Oh.Mud.God! Mudathlon doesn't muck around. This obstacle course makes Warrior Dash look like a…read morespringtime frolic through a field of daisies. It is 3 miles of Hell and back. I have dirt on top of dirt, cuts and scrapes, I will definitely need a third shower later today, and I finally got my knees to stop bleeding. They covered everything and made sure everyone was having "a mucking good time!" from start to finish, before and after. Parking was a breeze and the field was pretty level and not as muddy as I imagined it would be. They gave hayrides from parking to the race site and a table with waivers awaited anyone who still hadn't signed one. Then it was off to packet pick-up to get my goody bag and race bib. Close to the starting line was a gear check that let you check-in and check-out gear repeatedly. So if you only needed your wallet then you could get it and put it back in gear check. Way better than Warrior Dash's no-rechecking policy. The race itself was ridiculous. I've never been so dirty in my life. They don't tease you with a pleasant jog and a little creek that barely gets your shoes wet. They throw everything and the kitchen sink at you from the beginning. There are some little things you jump over and then you come to a river that goes waist-high. It's all downhill and uphill and climbing from there. 40+ obstacles, actually. And they include climbing over hay bails, climbing through tractor tires, running through a set of tires, sliding down a hill, tightrope balancing, scrambling up walls of dirt, hoisting yourself over wooden walls and a variety of other crazy stuff they put in your way. It's not even that each obstacle is unreasonably hard, but there are just SO many that it wears you out pretty quickly. This was only the second annual Chicagoland/NW Indiana Mudathlon, so I hope it will take off and become more popular. I would like to see them add some more food besides burgers and brats. Maybe some turkey legs like Warrior Dash.

Great race. Very organized. Wonderful way to start race season!…read more Course is deceivingly a bit hilly at part, but otherwise straight and flat. Again, very pleased with it.

How do I sum up this race…read more... Ok, it was my first ever Half Marathon. I've done a few 5K's and the 4 mile Turkey Trot...but nothing over just a few miles. Registration started months ahead of time. I think I first saw the sign up around Halloween the year before and by Thanksgiving I finallly worked up the nerve to hit that "register" button. The race isn't until May....so surely the 6months or so in between would get me prepared in time. Well.....as the months quickly went by, I got more and more nervous. Spring started to show up around town and with only a few short weeks until Race Day I was straight up scared. Two weeks until race time, I swear I would get serious anxiety every time I passed by RT 83 because I knew the race route was Rt83 from the Palos Pool to Archer and then back again. I must drive past or drive along 83 several times a day - - and every time it made me seriously nervous. Race Day came and oh man. I was hoping to just complete the race. I knew there was a 3hour time limit. I didn't care if I had to log roll the last few miles, I was going to finish in that 3 hours. I developed a plan with the pacer groups in mind - I LOVE that they had pace groups. Between the groups and the mile marker signs every mile with a timer clock on top, I thought I could manage my speed well enough and get to the end in time. The air horn went off and off we went. Still terrified, I found the first mile or two to be oddly emotional. Here I was! I was doing it! I started off with the 2:20 pace group but I found that their pace just didn't suit me well. I went a little ahead of them and figured as long as they didn't pass me, I was still in their general time range. First five miles...easy peasy! I'm on top of the world! Look at me go!! Then....I started to do the mental math and wonder how much longer until the turn-around point at Archer and how that was going to go. (It's simply a loop in a parking lot - very smooth and easy and then you run right back along the same path you just took to get there.) Miles eight and nine...and suddenly I'm feeling the pain. My feet hurt. That side cramp from mile four seems to have settled in, but now....horror of horrors..my radio tells me it's low on batteries!! NOOO!!! Can't stop now! If I start walking at this point, I know I'll never start running again. Just keep running!! Mile ten is fun. "It's just a 5k from here!" Right?? .....mile 11?? Yeah, that novelty wore off lol. Keep going! Twelve is coming up! Mile 13!! You're so close! You can hear the music and the spectators! Don't stop! You can do it!!!! .......I did it!! Oh man What a race. The trail is flat, smooth, not a single stick or stone or obstacle in your way. Water stations every other mile or so. Port a Potties at every water station. There's mile markers at every single mile with a timer clock on top so you know exactly where you stand. In the end, I finished ahead of any goal I could have set for myself. My time makes me proud to this day. And that nervousness about Rt 83? Now when I drive past it and down it several times a day? Now I'm proud. No more intimidation. No more questions. Just pride. For 2 hours and 18 minutes...I OWNED that street. ....I can't wait to do it again.

