This 5 mile race is nice whether you're a walker or runner. This year it was held at Montrose Harbor. They provide stations throughout the race for electrolyte drinks and water. The post race party is cool too with a mechanical bull. The race benefits Gilda's Club. The race course is mostly flat with a few hills (nothing major) however there is one part by the beach where you run through the sand between mile 3 and 4 and they can do without that, especially it was rainy on and off. Otherwise I recommend. read more

Cinco de Miler - Starting line - Races & Competitions Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I ran the Cinco De Miler today and had a great time. This year it was at the Melrose Harbor/Beach area. There was limited parking in the area and so I parked at nearby Weiss Hospital. They had closed off access to the pay parking lot entrance so that was a miss. The vibe was fun, and there was a mariachi band to boot! After running five miles, you are greeted with a finishers medal that also doubled as a bottle opener. The post race party had breakfast tacos and a beer (or Moscow mule) included. You could order additional food and drink, but had to purchase prior online. The packet pickup process was pretty smooth. I was in and out in 10 minutes. read more

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Had a blast! This race was really fun- loved running on the lake path and of course, seeing a few people in costume was cool too. Some guys ran in all green paint, others were dressed as mariachis or in wrestling masks- very festive (though I could never run 5 miles in a getup!) Loved the post race food- want more churros and of course, having a beer after five miles is awesome....cheers to Coronas! I will totally do this race again. Packet pickup was offered for several days and the swag bags were awesome- fantastic shirts and cool bags. Parking was a nightmare but what can you do Chicago is nuts...I will opt for a taxi! read more

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My faith has been restored with this race! I was initially pretty bummed when the race moved from its "original home" of Montrose Harbor to Soldier Field. I had taken a hiatus for a year or two. Last year, I ended up doing it at Soldier Field and liked it more than I thought (see my previous review). However, this year it moved back to Montrose Harbor and I was like "Oh, it's on." I have to say, it is getting bigger and more popular, but it is still fun. This year they had a whole after party with a mechanical bull and everything. My only real complaint is the food. They need to get some real Mexican food. The food is terrible, fake Mexican. No bueno. There are plenty of local Mexican vendors who I'm sure would LOVE to serve this race with some good eats. The only bummer this year was it was crazy cold for May....It was like high 30s / low 40s. Other than that, it was a good time. I really like and want to continue to support this race. They just need to continue to kick up the Mexican a notch in a nod to our Latino brothers and sisters in Chicago. The Mexican National Anthem is a great touch, but we need DJs, a mariachi band (or two ...or three along the course) and real Mexican food! It would make this race PERFECT.(They could learn a thing or two from the Carrera 5K in Pilsen). read more

I don't easily give 5 stars to a running event but the Cinco de Miler (despite its silly name!) surprised me in the best possible way. But, really, except for the guns pointed to car drivers who wanted to force the blockage to LSD, or back up into runners, I have nothing to complain about. Pros: 1. 2 days to pick up your packet! 2. Shirt and a medal/bottle opener! For a 5-miler, that's pretty unheard of. Runners do love their medals, let me tell ya... 3. Spaced starting times for each corral, to avoid a big commotion: how smart! 4. A course along the lake! 5. Water, Gatorade, volunteers!! 6. Beer, chips, salsa and churros at the post-race party! 7. Piñatas and mariachis! 8. Two national anthems! Cons: - um, guns? I understand the need for security, especially after what happened in Boston but once again... Oh, and the fact that I basically PR on the distance is not small feast either! read more

This was the inaugural running of RAM Racing's Cinco de Miler. I was a little leery at first after the debacle of the Hot Chocolate 15k last November but this was a point-to-point run, didn't seem like it would be as crowded, and was the first 5-mile race I've seen in Chicago (not an 8K) The race was very well organized. Though there were a few tight places on the path, the staggered start alleviated some of the congestion. The mariachi band at the aid station was very cool and the post-race party was pretty cool. All-in-all a great event and one I'm likely to do again next year. A note to RAM Racing. This has been mentioned in previous reviews but please stop saying you've got the greatest goodies bags. That long-sleeve tech shirt was nothing special and like everything else I've received from your races, does not fit. Your gear always runs small. Some day when I get slimmer some of them will likely fit but its just a long sleeve shirt. read more

I spent my Cinco de Mayo running this sunny lake front 5-miler. The holiday commemorates a victory over France in the Mexican revolution. What the hell, Mexico? You're celebrating beating France? They're like the Chicago Cubs of wars. I don't throw a party when I win a game of Jenga against Michael J. Fox. But I digress. This race was well-organized, started on time, and had a good post race party. Packet pickup was at the store and it was in and out. This was in stark contrast to the another RAM race I did -- the Hot Chocolate Trail of Tears, I mean 15k. That combined the organization of a gulf coast hurricane relief effort with the joy of an internment camp. Anyway, on my registration, I grossly exaggerated (or as people who do online dating call it, "creating a profile") my predicted per-mile time and ended up in corral "A". After the American and Mexican national anthems (which, contrary to my belief doesn't include the words "Feeling hot hot hot" although I sang them at the end), we burst out of the gates with the speed of fleeing Bangladesh clothing factory workers. Lots of room to run and plenty of Gatorade and water along the way. Complementary food and beer for runners after. I forgot my ID but still managed to get beer. The wristband keeper told me to say I "left it in the car" if asked. Easy to remember since that is already my response to "Where's the baby?" and "Where's the car keys?" Minus one star because in light of recent events, there was zero security. They said put your gear in clear bags, but if you didn't, the volunteers simply gave you a clear bag to put your non-transparent bag in. Come on, RAM -- let's put some of that $50 registration fee towards watching our backs! I would have felt more at ease giving Lindsay Lohan an open bottle of Jagermeister and the keys to the school bus. read more

