Chicago Spring Half Marathon

Nice race down the Lake Front Trail. I am always torn paying to race on the open Lake Front trail, but the right was actually pretty nice. The course does get very crowded and packet pickup downtown without a suburb option is not my favorite. The race is well organized though and they gave out some nice items after the race (plants for spring). The medal is nice and the course is flat and fast. Definitely a race to try at least once, but I am not sure this is a race I would do year after year.

i participated in the 10k that happens during the half marathon, and it was great.
packet pick-​up was super quick and at an easy to get to location. day of, they really tapered the corral starts well, allowing minimal crowding to happen on the path. i’m not sure about the rest of the course, but there were plenty of water stops for the 10k, with both water and gatorade cups. they also had plenty of volunteers, so it was easy to spot when the turnaround for the course was.
the medal is adorable (yes, even the 10k-​ers got one) and the shirt design is kind of neat, and it’s a bright tech shirt, which means it’s definitely wearable. they also had tons of post-​race goodies, from cold towels right at the finish line, to free flowers for all runners (a nice touch for the spring race). they had a picnic with breakfast food and gear check, neither of which i used but seemed to have the line moving quickly.
overall, a great race. planning on doing the half marathon next year.

I have heard mixed reviews on this race in the past, but for a smaller race, it was great. I wish there had been more course support/​volunteers to direct our runners, but what can you do? Also, the race was scheduled when a ginormous charity walk (with kids) was going on… so thousands of extra slow walkers were on the course for a bit, making it totally confusing.
If you want to enjoy a totally gorgeous run in Chicago with the flowers in bloom and the great view, Chicago Spring Half lives up to the name, very pretty, great location and totally a fun way to spend a Sunday!