To my knowledge, this was the first year this event took place in Chicago. This was a seriously fun…read more5K! It was held at night and started at around 8pm. There was a huge storm so it was delayed a bit. I was so excited that they waited the storm out and we were still able to run. They planned out this route really well. There was dance music at almost every single point in the race. Some races, you run and it's totally quiet for an entire mile. With this race, it was a cool blend of light show, effects, glow in the dark and all out dance party. Then, after you finished, there was this crazy big rave-like dance party in Soldier Field! I could not believe how much fun I actually had. Even though I'm an "old fogie" ...I even managed to work my way up close to the stage, just to get the full effect. Ahhhh, I remember my club days. I highly recommend this event if it returns next year. Super fun time -I'm inviting a boat load of people!

This race had potential to be a 4 or 5 star race but it fell a bit flat for me. I think if they…read moretake a lot of feedback that they got on the Facebook event page and improve these areas next year, I would probably give it another shot. It was rainy and dreary the night that we ran. Luckily, it did eventually stop however it pushed the race back awhile. I won't blame them because they were trying to wait it out, but we did end up not starting until a lot later than we were supposed to. Pros: -Soldier field! I've never even been to a Bears game, so getting to walk on the field and see where the Bears play was pretty cool. -It was at night, which I liked. We didn't have to get up super early to make it there. -It was an untimed race, so there was no pressure to hurry up or worry that you wouldn't finish in time. -Volunteers were all really friendly and encouraging. -Glow tunnel.. sooo cool and probably the best part. What's not to love about jogging through a tunnel made of Christmas lights? Cons: -Since it practically flooded the day of the race, it was really slippery during certain parts of the race (namely when we ran underground at McCormick place.) I'm super uncoordinated, so I had to walk most of that and probably didn't do as good as I could have. -SWAG bags were a bit lacking. They promoted a "super awesome glow kit" but it was nothing more than two glow necklaces. That and a black drawstring bag were the only SWAG that we were given. I wish we would have got shirts for free instead, but you had to buy them. -The "after party" was cool-ish but you were stuck with stadium priced drinks and food. We got a hot dog, hamburger and bottle of water and ended up dishing out almost $20. I would have liked if we got a coupon for something free or even lower priced items. -LOTS of walkers and it was hard to get around them sometimes. I wish they had separated runners and walkers or at least had the walkers start later. I also read online that other cities were throwing washable paint at certain mile markers, but they didn't do that at our race. I'm wondering if they had too many complaints about it and decided it against doing it anymore. The race wasn't horrible -- in fact, we did enjoy ourselves -- I just think that they could improve it if they decide to do another one.

My son ventured into running longer distances this year and this was his first official half…read moremarathon. As a loving and supportive dad, I made plans to be in town to cheer him on and somewhere between deciding to be there and actually arriving, I along with six of his friends were talked into running the 5K as our way of supporting him. Packet Pickup was at Navy Pier (on the Friday and Saturday before the Sunday morning run) and was well organized. The official packet consisted of a the bib and shirt (short sleeve shirt for the 5K and long sleeve for the half marathon). There were lots of vendors present giving out items, demonstrating products, etc. Overall, it was one of the nicer packet pickups that I've experienced. The official run starts and ends in Jackson Park and getting into the area on race day can be a bit of a hassle. If driving to the area, I recommend doing the VIP package as it includes parking in a lot that is a couple of blocks from the start area. Otherwise, you will be on your own to find parking. The option is to do like we did and take an Uber/Lyft and get dropped as close as possible to the start area. Bag drop-off and pickup was well organized as they had plenty of people working to ensure the wait was minimal. That area also contained many vendors and plenty of porta-potties along with several props for picture taking. Both the half marathon and the 5K start Jackson Park, heading south and ending up on Lake Shore Drive where both runs head north towards downtown and loop back returning to Jackson Park. There were plenty of water stations along way along with numerous spectators cheering everyone on. Upon arriving the finish area there are plenty of people passing out bottles of water, Gatorade and fruit. Post race activities included 'free' food and a beverage of choice. The food quality wasn't the best but after finishing a run it hit the spot. There was a band playing in the area which contributed to the festive, celebratory atmosphere. A big shout-out to Lifetime Fitness (official host of the run) and all the other vendors and volunteers who helped make this a success. Overall, it was a well executed run, and I would definitely participate again...5K only.