I always get nervous when I do shorter mileage races because the organizers rarely put as much effort into them, but that is not the case when it comes to RAM Racing. I enjoyed the Bucktown 5k and the Cinco de Miler was even better. I advise everyone to participate in this race for these reasons: 1. Extremely organized! The packet pick up took less than 3 minutes, there was a secured section for bikers to drop off their bikes and helmets at the race, the post-race meet up area was alphabetized, the gear check was fully staffed, and the post-race party flowed perfectly. 2. The swag was awesome! The medal is a beer opener, the shirt is soft cotton, and the backpack will definitely come in handy when I need one. 3. Post-race food was really good! Chips, salsa, and burritos.... that's more food than I've been given at marathons! 4. Great crowd support! 5. A lot of emails leading up to the race about changes, race info etc... Improvements I hope for next year: 1. They need to work the parking situation! I waited 35 minutes to pay for parking! While they did mention that parking would be an issue, I was not expecting it to be that bad! 2. The path around Montrose was too slim and very uneven. I almost rolled my ankle!!! 3. Stricter wave starts. There were people placed in Corral A, who had never run a race! read more

Great time but they need to bring back the finisher medal. I wasn't even sure what a beer "stein" was & I don't drink like that. PLUS, u can't hang a stein; it only gets dirty til u have to throw it out when the letters wear off a few weeks later. Regular runners beware.. There are alot of momos who come to this event with NOOO runners etiquette...meaning ppl will push past u, step on u etc..trying to break their record from last year lol (they barely run & u can tell cuz some r jerks). I loved the mariachi band along the course & food choices at the end; getting beer took 4ever tho so I left without getting anything. Great run but I won't do it again w/o a medal..so disappointed w/ 2014's lack of it. Hopefully next year it will be in Pilsen so we could actually be a lil closer 2 Chicago's amazing & beautiful Mexican coomunity; Uptown. ..mmm not so much. read more

The Cinco de Miler has a lot of the Hot Chocolate vibe going on. I didn't really care for a race that also promotes another race right before the race starts. From the beginning, that is, during packet pick-up I was feeling the Hot Chocolate vibe. Boy! Do these RAM Racing guys really push Hot Chocolate. I showed up to Old Town to pick up my packet, there is no race day packet pick-up due to the high volume of runners, and saw Hot Chocolate Race sign-ups posted near pick-up. Packet pick-up was a little strange, too. You had to show your confirmation in order to get a bib assigned to you with your name labeled on it by the person checking you in. I wonder if this is a thing with RAM Racing. I'm used to having my number already assigned to me. Race day, I never checked my gear. I ran with a hydration pack in place of checking my gear. I felt a little uncomfortable checking gear at this event, so I carried my small items with me. I have to say, the race might be too big for the venue. The race includes parts of the lakefront runners course, which is open to the public. I felt uncomfortable running with thousands of people on a narrow path that was preventing other runners from getting their proper runs in. I felt as if the race should have been run out of a bigger venue with a bigger path where a large number of racers won't impede on those who are not in the race. I think this is a race that is a little too big for the venue. I felt the race had a conveyor belt vibe similar to the Hot Chocolate race. I think I'll pass on this race for future runs. read more

This was my first time running this race. It was great! Packet Pickup: This was held at the Fleet Feet in Old Town. Packet pickup was easy. I went at lunchtime and moved quickly through the line. The registration packet consisted of my bib, a shoe bag, and an awesome Cinco de Miler long sleeve shirt (with Aztec print on the side). I normally don't wear shirts from races, but this one looks so cool that I'll probably make an exception for it. Race Course: It was in the upper 40s/lower 50s with mist and fog along the lakefront on the morning of the race. It rained the previous day and early in the morning, so there were a lot of puddles and standing water. I reported to my starting corral (Corral A) about 10 minutes before the start. It was tightly packed (more so than in other races I have done). Once the horn sounded, we took off south on the lakefront path. A lot of people in that Corral ran a lot slower than I would have expected for being in the front, so it took a while to maneuver through the crowd. The start of the race went through a tunnel underneath McCormick place. There were a lot of potholes and puddles, so it made for a messy start. The rest of the path wasn't bad. After the turnaround, there was a strong wind coming out of the north, so we had to run the whole second half of the race against it. That wasn't fun, but I can blame Mother Nature for that one. There were lots of volunteers cheering us on along the way, as well as a mariachi band. It was very cool and helped with motivation. My time wasn't as fast as I wanted because of the windy conditions, but it was still a good course. Post-race: After I crossed the finish line, I received my medal. It is shaped like a sombrero and is one of the coolest race medals that I have seen. Afterwards, I immediately received a bottle of water and churro (nice!). In the race village, I received another churro, as well as a tamale, some chips, and horchata. This was definitely the best post-race food I have had in any race that I have done. The videos and pictures that they posted after the race (showing each runner cross the finish line) were great quality. Overall, this was a very well organized race. If you want to run a good course, get an awesome medal and race swag, and have a great post-race meal, this is definitely the race for you. read more

It was a fine race on a chilly day. Bit of a problem with potholes and water but hey! it's Chicago, right? Glad to have mariachi's along the way, gave me a boost. Could do with more of that. Love the shirt, no extraneous ads to carry about. And pick up was in and out. Also a little place selling hot chocolate before the race on a chilly day was very nice. Didn't hang around for the party or food but beer was ok. Hope I can do it again, but at my age, who knows? read more