Sweet, sweet redemption. Fort2Base, you've made it off my shit list. It's quite a drive from Wood Dale to Great Lakes, so I'm not completely sure if I'll come back, but I have a tendency to stick with what I know so I can compare my times. I did the 3NM this year and I may do it again or even try the 10NM next year. Whichever I chose, I'd be happy to participate again seeing how well they run things now. Also, their buffet of goodies at the end is pretty enticing. This experience was basically night and day from what happened 5 years ago. We actually arrived much later than I intended, but there was practically no traffic at all. We parked down at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science (RFUMS) around 6:30am and took one of the many shuttle buses from the campus to the Naval Base. After going through security at about 7am, I was able to grab my race bib from the gazebo and had enough time to use a Porta Potty before the race began. This time I actually got to run the race and it was, aside from the hot and humid weather, very enjoyable. It reminded me a lot of the Highland Park Firecracker 5K because you have about 1.5 miles of mostly flat, paved road and then go down a steep hill and back up just before the 2 mile mark. The rest of it was also relatively flat and the condition of the concrete wasn't too bad. Obviously, it differs in that the scenery isn't the same. You're running on the base past lots of buildings and many of the participants are armed services affiliated. There was a color guard group jogging behind me who were chanting the whole time. It was pretty cool! The event is chip-timed. I was hoping for 35:00 but got 36:27. They listed the results on the homepage but the results page on the website hasn't been updated yet. The first thing you're handed when you cross the finish line is a towel soaked in cold water. More races should do this in the summer! It was a lifesaver! The second thing you're handed is your medal. It's substantial for the 3NM and ridiculously huge for the 10NM, which is maybe another reason to try and aim for that next time. I got my race shirt from the merchandise tent. I probably won't keep it since it is a bit big and not the highest quality material. I still have my pullover from 2011 and like that and thought the shirts from last year looked really nice. I do appreciate that they change it up, though. read more

Fort2Base - Compression capris, workout shirt, and a FlipBelt. - Active Life Near Me - North Chicago, Illinois

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From the sound of it this race has improve from last year. Packet pickup was a breeze, all you needed to know was your bib # and there were 2 different locations, 3 if you are a military personnel, to pickup your packet. I was in and out within seconds. Really it was that easy and painless. Inside our see through bags for our packets was our bib, race shirt, and a race booklet. The race shirt was pretty neat with the "Train. Race. Conquer" on the back, but it is cheap material because the pins I used to clip my bib to the shirt started ripping the material already. The booklet was very useful for getting to the event and understanding the course so spectators can be prepared. Race day we made it to Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science easily and upon arrival around 6am there was a short line waiting to turn in and park. Parking was pretty much taken up so we parked a little way down from where the shuttles were, no biggie. Yellow school buses? Can't remember the last time I rode in one, but they were warm, thank goodness because it was a cold race day, brrrr. Our driver was friendly and greeted everything and asked everyone 10 mile? to make sure we were on the right shuttle. It was about a 20 minute bus ride to the 10 Nautical Mile start line and when we got there it was kind of boring, nothing screamed "look at us we're running the 10 Nautical Mile!" Also the PA system they used to talk to participants and play the national anthem was horrible, I was waiting for the bathroom (which took about 20mins) and I couldn't hear anything. More port-o-potties PLEASE! I missed the start of the race because I was waiting for bathroom and at least 30-40 other people did also. Gear check was simple, tie your gear check slip to the bag and throw it in the van, they will transport and sort it for you. After that was check off my list FINALLY I was able to start. It was kind of eery since majority of the runners started already, but it was peaceful. Huh? Where do I go? There was a lack of direction, but of course I used my common sense and followed the runners ahead of me. The majority of the 10 Nautical Mile course is on a trail in the woods, but at one point we crossed 2 bridges and the metra train stop where there were no crossing personnel and lucky for us runners the passing cars were patient and allowed us to cross. Shouldn't safety be first? My favorite part were the men in uniforms that greeted us at the first water station! They were energetic and knowing I am running in honor of those that are serving and who served definitely pumped up my adrenaline! Thank you! So I'm thinking yes we will see more of them, but even when we enter the Naval Station we didn't get the same energetic greeting. And the hill? Yes it's extremely brutal, but as soon as you get to the top *SMILE!* photographers are waiting and one of them even cheer us on, thanks! Running through the station was probably the best part because that's when we saw more Navy personnel who cheer us on the last mile or so. We were given an awesome medal upon crossing the finish line and water, Gatorade, rice cakes, bars, and there were a lot of other free hydrating items. Despite a few cons overall I really enjoyed the race. It was simple and it made you feel prideful. read more

