I was inspired to get into running after I saw that movie about that mentally-handicapped guy who…read moreran really fast and ended up joining the football team. You know, Rudy? But when it comes to RAM Racing, you could say I have a love-hate relationship (similar to when I dated that bi-polar woman). I'm happy to say they got this race right, though. Packet-pickup was at the event, held right next to Soldier Field. They even changed the event name (formerly "Terrapin 5k"), joining a long list people enjoying success after a name change (e.g. Christopher Kutcher, Elizabeth Fey, Osama Seacrest). For participating, you got a long-sleeved shirt with the race's slogan, "Run, Rock, Relax," but it was obvious that people were taking it easy. Many drank their free beer before the race, thus carrying on a tradition of athletic events in/around Soldier Field where people were just there to have fun and couldn't care less about the outcome. Of course, the notable difference is this athletic event wasn't a Chicago Bears game and these people weren't the Chicago Bears. The race is divided into corrals. Corral "A" is where you find all those folks who put stickers like "26.2" on their cars' back wind-shields. Even though I ran in corral A, they were sold out of those stickers when I went to the store. Luckily the store had a few "Total Douche" stickers still in stock. If you're not a runner, corrals go all the way back to "L", where we are reminded that it is difficult to get a second wind when you never experience a first one. The race around Museum Campus and back to the stadium is easy enough, and at the end, you receive corn and a hamburger, served to you on a Frisbee. Man, that took me back to college, and the farcical lengths people went to save money on plates. Also, it reminded me how much I hated eating at our cafeteria. The "Rock" part of the race is the post-race band, "Big Head Todd and the Monsters." The event offered a $25 entrance fee for those people who were only there for the after-party, which I thought was good. It would have been unfair to make Big Head Todd and his monsters pay the full fee considering they didn't even run. I'm sure the band was not accustomed to playing in front of so many in desperate need of a shower, but at least now they'll be ready for those gigs at retirement homes or in eastern Europe.

When I first heard about this 5K and saw the fun swag we would receive (T-shirt, adhesive mustache,…read moresunglasses and a beer ticket) I knew I had get IN on it. I mean, it's DITKA! Online registration was a breeze, but the event sold out quickly. You also got to choose your time start by the hour and by the time my friend and I registered, the only available start time was 1pm. I really wanted to star earlier, but I think it kind of worked in our favor--more on that later. Packet pick up was only available at Soldier Field's United Club. If you had to drive, they offered discounted parking at the Soldier Field lots. Pick was was really easy. It was very organized and we got our bibs and swag very quickly. I know this was the inaugural year for the Ditka Dash, but I hope they can offer mail-in packet pick up in the future. The race is run on the Lakefront path starting at Soldier Field, going south and then looping back on the same path. Because it's the lakefront path, you have to be aware of "regular" runners and cyclists that might be out doing their own fitness thing that day. Because of that, I think that our 1pm start time worked well because it was mostly Ditka Dash runners/walkers that clogged up the path. That being said, it was hard to pass up runners/walkers because you only have the path to use. This is not a timed event, just the digital clock at the start and finish of the race. The pre and post race area was a lot of fun. There was a band, booths selling Ditka T's, a photobooth, food stalls and the beer truck. How perfect that you can purchase post-race eats like Chicago Style hot dogs, chili, Polish sausage after running your 5K. Since we were in the last wave, my friend and I joked that we'd be so slow that everyone would be gone by the time we finished our course. But not so, there were still a lot of people hanging out, listening to music, taking pictures in their best Ditka poses. Very lively atmosphere. The post race volunteers handed out water, fruit snacks and granola bars once you crossed the finish line--that was really unexpected, but very nice. It was a really fun event (coupled with gorgeous weather that of course Mike Ditka probably had a hand in planning). Tons of photo ops along the lakefront, friendly and fun atmosphere. I'd do this run again.

Fun concept...but holy moly is it crowded...and there were a TON of walkers at this race…read more They redeemed themselves with free beer and a good band at the end of the run. Gear check went really smoothly. TONS of port-a-potties. Lot's of fun give-a-ways. Not a runners race at all...

