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.

I was really impressed with this event. It was a Monday night after work and wasn't crazy big so…read morethe service was great! Line for the beer and hamburgers was a 2 min wait! We got lucky -weather was great and the route was nice. 1.5 miles south of Soldier Field and back. Very organized and I liked that you could hear all annoucements clearly from the festival area. DJ was great too -had a fun personality and was interacting with the crowd! Happy I tried this one out -will be added to my annual list!

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.

I have to say, after a few bumps when they tried to do it the first time, they really pulled it…read moreoff. It was a really good event. Everything as promised. Cute shirt, a great medal, and DJ's every half mile. Tim Spinnin' Schommer was the main DJ on the stage in the after party. We will definitely come back next year and get a whole group with us because it was really really fun!

Since so many people on our ride asked, puzzled, "What is this? Is it a race? Is it Critical Mass?…read moreWhat's going on?" I figured that writing a review for this great active event was only appropriate. Now, you won't have any excuse to miss the 2014 edition!! I feel that during most active/sporting events, no matter how well organized they can be, there's always something to complain about. Well, not this time. From beginning to end, it was flawless! Easy online registration (yeah, there are these annoying fees, but what can you do about it? To make it all better, I highly recommend to make a quick search about coupons. Whatever you buy online, there's a coupon for it. Most of the time. This time, I snatched a $10 off on each registration. Yay me), convenient pick up times, great directions, map, tee-shirt. And an awesome urban adventure. Here's the deal: you choose a distance. 12, 22, 35 or 62 miles.They select four different food providers. And you stop along the way for water (ice cold!!!!), food and bathroom breaks, for however long you want. You are given a map to follow but there's also excellent marking on the street. I was so impressed by the work they put into it!! It's (almost) impossible to get lost. Volunteers ride along the way with you to assure a smooth day, and you just have to enjoy the vista. This year took us all on the North Side, and we discovered great hidden gems along the way such as the Alta Vista Terrace District within a stone-throw distance from Wrigley Field, to the Indian Boundary Park in West Rogers Park and the actual Rogers Park itself, from the North Shore Channel Trail to off the beaten path streets lined with beautiful mansions and bungalows. What a glorious city Chicago is, and what little of it most of us know. My group of friends and I did the 35 miler, and had a great time. It was plenty enough for us, but not so much that we were dead at the end of it. Cannot recommend it strongly enough! Words of wisdom: - wear padded shorts, it will make the whole thing way more comfortable (REI sells pretty affordable ones) - bring a water bottle; the stops are far and in between and if it's hot out, you'll want to chug water on a regular basis - wear your helmet! - visit the ATA (Active Transportation Alliance) website http://www.activetrans.org/ for more information on the event in particular, and biking in Chicago in general - have fun!

I'm hoping that this can become a biannual event, because partaking in this years version of Active…read moreTransportation Alliance's big showcase was a day I will remember for a long time. The levels of organization and friendliness offered by the ATA and their group of volunteers was remarkable and had me beaming positive vibes all ride long. In my own words, ATA is set up as a nonprofit which advocates for people of all backgrounds to have access to more options to get around the Chicago metro area that are affordable, safe and accessible. This particular event not only introduced "newbies" to their mission, but got around 3,000 people out as examples of that mission to the rest of the city. On at least three occasions I was asked (while stopped at red lights) what we were out on the ride for, which is to say their next event will probably involve more than 3,000 riders. A very good thing, in my opinion! As for the details of the rides- you have your choice on how to participate. With four distances (12, 22, 35 and 62 mile options), you can find one to your liking. All were incredibly well-marked with volunteers scattered about to direct people on the correct path, as well as easily identifiable markers spray painted on the streets (if you were like us and didn't have a nifty map holder installed onto your bike). An overwhelmingly large portion of our ride (the 35 miler) took place on streets with either delineated bike lanes, or the segregated and buffered kind (along Dearborn going through the loop). With groups leaving in waves, there was plenty of space to go at your own pace pretty quickly upon the start of the ride, but not get too spaced out where you didn't feel like you were part of a group of riders out to do a trek. It helped that the weather was nice (mid-70s going up to the low-80s), but in all honesty, I think we would have enjoyed this event even if the weather was bad. With stations set up throughout pretty evenly for restrooms, water and the eventual snack stations - the "chow" portion, if you will - there was ample amount of ride space without pushing people too hard. Active Transportation Alliance- good on you all for putting together such a friendly, comfortable, and visual event showing off a portion of your mission to the rest of the city (well, at least this time- most of the north side). The hard work put forth by the volunteers and coordinators was evident in just how smooth and wonderful the ride and the event was. Oh, and the snacks were great! I look forward to going back to each of the vendors in the near future to enjoy their food again. Any chance you all can make this biannual? Spring ride and early-Autumn ride?

