If you're looking to do something different for Halloween versus going to a haunted house or a club…read moreparty, sign up for the Rosehill cemetery 5k! I finally got an opportunity to run this event after years of procrastination. Was it cold? Yes. Can you dress in costume? Absolutely! The only downside this year was unexpected rain. The forecast had 30% chance rain for the evening. I thought, a little sprinkle couldn't do any harm right? I was wrong! Not even a mile into it, I was running in pouring rain which lasted through the entire race and hours after. Light spotty sprinkles eventually turned into large cold, wet drops hitting my forehead and cheeks. I was in costume and although I looked glam at the starting line, I finished in a drenched costume with makeup looking like Carrie. Despite crappy weather, it didn't dampen my spirits. I had fun. It was dark but the path was lit in some areas. A few cemetery landmarks and prominent tombstones were illuminated. A number of runners decked themselves up in lights, headlamps and glow sticks. Not for look but for function. I would've preferred if they offered a sunset to evening run. It's massive and there's so many interesting tombs to see. At some point I felt like the running path was near a pond and a chapel. All this would've been great to view had there been some daylight. The finisher medal was not what I had expected. The medal itself, although pretty, was made out of rubber and not actual metal. Unique for sure but I expected a medal with heftier quality versus cheap plastic rubber. The race's after-party was held at the Fireside Restaurant. It was a 5-minute walk from the finish line. Included in your race fee is a free beer. Just present your beer ticket (came with your race bib) at the tent in their outdoor grounds. The race offers a dinner at the tents for an additional fee. We pre-paid online for it when you sign up for the race. At $14.00 per person they offered a vegan and non-vegan option. We ended up ordering the non-vegan pulled pork sandwich with side of mashed potatoes and gravy. Our meal was delicious, filling and we had leftovers afterwards. The parking situation wasn't awful. We arrived about 25 minutes prior to the race start and luckily found free parking on Ravenswood along the cemetery's perimeter. From our parking spot, we had a short 10-minute walk to the starting line. I'm sure if we were late arrivals, we probably would have to circle the area for a spot. The event ran smoothly and was well put together. Rosehill is a beautiful cemetery. It's the largest in Chicago and one of the oldest established in 1859. Although it sounds weird, I would love to visit on a random day when the weather gets nicer. It's quiet, serene and overall a beautiful resting place for the dearly departed. Look no further for a unique 5K Halloween experience!

Generic lakefront 10K course, but worth checking out if you are into Big Ten competition as most…read morerunners show some school spirit during the run. Fun event at the end with free beer and sausages. Nice finisher medal for a 10K.

I ran this run in 2015, and will be running it again in 2016. It's a competitive, and huge race;…read morealong with a dream come true for any Big Ten sports fan. As long as I'm living in Chicago I plan on running this every year, because I love the environment. This race combines my first love (running), with the Big Ten. It's a great feeling representing your favorite sports team in the Big Ten; wearing their colors and competing against other Big Ten fans. Many post race activities with the mascots on stage, games, and plenty of opportunities to take a picture with your favorite Big Ten mascot or cheerleaders. This race is crowded, so if you're a competitor you might want to get there early to reserve a spot near the front. The course is out-and-back, and gets crowded near the finishline due to there being two races on course; the 5k and 10k. Enjoy!

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!

I was very, very impressed with this race. One of my goals this year is to sign up for races I have…read morenot done before. I now live in the burbs southwest of Chicago, so I still try to get all around in the city to experience new neighborhoods. The race was a small, neighborhood race. The course was not crowded. It started on Argyle in the heart of the Chinese community, right by the Chinese Mutual Aid foundation. Packet pick-up and parking on race day was super easy. The race started with some speeches and Chinese traditions. From start to finish, I felt it was so welcoming. It seemed that the people hosting the event were very proud of their neighborhood and so hospitable. This made me love the race even more. The race headed east along the lakefront, then south, back north and then back west to where we started. Beautiful path. A local restaurant, Furama, provided some snacks afterward. There was some kid's karaoke playing on the speakers and tables and chairs were provided to sit down and relax and eat the snack. There was also a local dance troupe performing a traditional Chinese dance. Very impressed. Glad I headed out north to the city to experience this one! Will do again!

I did the Shine tour 2015 Color run this summer and it was a bit of a let down. First of all, it…read morewas cloudy at the start line and then the skies began to darken. My friends and i then heard the claps of thunder and then it was like, OH SH*#, its coming down. And then it did. As we started to run, it began to pour! And not just a brief shower, It rained the whole race!!! Not that any of us could control the weather but as Lily Z. had mentioned, the event planners were ill prepared for the rain. Instead of getting a "dusting" of colored powder, you received a heavy sling of colored mud (because the powder had already mixed with the heavy rains) as you ran through each color station. And just when you've hit the 3.1 mile marker, drenched and cold and perhaps starting to get the shakes from hypothermia, you are hit one last time in colored mud... Only this time its GOLD powder!!! Yes people. You're hit with gold colored mud only to be glowing like a sad looking Oscar statue at the end of the finish line. Let's just say it was the piece de resistance to end it all off. My guess was that the crowd either loved and embraced the drenching experience or hated it completely. I'd hear runners say, "This is so BLEEPIN" awesome! Let's do this next year!" And then there were those that were like, "This Fn sucks. I'm never doing this again." And then there were those families with their 2-3 year old crying incessantly because they're all wet... The blowers at the end of the race were of no use to anyone there since you were already covered in rain and powder. The powder just stained you and anything you touched. Luckily i was smart enough to bring a towel to sit on in the car ride home, otherwise i would have had a helluva time time doing detailing on the car seats!!! Post-racers left the event looking like "Carrie" from the movie but instead of blood, you were a rainbow/glittered hot mess... I guess the only consolation prize this year was that they gave you a finisher's medal. Perhaps next year will have better weather.