Chicago is known to be windy so I layered up. By the time it took me to walk from Millennium…read moreStation to my starting coral, I had already warmed up. Ran into a couple of people I knew and joined them in a pre race stretch session. I even made a few friends and we agreed to meet up in October for another race. This was my first time participating in Run Mag Mile; it's amazing how beautiful and peaceful Chicago is when it's shut down. No buses. No taxis. No horns blowing. No noise. Just peace and quiet. Which sets the scene for a great outdoor experience; walking or running. My goal in starting was to walk briskly and finish up with jogging. For some reason, I completely did the opposite. I began with a nice paced jog and ended up walking over the finish line. Either way, there is no feeling like receiving a medal that you earned. And what a beautiful medal it is. Let the festivities begin! Our bib included a drink ticket and two FREE Taste of Chicago tickets. Plan to return next year and beat my time! Wish me luck!

What a FUN race! Granted I'm not an avid race runner so I don't have many to compare this to, BUT I…read morehave worked many races as a brand ambassador or volunteer so I have the post-race after experience to compare. 5K Race itself was well orchestrated and seamless; we ran through Grant Park where the Start line gear check etc was then turned onto Michigan Ave north crossing the river over the bridge and up to the Hancock building where we turned down the other side of Michigan Ave, turning again to the underpass on Randolph then south on Columbus for the finish line. Beautiful morning to do so, weather cooperated and was sunny and a lovely fall 70 degrees. 5K finishers did not get a medal unfortunately; only 10K. Plenty of water bottles and Luna protein bars at the end. No bananas though. The announcer was lively monologuing and saw my bib number 'Kristin we've been waiting for you!' Hah! I about collapsed from laughter and surprise. Afterwards runners can collect a brunch boxed meal and a beer or moscow mule with tickets from your bib. mb financial booth doing some giveaways.

This is a pretty good 5k. The reason I'm giving it 5 stars is because it's one of the better races,…read morebut the time between groups starting the race takes so long when you're the last group. I get why it's like 2-3 minutes between groups, however it's very cold out. I do want to say that the end of the race is getting way better, much more organized. The line to get the finisher mugs went super fast. The race packet pickup was pretty easy. The clothing you get with the packet was nice.

Overall 2.4 stars?! WHAAAAAT!…read more This is my 4th year participating in this event and I can't stress enough of how much I love it. This is not a race where you can truly know what your pace is or get a personal record but come onnn. Hot chocolate as an incentive?! 50,000+ people participating?! There's a reason for that! It's a great experience and the perfect run to appreciate the downtown area for all the beauty it has to offer. The events start at 730am however anticipate starting well after 8am. With 50,000+ people there's just no way to get everyone across the start line at exactly 730. The chocolate, the after party, etc are well worth the wait haha. There's something about running this course that just helps me adore the city of Chicago and love all of its architecture. Roads are blocked off for the runners, it's peaceful and honestly just beautiful. This event/course is one of my favorite 5Ks and I'll continue doing it for as long as I can.

It's great running the SF10 after a two year hiatus. What a great way to start off the holiday…read moreweekend. This year, a 10k was offered along with the 10 miler. I did the 10k and had a similar experience (and medal) as if I had done the 10 miler :-). The best part of finishing in Soldier Field. Great job to the event organizers and volunteers! It was an amazing Saturday morning and perfect for the run.

Fantastic event! So wonderfully organized! Hope to experience this again! Perfect way to honor…read moreyour veterans!

I really enjoyed this 5K Race! It started and ended at…read moreSoldier Field. There were people dressed up in Donut and Coffee Costumes! The participants were individuals, groups, and families. After the main 5K Race there was a Kid's Dash in which they also received their own medals. I like that parents pushed their children in strollers around the course which wound around behind The Field Museum and along Lake Michigan with views of Navy Pier, people fishing for perch, and then the loop continued back up behind The Field Museum to the grassy park behind The Chicago Bear's Stadium. There were donut and water pit stops through the 5K Course. The medals were Pink Donuts with Stan's Signature Logo. I liked that the 5K was a money raising opportunity to support Cal's Angels-a cancer supporter of children battling this disease and their families. Already, I am looking forward to next year's race! FYI-The Race was SOLD OUT!!!!

