I decided to run this race because I knew I could drive up the morning of the race from my home in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago and not need to invest in a hotel room. The start of the race moved up 1 hour from the time I signed up to race day. It meant I had to start my day even earlier, but still didn't seem to be an issue.

Parking: A big deal was made about parking on social media before the race. I chose one of the pre-pay/reserved options that was available. I probably could have saved the money because this led to my frustration with the race.

Pre-race
The VIP experience that I paid for to get better parking was not what it was supposed to be. They put the VIP tent in a flooded field which meant stepping very carefully to avoid wet feet. I had to retrieve my own packet despite what was promised as part of the VIP experience. There was a promise of VIP gear check, but that didn't pan out either. It was actually easier to use the regular gear check because that wasn't in a flooded field.

T-Shirts/SWAG: The finisher shirt and medal are awesome. I really liked the design and that everyone had the same medal with different neck ribbons by color to designate the distance you participated in.

Aid Stations: The aid stations were well placed and well supplied. Volunteers were amazing.

Course: I liked this course a lot. I thought it offered a lot of variation and enough change that you were not bored. Unlike the full marathon, the half was the correct distance.

Elevation: There was a bigger hill around mile 5, where Lincoln Memorial Drive turns into Lake Drive. Running west on Wisconsin Avenue is a slight uphill which feels harder because of the placement around mile 10. The wind gusts at some points made turning the corner interesting, but nothing too challenging.

Race Management: Definitely needs improvement. I would like to see starting corrals by time put into place and I really did not like starting with the finisher chute tables in the way. The starting area was already quite narrow and it didn't help that you had to look out for the tables and that it was still dark at the start. I think the idea of having the start/finish be at the Yards seemed ok except, if there is any rain in the days leading up to the event (or during the event), the entire post-race party ends up being a giant mud pit. It seemed that the finish line tent areas were sort of half-assed put together; for example, the VIP tent still had flaps unsecured so during big wind gusts, the flaps would fly open. Non VIP gear check was easy to use and in a good location next to a paved path. The amount of porta potties was adequate. I noticed a lot of photographers along the course, but for whatever reason there were only a few photos of me, I know that they are free so I won't compain. I think the free race photos option is always a nice inclusion. One thing I was disappointed in is the time we had to wait for results. Official results were not available until early afternoon of race day, by which time I was already home. I would love to seem them utilize race printout technology that they had in 2016.

Overall, I think this is a great half marathon course, but management needs a lot of improvement.