The most low key 5k ever. This was my first and everything was oh so casual! I wish the different…read morecolor stations were better prepared because some of them ran out of powder by the time we arrived. Also, I don't know if they were adequately prepared for the rain. The post-it wall was a wreck. The Shout station was closed. I was not impressed with the SINGLE leaf blower for the entire race. The organizers made it seem like the leaf blower was some amazing post-race cleaner. No. it was really a guy with a leaf blower. A bit disappointed but at least the other runners made it fun and energetic.

Founded in September of 2012, Muddy Monk had a simple vision based on a few loves: people; the…read morecity of Chicago; good beer; and, trail running. So the concept was born that Muddy Monk would design and coordinate trail races replete with aid stations and plenty of volunteers and provide craft beer (following all local rules and regulations) at the end of each trail race. I've had the luxury of running in three of their events (their inaugural Thriller in Schiller, the Frozen 5 Miler, and the Mayday^3 15k) and I'll offer a a few quick points about these guys: Organization: 4.5 out of 5, and getting better each time As with every new concept, there will be growing pains, and Muddy Monk was not exempt from these early learning curves. At the very first Thriller in Schiller, a lot of good work was done up front, and registration/getting to the course itself wasn't an issue. Some of the main concerns that the runners had (and echoed by the organizers after the event) included a shortage of water after the event, and the need for some type of streamlined timing system. As an aside, MM does not use the disposable timing chips that you may find on road races for a # of reasons, some being cost and logistics, but they do employ Race Splitter. The second race I did with them (Frozen Five Miler) was truly a test against nature. The race was set in Poplar Creek Woods (I-90 and Sutton) and it snowed, snowed, snowed the days before with limited snow removal. Combine that with the fact that REI was doing a demo of some type in the same area, and parking was nonexistent at the grove. Here, MM definitely improvised, and had people park at the sports retail center down the road, and sort of came up with a makeshift shuttle system. Did it work? Yes. Was it pretty? Perhaps not, but I have a feeling that if the same thing were to happen again in the same type of weather, they'd be prepared. My most recent race with them was the Mayday^3 15k. Because I had some errands in the area in the morning, I came out two hours prior to race start time, and MM had the operation running smoothly. Volunteers were out helping with registration, the course was already marked, and all of the electronics were working. The organization of this event was spot on and I hope that the upward trend continues. Cost of Races: 4 out of 5 MM's races are reasonable to run from a price perspective, and if you register early enough, a 5 - 8 mile run will set you back about 35 bucks. And you get a t-shirt/hoodie and some type of finisher's award. And snacks/refreshments at the end, along with one craft beer. Race day signup isn't that bad either, as I signed up on the day of the Mayday^3 for the 15k distance and was only set back 40 bucks. I didn't get a finisher's award (pint glass), but I did a shirt. For reference, they are holding a half marathon this summer, and early registration is 55$. I imagine that a good chunk of that goes towards making sure that there are paramedics on site during the whole duration of the race. Technical difficulties of trails: 1 - 5 out of 5 I remember the Thriller in Schiller being a very easy race to run. It was my first ever 5k of any type, and I enjoyed how for all intents and purposes, it was "easy" and I didn't struggle a lot. The Frozen Five Miler, full of slush and snow and ice, was more technical but at least it was mainly straight with very little lateral movement throughout. But oh yes...the Mayday^3, that race was gnarly. The single track was particularly narrow, and oh boy was there a lot of lateral motion to dodge in between trees. Limbs and branches greeted you IN THE FACE if you weren't careful, and there were enough fallen trees that you had either jump over them gracefully, like a gazelle - or if you were tired on the last 5k, come to a standstill, put one leg over, and then slowly put the other leg over. As a general rule, the 5ks I would imagine would be slightly "easier" from a technical perspective, but this is not a hard and fast rule. Fun factor: 5 out of 5 This is where MM shines. There's something a little different, maybe even "off", about trail runners. At the end of the race, we drink a beer and talk about what parts of the course gave gave us the most problems, or compare the amount of mud and cuts that we have. Trail running is just more FUN for me. Selection of beer: 4.5 out of 5 MM and I will just have to split hairs on this one. I personally don't think that Finch's is that good when it comes to competing with the rest of Chicago's microbreweries. This does not mean that I won't drink it, it just means that for a volume to cost comparison, I much prefer Half Acre. But I get it - Finch's is probably easier to get in the 4 varieties that are usually out there, and no one really complains. And I shouldn't either. Moving along... Overall: 5 out of 5 Fun times, fun people, good beer.

Andy C pretty much covered everything so go read his review…read more Muddy Monk puts on A+ events. They are laid back and an absolute blast! The races are well organized and well executed. The courses are extremely well marked. Some of the courses are more technically challenging than others, but they're always a blast to run.

I think they started a few years ago when some locals got kind of fed up with the Chicago race…read morescene. Now they dominate it. They've got 200+ members on the team racing in just about every type of event available to a cyclist. Lots of really fast and really friendly people. They do a kickass training ride on Saturday mornings - more information on their website. I'm thinking about going out for some track racing this coming season and will be looking into signing up. I'd do road but I don't think I'm fast enough or able to devote the amount of road time necessary to be really good.

You can't shake a stick without it slapping one of these guys in the face…read more Great group of peeps, and great riders.