I ran this race a few times before Covid and it always was a unique and fun one. For the 2022 edition, F^3 was a slap in the face. They were sending out race emails BCC'd (instead of paying for a trusted sending service) so everything went to spam. The only important email that went through, on 1/21, provided 24 hours notice for the last Chicago city packet pickup. However, the more important detail shared turned out to be that the event would be 100% outside with no use of the United Club: "We will be conducting the race outside this year. After consulting with our medical director and team, we will not be using the indoor United Club in an effort to mitigate COVID risk during a time of high community spread. We furthermore will recommend face coverings while in corral areas." Despite how massive of a convenience this was, organizers seemed incapable of communicating in a timely fashion on Facebook or on the race website. I perceived this as a sly way of minimizing blowback. My position is that if the organizers didn't have to completely eat the fee for canceling the United Club week-of, they should have credited some portion of entry fees for those who wanted to run the next year. That would be in an ideal world though. In this world, the next "Race is On!" email participants received was telling us to take public transportation to the race and to gather at a bar after the race. So much for those doctor's recommendations! When complaining about this online, someone in the Chicago running community mentioned that this "independent" organization was actually bought out by some national group or private equity firm years and years ago but continues to hold on to the "independent" branding. I've been unable to verify it, but, man, being a distance runner during Covid was a frosty experience. read more

The Purpose of this Half Marathon and 5K was to sponsor a Chicago Legacy called: Girls in the Game! Which seeks to empower and engage young girls and adolescents in their "mind, body, and future" with a variety of opportunities to participate in activities. Truly much needed and admired as an organization in Chicago! See: https://girlsinthegame.org/ This is one of the reasons why I wanted to participate in the 5K this year! The Race from a Participant Perspective- I really, really loved this 5K...while most of the participants were runners for the Half Marathon and training-they encouraged 5Kers as well to participate. The Venue- Soldier Field-the Route started at The Chicago Bears Ticket Kiosks behind The Chicago Bears Stadium-Soldier Field and followed the running/bike path down by the pier/harbor and out along Lake Michigan heading South. Then looped back to finish. The Start- For the Half Marathon Runners-there were three possibly four different starts depending on pacing. There were pacers provided for each group. For the 5Kers-we started after the Half Marathoner Groups had a head start...it was nicely spaced. The Route- Amazingly beautiful day with Blue Skies. People were there cheering on which is always fun! The Loop itself lead along Prairie Growth Habitats and Birding Habitats...there were benches and places to picnic for the spring/summer months...I cannot wait to go back and ride my bike and picnic when it gets warmer. The Finish- Fantastic Swag- *Sweatshirt *Finisher's Medal *Cookies *Tote Bag *Water *Bananas *Gatorade Chews and a free beverage ticket at a bar on the South Side. FYI- 1. They Immediately Text your finish time after you complete the race 2. Photographer on-site taking pictures during the event 3. Music at the Start 4. Warm Up Lead by Professionals at the Starting Line 5. Great MC 6. Check-in for Bags was efficient I cannot wait to participate next year! I highly recommend for not only runners-but WALKERS who are taking steps to be mindful and enjoying a different perspective of Chicago...that nurtures an individual's mind, heart, and soul! read more

See all

You can do a lot better than run this race. F3 has wonderful volunteers but horribly rude staff. The shirts are of questionable quality and will end up in the donate pile. The race is the same Chicago lakefront that we've all run on, so there's no real surprise as to what happens. You're kept well hydrated and fed. The United Club is nice but it's rather crowded so you'll be waiting for bathrooms. But this race is nothing special. read more

This was a seriously well-done production. You park at Soldier Field for $22 and walk right into the United Club, where there are restrooms a plenty and the pre-race shenanigans. Everyone walks out to the start line together (which admittedly is a bit of a cluster) and then start for a jog north around Soldier Field, then south on the Lakeshore Path towards the South Shore Cultural Center. There are four aid stations with bathrooms that you pass twice on the half marathon course, which is a course that loops around. What I enjoyed about this is you literally see every person running the race before and after you make the turnaround. It's a nice distraction. The finisher's chute included hot cocoa, organic protein drink and KIND bars. Once you go back inside, you get one free Goose Island beer and can bask in the afterglow of a job well-done from the toasty comfort of the United Club. All 13.1 finishers get a medal, which was a really nice bottle opener in full color. The swag included with admission was a nice beanie hat and running gloves. I appreciate that because the last thing I need on planet earth is another running shirt. I would say the drawbacks to this race are the weather, which can certainly be unpredictable this time of year. Also, this is a pricey race if you don't get in on the early bird pricing, and finally, the Lakefront Path is open throughout the race. However, it's not particularly crowded on a brisk January morning anyhow. read more