Fort2Base - Active Life Near Me - North Chicago, Illinois

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Very organized!! Multiple packet pick up locations from the burbs to the city. You could even pick up your packet on base. I arrived at Roselind University around 5:30am. Parking was a breeze and I was able to hop on the shuttle bus within a few minutes. Why was there only one Porto at this location? Goodness, don't they realize runners use the bathroom. A lot. The more Portos the better. Upon arriving at Fort Sheridan there were plenty of Portos :) Gear check was easy. The 10 Nautical mile race started on time. However, the sound system left a little to be desired. I couldn't hear anything. Loved having so many pacers!!! With the heat, there were lots of water stations and the volunteers were awesome!!! Who thought it was a good idea to put a hill at mile 10?! Whew! That was crazy. But I loved the Navy officers who hopped onto the course and gave us encouragement. One officer in particular ran up that 20% grade hill with me from the bottom all the way to the top, chatting with me and giving encouragement the whole way. He was awesome. I also noticed quite a few other officers running back and forth with multiple runners. Love our military!!! The finish line festival was fun and there were so many snacks I think I took at least 2 of everything. We runners love free stuff ;) The medal was big, shiny and heavy. Awesome. Enough said ;) Only thing I didn't like was the UGLY purple tech shirts. Who's idea was that?! read more

Fort2Base - 2013 Fort 2 Base medal - Active Life Near Me - North Chicago, Illinois

Fort to Base is my favorite Chicago area race. The grass roots community feel coupled with enthusiastic patriotism and military support made the inaugural run on 9/1/11 an amazing experience. They have a 10 Nautical mile run that starts down at Ft. Sheridan and winds up a beautiful trail to finish on Great Lakes Naval Base and a standard 5k that took place on the base. Did they have some logistics problems before the race started? Yes, but that's common for a first year race, especially one being held on a military base on such a high profile day. The race directors took all the critiques from last year and have revamped packet pickup and pre-race events. I'll be sure to re-review after this year with an update on how the changes work out. The good ~ Amazing atmosphere, everyone I talked to before, during, and after the race was friendly and supportive. ~ Finisher's coin- unique and they offered an explanation for civilians who don't know the history of military coins ~ Enthusiastic race support; nothing better that being cheered on by sailors ;) The bad ~ Logistics problems with crowd and vehicle control before the start of last year's race ~ The participant shirt ripped on me right away, which sucks because it was actually super cute. This year the women are getting a pink one and I'm hoping for more longevity! Watch out for the hill at the tail end of the race, it's a widow maker for sure... read more

One of the best military installations I've been on. Had a presentation with the active duty service members and enjoyed my talk on prosthetics and staying active. Had a good time. read more

Fort2Base - Presentation at Naval Station Great Lakes - Active Life Near Me - North Chicago, Illinois

Great race for the runner; not so great for spectators. There's a whole lot of good about this race but since its inception, the logistics of getting civilian runners and spectators into Great Lakes has been a significant challenge for the organizers. First the good. I ran the 3NM two years ago and the 10Nm this year and both are great races (although this year they apparently screwed up the 3NM race because the motorcyclist leading the race took a wrong turn - if I had run the 3NM race i would have been none too pleased; that's an amateurish error). Lots of great volunteers, support from military personnel on the base and beautiful courses. The medal for this year's 10NM is the nicest medal I've ever seen for race finisher. The tech shirt was simple and clean, not cluttered up with hideous sponsor logos and names as most race shirts are. And it's a rare opportunity for a civilian to enjoy the NSGL campus. Also, good pace groups for the 10NM race, which is always desirable for a long race. Plus, I like the unorthodox distances of the races. It's something different. From a runner's perspective, nothing to complain about. As a spectator, I wouldn't be so pleased, especially if i had limited mobility or needed to have quick access to my car for whatever reason. Two years ago, they allowed everyone to park on the grounds of NSGL, checking all ID's at the gate. The ID checking itself caused a minor backup at the gate but that was NOT the cause of the major traffic jam on the roads approaching the base. As another reviewer said, that was caused by the fact that the cit y of North Chicago provided no traffic control at all and everyone had to sit though long, timed traffic lights even though there are minimal cross-traffic. Some simple, sensible traffic control would have alleviated that greatly. Since that logistical debacle two years, ago, the organizers decided to make everyone park offsite and ride shuttles to and from the main visitor's gate to NSGL. Not much of an issue for runners but clearly that dissuaded a lot of spectators from showing up and it's understandable. The shuttles stop outside the gate and it's a half mile walk from there to Ross field, which is where the finish line is. And then a half mile back after the race. Anyone who has difficulty with mobility need not try to come, as there no accommodations for such spectators at all. The results of this were quite apparent at the finish line. Two years ago, there was a massive post-race crowd and party on Ross field, with entertainment and thousands of people - including lots of families with children - sticking around and enjoying the party for hours. This year: nothing except a few sponsor tents and a few runners milling around long enough to recover and then just walking away to catch the shuttle. That was an unpleasant surprise to see after experiencing what it was like two years ago after the race. I think that the organizers next year should go back to the parking procedures that they had two years ago as long as they can make arrangements with the local police to direct traffic through the stoplights. And then, because some of the parking on base can be a long way from Ross Field, perhaps consider getting shuttles to run from the outlying lots to the Ross field. This is a good event which could be a great one both for runners and spectators if they could solve the parking and transportation issues. The situation was bad two years ago but I think that they overreacted and made it worse now, at least for spectators. read more

