Woo Hoo! My 600th review! And I'm pleased to present one of the most fun things I've done this…read moresummer so far. Dirty Girl is a ladies only obstacle mud run. 5K, 12 obstacles. A non-timed event and meant to be a fun run that you can take at your own pace. It was my first obstacle run and I loved that it was girls only--I ran with a team. I definitely think running this with at least one friend is the way to go. I've done regular 5K's by myself, but it's great having someone supporting you as you climb, crawl and slide. And who else is going to tell you that you still have mud on your face when you're still trying to clean up after the run? The obstacles were not hard physically. But once the day gets started the obstacles get muddier and more slippery. So the hardest one for me was the high cargo net climb, just because of my fear of falling onto hard gravel. Other than that, they were just fun climbs and crawls. Other than running, I trained for this by following my toddler through several playground equipment obstacles and I was just fine. Hahaha. This event was held at the Lake County Fairgrounds and although a few of us on our team tried to run as much as we could to challenge ourselves, some of the areas were not easy to run opon. The grassy areas were fine, but there was some gravel-twist-your-ankle-type areas. So walking was inevitable. They suggest arriving there 90 minutes before your start time. Check in was a breeze and we had a lot of down time before hand. But it was nice to get pics done in our clean team shirts before we got all messy. I loved my swag--t shirt and bracelet with a running girl charm. There was a secure bag check and a "shower area' for us afterward. I use shower loosely as it's just a bunch of hoses and cold water--but the tent is huge and although by the afternoon the ground is full of puddles, but I appreciated the astro turf they did lay down to prevent muddy puddles. Some of my observations: I don't know how full the heats get, but I'm glad we got there early because we got to start 20 min earlier than our team start time. Bring some water in a gallon jug and check it in with your bag. It was nice to have some clean water immediately after the race to clean my hands and wash my face since I was getting mud in my eyes. Don't wear anything you are worried about ruining. Even though we wore matching T-shirts, I knew they'd get muddy so we made sure the shirts were not too expensive. Budget some time for the after party. Paul Mitchell was one of the sponsors and they were fixing hair afterward. Have Fun!

Great race. Very organized. Wonderful way to start race season!…read more Course is deceivingly a bit hilly at part, but otherwise straight and flat. Again, very pleased with it.

How do I sum up this race…read more... Ok, it was my first ever Half Marathon. I've done a few 5K's and the 4 mile Turkey Trot...but nothing over just a few miles. Registration started months ahead of time. I think I first saw the sign up around Halloween the year before and by Thanksgiving I finallly worked up the nerve to hit that "register" button. The race isn't until May....so surely the 6months or so in between would get me prepared in time. Well.....as the months quickly went by, I got more and more nervous. Spring started to show up around town and with only a few short weeks until Race Day I was straight up scared. Two weeks until race time, I swear I would get serious anxiety every time I passed by RT 83 because I knew the race route was Rt83 from the Palos Pool to Archer and then back again. I must drive past or drive along 83 several times a day - - and every time it made me seriously nervous. Race Day came and oh man. I was hoping to just complete the race. I knew there was a 3hour time limit. I didn't care if I had to log roll the last few miles, I was going to finish in that 3 hours. I developed a plan with the pacer groups in mind - I LOVE that they had pace groups. Between the groups and the mile marker signs every mile with a timer clock on top, I thought I could manage my speed well enough and get to the end in time. The air horn went off and off we went. Still terrified, I found the first mile or two to be oddly emotional. Here I was! I was doing it! I started off with the 2:20 pace group but I found that their pace just didn't suit me well. I went a little ahead of them and figured as long as they didn't pass me, I was still in their general time range. First five miles...easy peasy! I'm on top of the world! Look at me go!! Then....I started to do the mental math and wonder how much longer until the turn-around point at Archer and how that was going to go. (It's simply a loop in a parking lot - very smooth and easy and then you run right back along the same path you just took to get there.) Miles eight and nine...and suddenly I'm feeling the pain. My feet hurt. That side cramp from mile four seems to have settled in, but now....horror of horrors..my radio tells me it's low on batteries!! NOOO!!! Can't stop now! If I start walking at this point, I know I'll never start running again. Just keep running!! Mile ten is fun. "It's just a 5k from here!" Right?? .....mile 11?? Yeah, that novelty wore off lol. Keep going! Twelve is coming up! Mile 13!! You're so close! You can hear the music and the spectators! Don't stop! You can do it!!!! .......I did it!! Oh man What a race. The trail is flat, smooth, not a single stick or stone or obstacle in your way. Water stations every other mile or so. Port a Potties at every water station. There's mile markers at every single mile with a timer clock on top so you know exactly where you stand. In the end, I finished ahead of any goal I could have set for myself. My time makes me proud to this day. And that nervousness about Rt 83? Now when I drive past it and down it several times a day? Now I'm proud. No more intimidation. No more questions. Just pride. For 2 hours and 18 minutes...I OWNED that street. ....I can't wait to do it again.