This was my 2nd year volunteering with Stan's Donut 5K race. I received an email a few days before…read morethe race in details for the volunteers to be there around 5:30 A.M to set up. I get there in time to check in and get my tee shirt and assigned duty. Only to stand around and be eating by mosquitos. Everyone was running around trying to get things organized but failed to allow some of the volunteers to help. I just went back to my car and waited until 6:30 and went back over to my station. Still No Donuts had arrived. So, me and a few other volunteers just walked around with no directions or duties to be filled. A few runners were beginning to check in and vendors were setting up stations. Finally around 7:15 here comes the donut truck and we were able to help with bringing the boxes over to the donut station. It's a nice race for a good cause but I just felt that the set up could of been better organized this year. I didn't wake up early to just stand around and do nothing and when the volunteers asked to lend a hand we were kind of brushed off. The details from the email didn't align up with the duties that were given to the volunteers I loved the fact that the runners did acknowledged the volunteers. After the runners had finished their race and came over to the donut station. Each runner said Thank you and We appreciate you coming out so early to support and help with this race. That's the only reason for my 3 star review the cause of this race and the love that was shown from the runners.

One of the Abbott Marathon Majors which I ran as part of attaining my 6 Star achievement the…read moreChicago Marathon was a fun run for 26.2 miles. The course of very flat, fast, and getting PR's on this route are very attainable. The marathon expo is large and has everything there. If staying in the downtown area the start line is east to get to. You're basically running through all the neighborhoods. The year I ran it was sunny and cool, and even though there were many spectators cheering us on I felt on many parts of the course were sparse and a bit quiet. Still, it's a fun marathon and a great day. Plus, you get an ice cold real beer at the end! Beer and a medal is a win! It's a terrific race course to attempt if you're a first time marathoner since there are few hills and it's considered one of the easier ones. 50,000 runners on average and it was easy to get in through the lottery at the time. Plus, there are many pop up events and marathon related things to attend around town.

This event has a spectator was very well ran. How was mainly upset they closed areas that had…read moreaccess to parking garages but for a large scale event I will say that the organizers did great and they have this event to a T year after year. Everyone here was happy,supportive and motivational to all of the runners involved! If you are coming here as a spectator I highly recommend learning where the public restrooms are at because this city lacks public restrooms and there are about 100,000 people watching this event on top of the 52,000 people that run this event every year! My thing that I will learn for next year is that I will take the METRA instead of driving. Driving to the city wasn't even that bad it was actually very easy because it was Sunday but it's navigating through all the people. Please download the app too that allows you to track your Runner or runners. The one thing that bothered me a lot was seeing a good variety of spectators run on the path when runners are in the middle of the race. People need to be a bit respectful. Thankfully nothing interfered with the race astronomically. Overall, i wouldn't mind coming back next year! I just wouldn't bring lawn chairs but I will stack up on drinks and snacks prior.

Other than to obtain the exclusive medal given as part of the Chicago Distance Series for…read moreparticipating in the three premier races: the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K Run, Chicago 13.1, and the Chicago Marathon. I felt that it was time to run Shamrock Shuffle being that I have lived in the city of Chicago for ten years now and have yet to run the event. My reason for not running it in the past was because the temperatures were always a complete turnoff during the time of the event, so I avoided it! This year, I proceeded into this event with the Chicago Distance Series being my motivator to take on this 8K run.... and the possible cold temperatures! For the packet pick-up expo, we were required to pick up our bib number and t-shirt from Grant Park, which is the location of Chicago's beloved Buckingham Fountain. Thankfully, it was held inside of a tent because it was very cold outside the day I visited. Inside, the packet pick-up was congested, but not once did I stand in any long lines due to how organized everything was. And for that, I thank the volunteers very much! All that was required is that you present the QR (Quick Response) code sent in the email in order to pick up your run essentials for the event. With the uncertainty of how my legs would perform, I had to dig down going into this run being that I ran the United Airlines NYC Half Marathon the previous weekend which was a much different pace ran. I have been a runner long enough to know that as long as I am mentally strong there is not anything that can break my spirit! The morning of the event, it was Judas by Fozzy that pumped me up prior to walking out the door headed to the event. It was the perfect hype up song prior to me making my way to the starting corral because it put me in good spirits. Speaking of the corrals, they were organized based on qualifying times and estimated times provided on applications. And when the run starts, you can clearly see who put the wrong information on their application. As expected, the temperature was cold outside, but I was well-dressed in layers for the occasion. For me, the Shamrock Shuffle ushered in that feeling that my run season has officially started for the year as I waited in the starting corral counting down the minutes until the start. At the time, I took in the music being played as I either stretched, jogged in place to keep my legs warm, or eyed the other runners in the corral. The run course was relatively flat I must say with some slight incline portions on course, but with incline there is also decline so I reminded myself to just let my legs go on the decline portions. I kept reminding myself to ease my pace until I figured out what was ahead on course, specifically those slight incline portions. I am always patient in the process and take it mile by mile because I will eventually get to that finish line at some point. The course made me think of the Chicago Marathon because it takes you within the downtown Chicago area on portions of the marathon course. It was a very beautiful course, and it even had the final hill that is part of the marathon course, leading towards the finish line. Eek! So, coast that last mile and preserve your energy for that hill, if you are running this event. Even though the distance is an 8K, the Shamrock Shuffle had the spirit of a marathon with all of the supporters; some supporters even holding signs with encouragement written on them. I cannot remember any portion of the course that did not have any spectators on it which was great to see. Along the course, each mile was marked, and there were plentiful hydration stations featuring a combination of Gatorade followed by water; both were identifiable! And the volunteers working those hydration stations were very cheerful and supportive of all runners. Now as for the swag! The Shamrock Shuffle t-shirt was green with the event name written in a circular style with a clover in-between; and it fit my body frame perfectly! The finishers medal featured Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle written out in the middle with clovers underneath, and finisher on the left side and the year on the right side. I am so grateful to now add my very first Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle medal to my run medal collection that goes back to 2007 when I initially started running. With my Garmin 235 GPS watch on my wrist, sparkle in my eye underneath my sunglasses, and Mercy Home Heroes t-shirt on, I took on this 8K.... and conquered it! Yes indeed, I would surely run the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K again. ~Gonna run 'til I don't jiggle. ~ Thomas G

The Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8k should be on every runners bucket list. I've waited a while…read moreto run this race and this year I finally got an opportunity to do it. This fun 8K (4.97 miles) usually marks the beginning of running season in Chicago. It's one of the more popular races in the city and participation at the very least, is 20K or more. I've done a number of competitive runs in my 3 years of racing and this race is perfect for runners at every level. I'd personally rate this course as easy/intermediate. This course, like many others I've done in the city, is relatively flat. There may be a few occasional slopes but it's not too short, nor is it too long. The slightly challenging part of the course for some might be taking on Roosevelt hill at the last mile. Honestly, I didn't find it to be too bad. It's a long and steady slope but if you push through it, it's manageable. Once you've crossed over the hill and made that final left turn, it's a clear path to the finish line. The strong show of support from passersby; whether it came from signage or the quick shout outs of, "Keep going, you can do it!" helped me make it through the second half. Along the way, I came across bag pipers in full regalia serenading us as we darted through the streets of downtown Chicago and its many architectural wonders. In addition to that, there was an excellent variety of music offered by DJ's along the course ranging anywhere from classic rock, the Top 40's, and the essential Chicago House music. Dress warm because temperatures in Chicago during March/April are a crapshoot. One year we can get sunny temps with comfortable highs in the 50's through 60's; other times, like this year, we saw clear skies but blistering cold winds! Your best bet is to check the weather, wear layers and gloves (when appropriate), and don't forget to wear the green! I made sure to rock my green tutu this year. Other runners pushed the envelope and wore hilarious things like horse heads. I even caught one participant in a full T-rex outfit. That was a riot! If you're curious about the cost, entry fees are cheaper if you sign up early in the fall. I signed up 4 months prior and paid roughly $45. I had to go to McCormick place to pick up my packet and it cost an additional $10 after a reduced event discount. I had some difficulty finding the McCormick garage entrance. My only suggestion for next year is to provide more signage as you arrive off the exit from I-55 or include directions in the participant packet in the days/weeks leading up to the event. This year's packet includes your racing bib, a Nike moisture wicking commemorative t-shirt, and a pair of souvenir socks. Your medal is earned upon completion of the race. Depending on your mode of transportation, you could spend an additional $5-8 for public transport or if you ride share, Divvy (bike share), or rent out a garage spot on Spot Hero, expect to spend anywhere from $10-30. If you really want to save money, your best bet is to get someone to drop you off and pick you up afterwards. Cost might be a deciding factor but the benefits totally outweigh the costs. If this is your first run, you'll be given the wonderful opportunity to run through downtown and get a grand tour of the magnificent City of Chicago. In addition to the cool swag, your entry supports a great cause and tradition which has endured for decades. If you missed out this year, next year would mark their 40th anniversary. I enjoyed participating in the 2018 Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle, and look forward to returning in the future.