I really liked this race and I'm looking forward to hopefully running it again next year…read more I registered with a discount code and was able to do packet pick-up at the race. They also offered a number of dates where you could go to Fleet Feet and get your gear beforehand. I showed up early on race day and was able to park within 1 block of Registration/Packet Pickup. It was only 2 blocks from the Starting Line and about 2.5 short blocks from Gear Check. Gear Check was also conveniently located at the end of their vendor area, so that was a smart move on their park Like others stated, this isn't the best event to try and PR at, but it clears out after the first mile. As is all too common at other racing events, people love to start out where they can't keep up, despite an official announcement to be courteous to others. I was hoping to do about 10-11 minute miles and went where I was supposed to, but I ended up being held back and going closer to 12-14 min/mi for a half mile and then totally passing up a bunch of people ahead of me and still only averaging closer to 11 min/mi initially. Slower people are also notoriously bad at moving to the right. Luckily, a pretty flat course helped me make up for it down the road. It's a somewhat winding course and lots of neighbors come out to cheer you on. It started out a little chilly but it quickly warmed up. Most of the race is shady, so it didn't get too bad. There's a stretch down Lawrence that is a bit brutal since the sun was shining by then and hitting the pavement. At least that part of the race only lasts for a few blocks and then you're protected by trees again. An advantage of this event taking place in Ravenswood is that there's a lot to do when you're done. If you're faster, you can finish and grab a celebratory pint and/or brunch at O'Shaughnessy's Public House. If you're slower, like I am, you might want to set your sights on River Valley Farmer's Table. They have a great Bloody Mary! If you're feeling adventurous and would like to check out another nearby neighborhood, there's always Lincoln Square. You might even get some ideas of where to go during your run since part of it goes up Lincoln Ave.

I did this run for the first time today. It reminded me a lot of the Bucktown 5K. This was a really…read morenice neighborhood race. They limit the capacity so that it doesn't get too crazy. The race proceeds from the Ravenswood Run benefit the Ravenswood Community Services Food Pantry at All Saints' Episcopal Church and the Student Health Centers at Lake View and Amundsen High Schools. There is also an optional $10 add on for a pancake breakfast (proceeds also going to the above charity). Plus, the shirt is super cute! This was sponsored by Fleet Feet -they have numerous races in Chicago and they always do a great job as far as easy packet pick-up and race organization. The only constructive feedback I have is that it was very casual and there weren't staggered starts. You could just walk up to your estimated mile time and get in line. Since this year it was so popular and sold out, I would recommend at least a 3 minute staggered starts between the mile times. The first mile was pretty crowded but, entering mile 2, things started to thin out a bit. I think it's fair to say that if you are an "elite" runner trying to accomplish a personal best or even win the race, get in the front of the line. Otherwise, you just run it to enjoy the beautiful surroundings and to simply participate, as I did. Despite the initially congested nature of the first mile, I hit my typical completion time. I'm glad I finally did it and am excited to make this part of my yearly race schedule!