I would definitely run this again, and would like to do the Windy City Challenge next year!…read more The packet pickup was quick and easy at Navy Pier, so it was fun to make a day of it plus get discounted parking. It's nice to visit the touristy spots every now and again. We were dropped off by friends familiar with the Southside so that was also easy. The weather for 2013 was warm and muggy but overall not bad. They weren't regulating corrals - if that makes a difference to anyone. I started too far forward and for the first 6 miles EVERYONE was passing me. It was nice to see after the turn around and heading back southbound on Lake Shore that I wasn't last like I believed I was! There was a fair amount of spectators but it DID fall on the same day as the first Regular Season game for the Bears. I suppose we were competing for attention. Best part? Lou Malnati's at the end! Hit the spot! Maybe we finished early enough that things didn't run out. Personally I was pleased with this entire event. Awesome volunteers!

My 5 year old has been skating here for 4 months and loves it. The coaches are patient and great…read morewith her.

The employees, the cleanliness, the heat, this place is absolutely grim. I almost stepped in throw…read moreup that had been sitting there for god knows how long. It is an absolutely nasty establishment. It's cold, gross, uncleaned, and it's truly awful.

We took our 2 and 3 year old to a game! It was amazing. Parking was so close by. Not a lot of…read morewalking. Reasonable pricing. The kids zone came in clutch to get some energy out. My kids also loved the firework show.

Their games suck and are very boring. It would be fun for a 3 year old but not anyone older.read more

I have never done an indoor race before, so that was something new and I'm all about expanding your…read moreexperiences. It was definitely better to run in controlled conditions than have to worry abour rain, sleet or snow in an unpredictable February (even though it ended up being 45 degrees and sunny). They did a really good job organizing everything. I found Check-In relatively easily and was directed to Gear Check. The lines moved quickly and I was at the Start Pens (12min+ I'm ashamed to admit). They let each Pen approach the Starting Line every two minutes and sounded the horn. It definitely helped keep people from stampeding and made the Course less congested. I was a big fan of the victory bananas and Smart Water. Can't say that I liked the Powerade (I'm a Vitamin Water Zero girl). I also didn't like the Gear Check Volunteer snapping at my friend's friend to "cover up [her] number!" when she asked her number (clearly printed on our bibs) and was told she already had her bag. Overall, I think it was run pretty well and will get better with a few improvements. It was their first year. I might do it next year if they bring it back, but I personally didn't like how it felt like a maze with all the winding between the North and South Buildings. I hated that you could see almost the entire Course. That's mostly because I kept seeing how much was left to run and all I could think was, "I'm glad a cardiovascular organization is running this because I might have a heart attack."

Not particularly well organized event (wasn't exactly easy to figure out where you needed to go for…read morethe race in McCormick when you were there). Course has many turns (as you would anticipate in an indoor race), and when running with the large group of entrants, log jams occurred at many of the turns. Nice to get out of the house in the winter and do something physical, but I would probably look for something else besides this event to do. Note: Writing my review for 2014 event.

Newer modern ice arena...paired with a bunch of tennis nonsense. The sheets are down and to the…read moreleft of the entrance. Ice looked pretty good but I did not skate it. The concession stand fries food and its not ventated adequately....so be prepared to be overwhelmed by the fragrace of old grease when you enter- regardless of them serving food or not.