- Now I've had the Ragnar of my life. - No, I never felt…read morethis sore before. - Yes, I sweat. It's the truth. - And I owe it all to GU. There is a meme by someecards floating around on the internet and it says: My life is just a bunch of "it seemed like a good idea at the time" strung together. I feel this is a pretty accurate description of some of the craziness I get myself into. I'm one of those people who wants to try everything (save for skydiving or petting spiders) and I impulsively jump at the chance for new experiences without really thinking about what that all entails. Ragnar would be a perfect example of one of those bucket list type items that sounded too good to pass up but that I dreaded as it came closer and closer to the actual relay race weekend. Lori L. had participated in the race in 2011 and was talking about how much fun it is and how it really pushes you. I had been training a lot for 5Ks and obstacle courses last year, so I figured if I kept at it then I could easily partake of this adventure in 2012. I told her to count me in and started the planning. Unfortunately, I was having knee problems and starting to doubt whether or not I could really do this. The shortest legs are 13.1 miles when combined and there isn't much time for rest. However, I really wanted to do this, so I just kept at it and went forward with the planning. We had some bumps along the way with other people being injured and having to find volunteers so we wouldn't have to pay more money, but we pretty much got everything sorted out in time and drove up to Madison the night before the race. I was scared shitless. Race day came and time both dragged and flew. It was such a whirlwind of excitement, adrenaline and the hangries. Van 1 started at 6am and Van 2 (my van) met up with them around 11am. We checked-in, got all of our goodies, relaxed before Van 2 took over, and then it was just a non-stop "Friturday" of awesomeness. I loved my team. I couldn't have asked for a better team (50 Ways to Lose a Runner). A number of us were off of Yelp (Lori L, Mary T, Rhoda G, Aurore L and driver Dalibor Z), but we also had 7 other people who knew runners in our group. More than half the people were strangers to me, but we soon became friends and we all got along. There was no fighting and everyone was so encouraging. The other teams were even friendly and helpful. I'd be plugging along at a snail's pace and get passed up by someone who would say, "Good job!" or "You can do it!" For the most part, Ragnar itself was run incredibly well. They made everything pretty easy, but I do have a few suggestions for next year. 1) They need better driving directions and maps. 2) Pay more attention to the shirt sizes. I didn't get the correct size, so I guess trying to fit into it gives me more incentive to lose weight. I would do Ragnar Relay again in a heartbeat. I'm even thinking of going out-of-state to compete in another run in their series either this year or next year.

Ragnar, you sneaky little bastard…read more... You took me by surprise, and won me over with your ragged looks and smelly ways in just over 2 days. So much so that I keep thinking about you, and consider flying all down there this winter for more. Yup, that's intense. Yup, people are going to believe you are cuckoo up there. Yup, being in a van with 5-6 other runners half of whom you have just met quite literally stinks. But oh the fun you'll have! Before you start dismissing this review on the pretense that we don't have the same definition of "fun", listen: I was highly skeptical as well. The first time I read about it, I felt this weird mix of emotions. Anticipation was not one of them. But after giving it some thought, I decided that it was worth a shot - if only for the running experience. I am so glad I did. Running a Ragnar Relay Race is like nothing else. Read the testimonies on the web: people are ecstatic about it. Yes, you have to run 3 legs of various lengths within a rough 24- to 36- hour period (depending on how fast you are), and yes, you have to stay in a van pretty much the whole time. No hot meal, no shower, no mani-pedi, no room service. In a word, no comfort. But the sense of camaraderie that develops in that van, and builds up more and more with every passing mile is unmatched. You live your team, you breathe your team and after a while, you love your team. And it gives you all the juice you need to keep pushing on your legs at 3 a.m. when you pound the pavement of a deserted road in Wisconsin, piercing the night with your little headlamp, trying to avoid the mosquitoes that fly in your eyes (idiots). There is no other word: it's exhilarating. You will get lost, and pile up the u-turns, screaming mindlessly at your phone: "What is wrong with fucking you?" (to which the appropriate response coming from right behind you is, of course: "As far as I am concerned, nothing at all"). You will add your stench to the ones of dozens of male teenagers who sweat there before you while sleeping on the wrestling floor of a high school. You will publicly acknowledge your lack of skills at peeing. You will be spooked on the trail by a snake or a couple of rockets who call themselves runners and leave you (and dust) behind. You will hear in dismay that boobs (bibs?) have to stay visible at all times. You will pass some town folks chilling on their porch who will ask you, "Where are you running to?", and when you answer, "Chicago", you will smile at their incredulous "What the fuck?" You will queue for the porter potties, drink water from the wells, eat pretzels, Twizzlers, cinnamon almonds and spinach pie and call it "breakfast". You will cross the finish line with your teammates at Montrose Harbor, and experience the biggest high of your life. And, just like me, you will sign up for more.