If you're looking to do something different for Halloween versus going to a haunted house or a club…read moreparty, sign up for the Rosehill cemetery 5k! I finally got an opportunity to run this event after years of procrastination. Was it cold? Yes. Can you dress in costume? Absolutely! The only downside this year was unexpected rain. The forecast had 30% chance rain for the evening. I thought, a little sprinkle couldn't do any harm right? I was wrong! Not even a mile into it, I was running in pouring rain which lasted through the entire race and hours after. Light spotty sprinkles eventually turned into large cold, wet drops hitting my forehead and cheeks. I was in costume and although I looked glam at the starting line, I finished in a drenched costume with makeup looking like Carrie. Despite crappy weather, it didn't dampen my spirits. I had fun. It was dark but the path was lit in some areas. A few cemetery landmarks and prominent tombstones were illuminated. A number of runners decked themselves up in lights, headlamps and glow sticks. Not for look but for function. I would've preferred if they offered a sunset to evening run. It's massive and there's so many interesting tombs to see. At some point I felt like the running path was near a pond and a chapel. All this would've been great to view had there been some daylight. The finisher medal was not what I had expected. The medal itself, although pretty, was made out of rubber and not actual metal. Unique for sure but I expected a medal with heftier quality versus cheap plastic rubber. The race's after-party was held at the Fireside Restaurant. It was a 5-minute walk from the finish line. Included in your race fee is a free beer. Just present your beer ticket (came with your race bib) at the tent in their outdoor grounds. The race offers a dinner at the tents for an additional fee. We pre-paid online for it when you sign up for the race. At $14.00 per person they offered a vegan and non-vegan option. We ended up ordering the non-vegan pulled pork sandwich with side of mashed potatoes and gravy. Our meal was delicious, filling and we had leftovers afterwards. The parking situation wasn't awful. We arrived about 25 minutes prior to the race start and luckily found free parking on Ravenswood along the cemetery's perimeter. From our parking spot, we had a short 10-minute walk to the starting line. I'm sure if we were late arrivals, we probably would have to circle the area for a spot. The event ran smoothly and was well put together. Rosehill is a beautiful cemetery. It's the largest in Chicago and one of the oldest established in 1859. Although it sounds weird, I would love to visit on a random day when the weather gets nicer. It's quiet, serene and overall a beautiful resting place for the dearly departed. Look no further for a unique 5K Halloween experience!

Founded in September of 2012, Muddy Monk had a simple vision based on a few loves: people; the…read morecity of Chicago; good beer; and, trail running. So the concept was born that Muddy Monk would design and coordinate trail races replete with aid stations and plenty of volunteers and provide craft beer (following all local rules and regulations) at the end of each trail race. I've had the luxury of running in three of their events (their inaugural Thriller in Schiller, the Frozen 5 Miler, and the Mayday^3 15k) and I'll offer a a few quick points about these guys: Organization: 4.5 out of 5, and getting better each time As with every new concept, there will be growing pains, and Muddy Monk was not exempt from these early learning curves. At the very first Thriller in Schiller, a lot of good work was done up front, and registration/getting to the course itself wasn't an issue. Some of the main concerns that the runners had (and echoed by the organizers after the event) included a shortage of water after the event, and the need for some type of streamlined timing system. As an aside, MM does not use the disposable timing chips that you may find on road races for a # of reasons, some being cost and logistics, but they do employ Race Splitter. The second race I did with them (Frozen Five Miler) was truly a test against nature. The race was set in Poplar Creek Woods (I-90 and Sutton) and it snowed, snowed, snowed the days before with limited snow removal. Combine that with the fact that REI was doing a demo of some type in the same area, and parking was nonexistent at the grove. Here, MM definitely improvised, and had people park at the sports retail center down the road, and sort of came up with a makeshift shuttle system. Did it work? Yes. Was it pretty? Perhaps not, but I have a feeling that if the same thing were to happen again in the same type of weather, they'd be prepared. My most recent race with them was the Mayday^3 15k. Because I had some errands in the area in the morning, I came out two hours prior to race start time, and MM had the operation running smoothly. Volunteers were out helping with registration, the course was already marked, and all of the electronics were working. The organization of this event was spot on and I hope that the upward trend continues. Cost of Races: 4 out of 5 MM's races are reasonable to run from a price perspective, and if you register early enough, a 5 - 8 mile run will set you back about 35 bucks. And you get a t-shirt/hoodie and some type of finisher's award. And snacks/refreshments at the end, along with one craft beer. Race day signup isn't that bad either, as I signed up on the day of the Mayday^3 for the 15k distance and was only set back 40 bucks. I didn't get a finisher's award (pint glass), but I did a shirt. For reference, they are holding a half marathon this summer, and early registration is 55$. I imagine that a good chunk of that goes towards making sure that there are paramedics on site during the whole duration of the race. Technical difficulties of trails: 1 - 5 out of 5 I remember the Thriller in Schiller being a very easy race to run. It was my first ever 5k of any type, and I enjoyed how for all intents and purposes, it was "easy" and I didn't struggle a lot. The Frozen Five Miler, full of slush and snow and ice, was more technical but at least it was mainly straight with very little lateral movement throughout. But oh yes...the Mayday^3, that race was gnarly. The single track was particularly narrow, and oh boy was there a lot of lateral motion to dodge in between trees. Limbs and branches greeted you IN THE FACE if you weren't careful, and there were enough fallen trees that you had either jump over them gracefully, like a gazelle - or if you were tired on the last 5k, come to a standstill, put one leg over, and then slowly put the other leg over. As a general rule, the 5ks I would imagine would be slightly "easier" from a technical perspective, but this is not a hard and fast rule. Fun factor: 5 out of 5 This is where MM shines. There's something a little different, maybe even "off", about trail runners. At the end of the race, we drink a beer and talk about what parts of the course gave gave us the most problems, or compare the amount of mud and cuts that we have. Trail running is just more FUN for me. Selection of beer: 4.5 out of 5 MM and I will just have to split hairs on this one. I personally don't think that Finch's is that good when it comes to competing with the rest of Chicago's microbreweries. This does not mean that I won't drink it, it just means that for a volume to cost comparison, I much prefer Half Acre. But I get it - Finch's is probably easier to get in the 4 varieties that are usually out there, and no one really complains. And I shouldn't either. Moving along... Overall: 5 out of 5 Fun times, fun people, good beer.