I really like this facility. If you get a good staff member they'll go out of their way to make…read moreyour night rock. If you're going to book an event BOOK IN ADVANCE. Very popular place and stuff sells out. Food here is meh so bring your own, but great place to catch a hockey game, free skate, host a broomball party, etc.

One of the best fall races there is! It doesn't get much better than this…read more For a very reasonable registration fee ($30), the amenities are as follows: Rockin' goody bag. Actually the bag itself is one of those nylon drawstring backpacks with the Frank Lloyd Wright (FLW) race logo on it, stuffed to the gills with fun, cool things. I love a fun goody bag! It sucks when they're filled only with boring coupons and fliers with info about hundreds of other races. My mom, a good friend of hers, and my husband did the 5k walk and so also recieved the same goody bag. We were all tickled. Good amount of parking on race morning - a huge plus. The pre-race atmosphere was awesome. Tons of volunteers, and tents offering lots of fun give-aways. There was the big Stewart's Coffee truck on site; much appreciated by spectators and participants alike on such a cool morning. (I myself, cannot partake of coffee before a run. I won't get into why. But the root word there is "run". Ok, enough of that.) The course itself is stunningly beautiful. As a sidebar, I'd like to thank Mother Nature, and any other participating powers that be for making a perfect day for it. Crisp, chill air. The fall colors. Sunny skies. Pair all of that with running through Oak Park and marveling at the beautiful homes and the equally beautiful architecture. It was marvelous. The course support was pretty unbeatable! It's so cool that SO many residents are out on their porches with flags and horns and groups of people singing and hollerin' to cheer you on. Sometimes you need all the motivation you can get! The post-race offerings were perfect. I stopped at a physical therapy tent to have my stupid, uncooperative, dumb old foot stretched out (plantar fascitis) and the gentleman who helped me easily took about 20 minutes to stretch it, assessed my shoes, and gave me tips and at home exercises. Dang! Very generous. Plus - awesome recovery food. I appreciate that very much. A long review, I know. But there are so many aspects that make this one of the best fall races of all time. See ya next year FLW!

Do not run this race. I have run the 5K for the past 4 years, and I used to love this race but now…read moreit has been taken over by small children. The past 2 years there have been so many children in the race that you might as well be racing the youth mile (that's right, they have their OWN RACE but they still race with the adults). Yesterday a small child was at the front on the start line and he dropped his ipod right when the gun went off. He then bent down to pick it up, impeding everyone behind him. I was hoping he would get trampled just so the morons in charge of this race would get the message: STOP ALLOWING CHILDREN IN THIS RACE. IT IS NOT SAFE. Someone is going to get hurt and you will be responsible. I am done with the FLW Races. Until the race director learns how to put on a race for grown-ups THIS RACE IS NOT SAFE.

This was suppose to be my 20 miler for my training plan for the Chicago Marathon this year. My…read morehusband convinced me to run the extra 6.2 miles! This is a great low key race. It was unbelievably convenient to pick up our race packets at the Baker Community Center. Plenty of street parking. The day of the race, we arrived only an hour before the race and only had to park two blocks away from the start line. There are no official corrals. Just line up with your pace group. Very casual. The course is relatively flat. Just a couple of hills and heartbreak hill that winds around mile 19. Water and gatorade stations can be found every two miles or so and there were a couple of stations that offered Gus and one with orange slices. The race runs mainly along the trail on the Fox River from St. Charles down to Aurora and back. Only about 3 miles on the streets of Geneva. Spectators were lacking which I actually didn't mind. Quiet serene race. Seemed more like a long training run than a race. So no pressure=)

Ran the 20 miler (probably should have just done the full, but I took my training schedule a little…read moremore serious at the time I signed up for the race.) Course was fairly flat (with a few rolling hills that didn't hurt too bad). For a course that follows a river for the most part, there were actually a fair amount of turns. Race was relatively well supported (but limited crowd participation). Nice finisher medal and long sleeve tech t-shirt. Note: Ran 20 miler in 2014.