It's great running the SF10 after a two year hiatus. What a great way to start off the holiday…read moreweekend. This year, a 10k was offered along with the 10 miler. I did the 10k and had a similar experience (and medal) as if I had done the 10 miler :-). The best part of finishing in Soldier Field. Great job to the event organizers and volunteers! It was an amazing Saturday morning and perfect for the run.

Fantastic event! So wonderfully organized! Hope to experience this again! Perfect way to honor…read moreyour veterans!

Chicago is known to be windy so I layered up. By the time it took me to walk from Millennium…read moreStation to my starting coral, I had already warmed up. Ran into a couple of people I knew and joined them in a pre race stretch session. I even made a few friends and we agreed to meet up in October for another race. This was my first time participating in Run Mag Mile; it's amazing how beautiful and peaceful Chicago is when it's shut down. No buses. No taxis. No horns blowing. No noise. Just peace and quiet. Which sets the scene for a great outdoor experience; walking or running. My goal in starting was to walk briskly and finish up with jogging. For some reason, I completely did the opposite. I began with a nice paced jog and ended up walking over the finish line. Either way, there is no feeling like receiving a medal that you earned. And what a beautiful medal it is. Let the festivities begin! Our bib included a drink ticket and two FREE Taste of Chicago tickets. Plan to return next year and beat my time! Wish me luck!

What a FUN race! Granted I'm not an avid race runner so I don't have many to compare this to, BUT I…read morehave worked many races as a brand ambassador or volunteer so I have the post-race after experience to compare. 5K Race itself was well orchestrated and seamless; we ran through Grant Park where the Start line gear check etc was then turned onto Michigan Ave north crossing the river over the bridge and up to the Hancock building where we turned down the other side of Michigan Ave, turning again to the underpass on Randolph then south on Columbus for the finish line. Beautiful morning to do so, weather cooperated and was sunny and a lovely fall 70 degrees. 5K finishers did not get a medal unfortunately; only 10K. Plenty of water bottles and Luna protein bars at the end. No bananas though. The announcer was lively monologuing and saw my bib number 'Kristin we've been waiting for you!' Hah! I about collapsed from laughter and surprise. Afterwards runners can collect a brunch boxed meal and a beer or moscow mule with tickets from your bib. mb financial booth doing some giveaways.

This was a pretty cool race. I have to give them credit -it was super well-organized. We got there…read moreabout an hour early to park in the lot with a shuttle bus that takes you to the start. My parents came to watch and I didn't want them to have to walk very far and this was an excellent service. The other lot option required you to have to walk about a mile, which is too far from them. The only bummer -and this is probably for safety reasons -was that I thought the planes were going to be taking off and landing closer to us. You know how you drive on I-90 or Mannheim Road and the planes are literally 10 feet over your head? Yeah -call me foolish, but I thought that was going to happen as we ran. I just assumed that if they got that close to the major streets, they would just be taking off and landing close to the route. So, you will not be experiencing that -but as far as a unique experience -this was still a cool race. There is a big plane that you can pose next to for pictures and just overall an interesting event because you are accessing areas of the airport property that most people will never see. You are literally running on a runway they close for the event. The shirt was cotton -would like to see a "tech-T" in future years, as they tend to hold up better after multiple washings. After all, it is going to be a fun shirt to wear and a great conversation starter regarding our experience!

great obstacles, friendly staff, well organized, and an all around good time! I am looking forward…read moreto doing this race again in Orland Park on September 7th!

Great pre training run in prep for Chicago Marathon. I plan on adding this as part of my training…read morefor Chicago Marathon in the future. Calumet City Police did a great job keeping the roads open, and safe for us runners. The course was very well marked, and they had volunteers at every mile marker to guide us runners. For this being a small run, it was put on pretty well, with no hiccups. This race has a 5k as well, if your into just those. Prior to the award ceremony there were raffle awards given out, but I'm sure many didn't realize the raffle number on the bibs prior to the start. Great crowd, plenty of food after, and even beer! This race is super small, so there are plenty of opportunities to win an age group award to go along with your finishers medal. Enjoy, if you plan on adding this to your future training regime. Cal City Mini is a great event.

My first time doing the Calumet City 5k run with my Yoga group and neighbors here in Cal City! I…read morewas impressed with the turnout and nice community feeling! Was fun! Will do again next year!