Andy C pretty much covered everything so go read his review…read more Muddy Monk puts on A+ events. They are laid back and an absolute blast! The races are well organized and well executed. The courses are extremely well marked. Some of the courses are more technically challenging than others, but they're always a blast to run.

I was very, very impressed with this race. One of my goals this year is to sign up for races I have…read morenot done before. I now live in the burbs southwest of Chicago, so I still try to get all around in the city to experience new neighborhoods. The race was a small, neighborhood race. The course was not crowded. It started on Argyle in the heart of the Chinese community, right by the Chinese Mutual Aid foundation. Packet pick-up and parking on race day was super easy. The race started with some speeches and Chinese traditions. From start to finish, I felt it was so welcoming. It seemed that the people hosting the event were very proud of their neighborhood and so hospitable. This made me love the race even more. The race headed east along the lakefront, then south, back north and then back west to where we started. Beautiful path. A local restaurant, Furama, provided some snacks afterward. There was some kid's karaoke playing on the speakers and tables and chairs were provided to sit down and relax and eat the snack. There was also a local dance troupe performing a traditional Chinese dance. Very impressed. Glad I headed out north to the city to experience this one! Will do again!

Great race! Not very big, but put on well, for it being a neighborhood race. The course route was…read morevery well marked, with mile markers, and cones along the way. Edgewater 5k, is one of those races that attracts members in the neighborhood; some surrounding. Majority of the runners were elementary students, that attend the neighborhood schools in the Edgewater neighborhood. Some of the older runners were former students, or teachers at Edgewater schools What interested me about this event, was that some of the proceeds benefited the local schools; which ever one you chose to donate to. No, I'm not a former student of any of the schools, but i do attend church at Swift Elementary, which is one of the schools that participated in the race. I've also volunteered at Swift Elementary, so I felt the need to support Swift. Lots of post run food at the finish: bananas, pancakes, water, etc. ATHLETICO, was even on site, giving out massages to finishers which was great. Overall this event was great, and I look forward to running it again in the future. Enjoy, if you are considering this event in the future.

I did the Shine tour 2015 Color run this summer and it was a bit of a let down. First of all, it…read morewas cloudy at the start line and then the skies began to darken. My friends and i then heard the claps of thunder and then it was like, OH SH*#, its coming down. And then it did. As we started to run, it began to pour! And not just a brief shower, It rained the whole race!!! Not that any of us could control the weather but as Lily Z. had mentioned, the event planners were ill prepared for the rain. Instead of getting a "dusting" of colored powder, you received a heavy sling of colored mud (because the powder had already mixed with the heavy rains) as you ran through each color station. And just when you've hit the 3.1 mile marker, drenched and cold and perhaps starting to get the shakes from hypothermia, you are hit one last time in colored mud... Only this time its GOLD powder!!! Yes people. You're hit with gold colored mud only to be glowing like a sad looking Oscar statue at the end of the finish line. Let's just say it was the piece de resistance to end it all off. My guess was that the crowd either loved and embraced the drenching experience or hated it completely. I'd hear runners say, "This is so BLEEPIN" awesome! Let's do this next year!" And then there were those that were like, "This Fn sucks. I'm never doing this again." And then there were those families with their 2-3 year old crying incessantly because they're all wet... The blowers at the end of the race were of no use to anyone there since you were already covered in rain and powder. The powder just stained you and anything you touched. Luckily i was smart enough to bring a towel to sit on in the car ride home, otherwise i would have had a helluva time time doing detailing on the car seats!!! Post-racers left the event looking like "Carrie" from the movie but instead of blood, you were a rainbow/glittered hot mess... I guess the only consolation prize this year was that they gave you a finisher's medal. Perhaps next year will have better weather.

