 5K runners. I felt so bad for her! She was literally knocked to the ground! This was very uncool. Very bad planning on the organizer's part. There should be volunteers directing us / keeping us clear of the path. Or organize it so the starting lines are separated from the finish. There were no repeated announcements, nor organization, so as the crowd moved toward the starting line, we thought, "Oh cool, we are starting!" Um......we ran the 10K. Or maybe it was a half marathon because halfway through, with the puddles and cold and climbing up snow, that's what it felt like. Again, there was supposed to be a volunteer directing 5K (3.1 miles) runners to their correct path but we didn't see anyone! It was only, say 5 or 6 miles in, that I told my husband, "This is crazy. I think we have run the 10K, let's just turn around!" So that is what we did! I honestly think we were on the path for the 13 miles! I could see runners far into the distance and did not even see the turn-around point! I'm so glad we turned around to head back when we did! We finished in 1 hour and 15 minutes so I'm pretty confident that we ran at least 6 miles and were likely on that 13 mile course until we turned around. And (good point from Leilo P.)....now that I think of it, during the 6 plus miles we ran, I did not pass one water station! WTF? How did the poor half marathoners do it then? In summary, great race gear and promotions / packet pick-up; terrible race day organization. I *really* hope that the other two races I'm scheduled to run later this year (Get Lucky and the Monster Dash), all from the same race series (Team Ortho) are much better organized. I'm giving this race 3 vs. 2 starts because of the great race gear AND (light at the end of the tunnel)....the fact that, after all the drama, I was able to pick up my awesome Get Lucky jacket. My sour mood changed instantly and I left (albeit cold, wet and tired) in a much better mood.

The 5K race sucked! There were no water stations, no on course support, and they pointed half of…read morethe participants in the wrong direction so some of us actually ran a 7K while others ran a 3K. They also failed to mention that 5K participants would not be timed! I basically paid a lot of money for a heavy fleece jacket that I will never wear and a Penguin hat. The medal was nice, but I don't know if I really deserved it since I don't know the length I ran! I don't know why this race was so disorganized and expensive when no major streets had to be closed. Team Ortho did send out an apology email and granted entrance to another race, but I won't be running a 5k they offer again. My friends that did the half-marathon enjoyed it more, but also had gripes about the lack of water stations.

Can you think of anything better than this: "Breakfast of Champions" breakfast of eggs, meat and…read moreBEER? Probably not! I like running, eggs, meat, and I really love beer so I signed up for the Champions Run 5k. I'm a huge fan of ASM because they know how to execute a fun race. They had a Groupon for the Champions Run (score!), their races aren't too big (no bottle necks on the course), I love their dri-fit shirts (better then most races), they have great partners who have pretty sweet giveaways at the end of the raced (5 hour energy and Skinny Water for this particular race), and I got a finishers pint glass at the end (don't forget your ID in your car if you want your free beer, damn). ***I didn't eat the food after the race because I was muddy, sweaty, and just wanted to get the heck outta dodge, so I have no comment on the food***

Did this race for the first time today. Super unique and very picturesque -all grass terrain and…read moreseveral hills thrown in for an extra challege!! Located on the Mount Assisi Academy property, where the nuns live. Proceeds benefit the nuns who do charitable community work. Great race: community oriented / family feel, friendly people, and YES the sisters take part as runners and walkers!!!