Another great event thanks to Marco and his amazing team. We hire them to do the rentals for our…read morecycling event and these guys are much more than just a rental company. They work HARD, and efficiently, with a smile and great customer service. If you're looking for event logistics look no further.

Get money first, their word is not good. On their word, I brought in 150 special order lights,…read moresaid they would issue payment on Monday. Then they stiffed me - said "plans had changed". If you are a supplier - My advice - demand cash up front.

This Review is for the New Year's Eve Run & Walk 5K-December 31. 2021=for January 1, 2022~ Yay!…read more 5K Walk and Run for ADULTS ONLY! THE RACE STARTED THIS YEAR AT 9am! (Obviously-there was a short staggering for those more experienced runners)-but from the Mindful Walkers Corral B- it was a short time...after they left! Small Number of People Participating- But still maybe from looking at the bibs only under 600 people. (FYI-Only confirming from Bibs that I witnessed) Finish at The Theater on The Lake...ends with a glass of Champagne (or other adult drink options sponsored by their Sponsors-Tito's Vodka, Corona Beer, etc.) and a Finisher's Medal! Plus the "usual" Bananas, Apples, Gatorade, Water, etc. +They offer small breakfast options for purchase that are reasonable. ALSO-the venue offers outdoor and indoor options for seating to enjoy the lakeside view of Lake Michigan. LOVED THIS 5K/RUN and WALK- Why- (as I think of them not in Chronological Order-sorry!?) 1. They separate the faster more experienced runners from those that are walking "Mindfully!" 2. Great Music all the way through! From Start to Finish! 3. Great location at the Theater on The Lake-Bathrooms, etc. 4. The Course at this point in time allows individuals to see things differently- *BIrd Nests in the Trees (without leaves)/Sculptures/Architecture, etc *The Water Stops! 2x along the way on the RUN *They Announce Each Individual's Name at the end of the Run=STELLAR FYI-It appears that there were only 500-600 Runners=Good Space Time-Especially with Covid-and in the future.. About the Neighborhood- * There are soooo many things I never knew about this neighborhood- Like:-Golf Driving Ranges, Small Restaurants, Serious Gym Areas for People in the Public Parks...many places to walk dogs...AIDS PARK BEING BUILT, access to stadium sitting along the water, among other options. I highly Recommend a Walk in the Neighborhood)...even if you are NOT interested in the race. But there is a beautiful history of Chicago too- -The Lamp Posts -The Building Architecture -The Good Food-that is now Global! Many Things....very mindful for those of us who are NOT COMPETITIVE..but a true arena for ALL of US to be Successful! AFTER THE FINISHING LINE- * Your Name is Announced * You are entitled to a Mimosa, Hard Seltzer, Corona, Tito Bloody Mary and other drinks at the Bar *After Race Treats-Bananas,Apples, Protein Drinks, Bottled Water... *Free Pick-Up From Gear Check ALSO BREAKFAST IF YOU WANT TO STAY AND HANG OUT (you have to pay for the breakfast!)=but under $10.00! FYI-According to the MC-This was an amazing year "weatherwise"-42 degrees-the sun came out and most of the participants were wearing puffy vests, sweatshirts and leggings! WILL DO IT NEXT YEAR IN A HEARTBEAT- From the Pickup (At Lululemon-North Avenue Chicago) to the Finish=STELLAR! It appears to be all about ADULTS who want a chance to run/walk and enjoy this amazing part of our city=Lake Michigan and Chicago views...and positive attitudes! And Local Sponsors are willing to MAKE IT HAPPEN! THANK YOU! -