The most low key 5k ever. This was my first and everything was oh so casual! I wish the different…read morecolor stations were better prepared because some of them ran out of powder by the time we arrived. Also, I don't know if they were adequately prepared for the rain. The post-it wall was a wreck. The Shout station was closed. I was not impressed with the SINGLE leaf blower for the entire race. The organizers made it seem like the leaf blower was some amazing post-race cleaner. No. it was really a guy with a leaf blower. A bit disappointed but at least the other runners made it fun and energetic.

I actually had a real ball with my pups. I didn't realize so many people would be part of this…read moreawesome experience and it made my heart skip a beat to know that so many love their pets as much as I do. We got there fairly early so we were able to look around at all the cool outfits some of this pups had. The race was really well done and the route was good also. I didn't like that fact that some of the people with bigger dogs didn't realize that some of us have Chihuahuas and their big dogs intimidate them so they should hold them vs letting them try to sniff on the little ones. Freaked one of my dogs out but the other went into attack mode to protect his brother. Still all in all it was a pleasant walk and the pups were wore out afterwards. The only thing I do have to say is that the actual run was good but they had a big area for VIPS and so some of the pups couldn't get inside due to so many crowding and not worrying if pups had water or not. I was really happy with all the free things given out and my pups racked up on treats and such. That made me really happy. Also, they did have a contest for the best dressed dog, but of course bigger dogs get the attention but still, I think it was fair. Security was good too, although you have some rif raf who still think they can act any type of way and get away with it. Messing with dogs and such is not a good thing, especially when the owner (me) will die for his pups. I say this because some teenagers were messing with peoples dogs to make them growl but when it came to my pups, ummm that's a no no because I don't let anyone mess with my babies. Besides that I think it was a success and I would definitely do it again!

This race was done VERY well...my only complaint is that there was no water at the finish line. You…read morehad to walk clear across a large field to get water. That's a huge no-no when it comes to a running event. From packet pickup to gear check to the vendors at the end...you can tell that this is a very well thought out race (except for the water debacle). No bottle necks on the course. The walkers go the opposite way of the runners (genius!!!). Lot's of puppies. Awe.

In order to get the full effects of this race ya might want to wear 70's race attire! Yep, thats…read moreright! Bring out the short colorful shorts or colorful spandex tights;bandanna's/sweatbands, long socks, and afro; if you don't have an afro already. Then once you show up in your gear ya might want to bring it, because this is "The Original 5k!" : ) I really enjoyed this race, and hope to make it out again to run it. The Original 5k brings excitement, and competition, and attracts some of our local fast runners, and also runners that just wanting to have fun. Two words! Bring it! Bring it, or stay at home and watch that episode of Golden Girls you love : )

With only 1,081 runners (2014), you're not going to have any bottle necks at this race…read more Super fun concept...Bring running back to before technology? What, who does that? Fleet Feet does! They have people at the mile markers holding signs, yelling spilt numbers, it's absolutely hysterical. At the end of the race, they printed the results and posted them on a piece of plywood. Love it! The goodie bag is a really good pair of tube socks. I love them and wear them all of the time. You'll also see some dudes sporting some super short shorts. (wolf whistle) They could have had a few more people manning the gear check...that's literally my only gripe about the race. I'm kinda bummed they are doing the race on a Thursday instead of a Saturday this year. I seriously loved this race!