Well that was more fun than I thought it would be! Like another reviewer, I signed up for this ridiculous half marathon in January thinking "oh that will help me stay in shape and run more than 3-5 miles a day in the winter". FALSE. But even though my training was poor, I had a great time at the race. Logistics: Packet pick-up was phenominal. I believe it was open for a full week either in Lakeview or in the Loop. So much more convenient than the typical races I'm used to in Chicago! Parking was easy (as expected). I got there about 30 min early and parked less than 1/4 mile from the start. They had 3 water stations throughout the course. Made me a little worried so I brought my own (turned out to be a good move when they had run out of gatorade at the last aid stop) The good: *Every single race volunteer I encountered seemed to be so happy to be outside. It's January, cold, and they weren't even running -- I don't get it, but definitely appreciate it! *They had a "warming tent" before the race for the people that didnt wait in their cars. *The course itself spread out much quicker than I expected. Mile 1 was awful but it wasn't too bad after that. *Running through the park was a nice change of scenery than the lake path or streets downtown. It's nice to be on the north end of the lake path for once *I really liked the shirts. and my snuggie. I now own a snuggie. *Thanks to this race occurring in the winter, the start time was 10am. Sure beats the typical 5am wake up for summer races. The not so good: *The ice. Yes, it's January. Yes, I willingly signed up for this race. But I'm still going to complain about it. And the wind. *Running out of gatorade at mile 10. I need my fuel! (and i was running around an 830-845 pace -- not in the total back of the pack) *Mile 1. Need to at least have signs so people can stand by their pace or split up the start a bit. My first half mile was at an 11:45 pace. BOO!! Overall great race -- love having a winter option in Chicago! read more

I have zero clue what I was thinking when I registered for this half. Run a half marathon in the middle of winter?! In Chicago?! I'm loony. I must say F^3 events did an Excellent job organizing this race. They cleared the Lake Front path very well (only a few dicey/slippery spots). The race started on time which I'm extremely grateful. Plan your arrival well enough and you're not stuck outside freezing for too long. Which brings me to the warming tents. All they really did was put up a tent. No heat in it. When I ran the Polar Dash half a few years ago they had heat lamps set up. F^3 you should look into that. I can't say enough good things about the volunteers. At least I was running and moving. To stand around for hours with hydration and fuel for a bunch of crazy runners in frigid temps is pretty freaking brave. And awesome. Love those men and women! Very well planned race. I was freezing and as I write this review I still don't have full feeling in my toes back. I'll never be stupid enough to run a half in January during Chiberia aka the Polar Vortex. But if I do have a momentary lapsed of good judgement I'd run it with F^3 events. read more

Jen R. and Gina S. wrote such spot on reviews that I considered not even reviewing this race because I had nothing new to add. BUT the F'ing Freezing Frozen Lake Half Marathon is totally worthy of many glowing reviews. Despite being held in the dead of Chicago winter, this is a great race! The whole event was extremely well executed. The volunteers were awesome! The other runners were great. The on course support was fantastic. Parts of it were icy, but nothing too treacherous, and what do you expect on the lakefront in January. Registration just opened for the 2013 race, and I'm definitely planning to run again! read more

Freezing cold, but well worth it in the end because the awards ceremony is inside of the Chicago Bears stadium, with beer, and food! F3 5k and Half Marathon had many vendors inside as well. The Half Marathon medals are pretty cool looking and you receive a hat, and gloves with your registration. Both the 5k and half marathon courses are flat and out-and-back. I reccomend dressing warm! read more

See all

If you like running in the winter, and like doing races that prove how crazy you are, the F^3 Half is a good race to do. I ran the 2013 race, but I'll be honest, it's a one-and-done race for me. Good: smooth logistics, if you get there early (I think we got there a little over an hour before race time), you can find free parking pretty close to the start, the course wasn't too crowded after the first mile or two, the race had a fun atmosphere, after crossing the finish line I believe they had the usual water and bagels and such, and the post-race party was at the Cubbie Bear - all runners got a 312 beer. But: it's cold in January. I don't mind running throughout the winter, but I'm starting to re-evaluate doing longer races during the winter. I think I might stick to 5K's from December to March. We were lucky that everyone in our group finished relatively close to each other, so we didn't have to wait around much, because as soon as you stop running, you get COLD. But the post-race party was indoors, so we hopped in the car and headed there. But, if you will be waiting around post-race, make sure to bring some warm layers to throw on. But big ups to the volunteers for this race, I'm sure they were pretty cold as well. Also, the course is on the Lakefront Path. I'm starting to also re-evaluate paying to do races on the Lakefront Path, because they don't close the path down during races. Which isn't a huge deal in January (not many people on the path), but I'm kind of over races that don't have closed courses. Plus there are SO MANY races on the LFP, I need a bigger draw. So, I definitely recommend this race if the idea of a half marathon in January appeals to you. But personally, I did it once and I think that's enough for me. read more

This wasn't at Montrose Harbor but started at Soldier Field for 2015. I couldn't agree more that the access to the north parking garage and walk right into the United Club was so convenient! Very well organized and the weather they ordered up couldn't have been better for January. Well done! read more

Great race. My first half. See you next year!

I ran the F^3 5k version on January 28, 2017. This is a race I'll run again. The race was run out of Soldier Field which was a huge help in that Soldier Field is indoors and allowed the runners to warm up before running. It's a great help to run with warm muscles in cold weather. The speaker of the event made himself seen and heard, loud and clear by standing on a small stage and letting runners know when the half marathoners should get ready to run and when the 5kers should get ready to run. The course was on the lakefront so it was a course shared with racers and ordinary runners, walkers, cyclists. The race marshalls made sure that the ice patches that developed during colder temps, it was in the mid-30's on race day, were salted. I saw two race marshalls standing by ice patches with bags of salt. This race was well thought out and executed with such professionalism I will run this race again. I felt the organizers, marshalls, and volunteers were really thinking of the runners and not just the race. read more