I decided to do Fort2Base as a final tuneup to the Chicago Marathon and a change of scenary from the lakefront trail and Chicago. I needed to do 12 miles that weekend and the 10 nautical mile run matched perfectly (11.5 miles). Not exactly 12 miles but that hill at the end made up for it. :) Shirt/Packet pickup was easy and they had 2 locations - Running Away Multisport in Chicago or Deerfield. I went to the one in Chicago and the process was fast and I got a sneak preview of the medals - Nice! The bibs had the timing chip on them so no shoe tags. The long sleeved shirts we got were cool. As for getting to the race, I had no problems. We had to go to a local college to park our cars and they had shuttle buses running to take us to the start lines for 3 and 10 nautical miles. Make sure you get on the right bus! I'm not sure if they can take you back if you take the wrong one. The race itself was wonderful - both in terms of weather and course. I made the last minute decision to run long sleeved because it was cold at the start. Also I didn't know that Chicago Endurance Sports were the pacers for the race, so I joined the 10:30 pace group. I could have joined a faster pace group but I decided to stick with the marathon pace I am planning to run at. What was funny with this race was that I had a Ragnar Relay flashback. Part of the course was almost exactly the same of my final leg of the relay. The course itself was pretty flat, but it had one downhill and one uphill at the end. The hill wasn't too bad and I made sure my strides were shorter so I won't exert so much energy. Then after that hill, I ran ahead of my pace group and sprinted to the finish line once I saw it. Great Lakes Naval Base was very pretty especially the beach. It was gorgeous with the sun shining down on us. At the end, they had plenty of drinks/snacks to hydrate and refuel on. Yea, coconut water! Overall, I had a good race experience and wouldn't mind doing this one again. read more

It was one of the nicest courses I've ever run and the day was gorgeous. Yes, because it's a military base, you need to go through the proper channels for entry. People need to get there early and let it be known, if you run Marine Corp in our nation's capital, you'll go through the same long process of getting on base. It is what it is...hurry up and wait. However, keep in mind, 2011 was the first year for Fort2Base. I'm going back this year for 2012. LOVED IT....and the military support was awesome! read more

I've run this race two years in a row (so, every year it's been done) and I think it's one of the best races in the area. Parking is a struggle, but you're dealing with an active military installation - deal with it. The port-o-potty lines are long, but name one race where they aren't. Other than that, fantastic race. The first 8 miles are on a paved bike path - shady and pretty. Quiet. Pretty ideal place to run. There are ample aid stations along the course. Then, at mile 8, you head onto Great Lakes Naval Base. This is one of the few opportunities civilians have to set foot on Great Lakes. The course goes down a steep hill by the beach - fantastic view - and what goes down must come up, so you have to run back up a pretty steep hill. 10 miles into the race. The finish is next to Ross Field, and then there is the usual post-race stuff - medal, water, bananas, food, a live band, some vendors. The medal is awesome, the race shirt is one of my favorites, the course is pretty and well-done ... all in all, a great race. I highly recommend this to everyone. Just give yourself lots of extra time for parking, or, if you are enlisted/reserve, book a room on base and don't deal with parking at all. read more