Great pre training run in prep for Chicago Marathon. I plan on adding this as part of my training…read morefor Chicago Marathon in the future. Calumet City Police did a great job keeping the roads open, and safe for us runners. The course was very well marked, and they had volunteers at every mile marker to guide us runners. For this being a small run, it was put on pretty well, with no hiccups. This race has a 5k as well, if your into just those. Prior to the award ceremony there were raffle awards given out, but I'm sure many didn't realize the raffle number on the bibs prior to the start. Great crowd, plenty of food after, and even beer! This race is super small, so there are plenty of opportunities to win an age group award to go along with your finishers medal. Enjoy, if you plan on adding this to your future training regime. Cal City Mini is a great event.

My first time doing the Calumet City 5k run with my Yoga group and neighbors here in Cal City! I…read morewas impressed with the turnout and nice community feeling! Was fun! Will do again next year!

This was a pretty cool race. I have to give them credit -it was super well-organized. We got there…read moreabout an hour early to park in the lot with a shuttle bus that takes you to the start. My parents came to watch and I didn't want them to have to walk very far and this was an excellent service. The other lot option required you to have to walk about a mile, which is too far from them. The only bummer -and this is probably for safety reasons -was that I thought the planes were going to be taking off and landing closer to us. You know how you drive on I-90 or Mannheim Road and the planes are literally 10 feet over your head? Yeah -call me foolish, but I thought that was going to happen as we ran. I just assumed that if they got that close to the major streets, they would just be taking off and landing close to the route. So, you will not be experiencing that -but as far as a unique experience -this was still a cool race. There is a big plane that you can pose next to for pictures and just overall an interesting event because you are accessing areas of the airport property that most people will never see. You are literally running on a runway they close for the event. The shirt was cotton -would like to see a "tech-T" in future years, as they tend to hold up better after multiple washings. After all, it is going to be a fun shirt to wear and a great conversation starter regarding our experience!

Very disappointed with this race! They ran out of medals for the 10 mile runners and when I…read moreexpressed my disappointment on their facebook page my comments were deleted. Nothing has been done to resolve this issue. They also claim that it was the volunteers who were at fault and giving them to 5k runners. I find this response ridiculous. Basically "oh well, out of luck". Not cool, every runner tries their hardest and for some this was their longest distance so i can only image the disappointment felt at the finish line. Needless to say, I will be telling my running group and anyone else that asks to stay away from this race. Their unwillingness to rectify and even acknowledge any wrong doing is despicable.

(ran in 2016) Love this location and it was a gorgeous day for a race. Only deducting a star…read morebecause of the policy of having to pay an extra $20 if you didn't pick up your packet in advance of race day.

Did this race for the first time today. Super unique and very picturesque -all grass terrain and…read moreseveral hills thrown in for an extra challege!! Located on the Mount Assisi Academy property, where the nuns live. Proceeds benefit the nuns who do charitable community work. Great race: community oriented / family feel, friendly people, and YES the sisters take part as runners and walkers!!!

This race was awesome! Just ran it this morning, 6miles took me 1hr & 15min. The course was through…read morea prairie and a farm. Excellent views & obstacles, will definitely do it again! A+!!

This race is Amazing! To date I have done 15+ 5Ks of all ranges, courses, causes etc. This one was…read morehands down the BEST. I literally can not say enough good things about it, we had zero complaints. It was easy to get to, the directions they had on the website were better then what came up on the GPS. Parking was FREE and there was plenty of spots available. Packet pick up was a breeze, no wait time. Our goodie bag was great. There was plenty to do while we waited for our start time. The course was challenging but not unbearable. First mile was mostly a fast run with a mud pit and a few other obstacles. Second mile was a bit rough, the hills were tough. Third mile just looped around really. Obstacles were everything they should be, challenging but FUN! The end was the best part, giant pool followed by a giant mud pit, then the finish line. The athlete refreshers were perfect for after the race: granola bars, banana, fruit snacks and water. There was a Monster tent handing out drinks, the Subaru swag tent had reusable ice packs for you to take home. The absolute best part was the "car wash" and hoses they had set up for you to clean off all the mud. Paul Mitchell was one of the sponsors, they had gallons of shampoo out by the hoses for people to use, it was perfect. I have been to mud runs before where they had a water tank truck with a guy holding a hose and one person at a time got to rinse off. This was the best set up I have ever seen. It was also a family oriented event. Lots of stuff to do to keep the kids entertained including a kid mud run. I would highly, HIGHLY recommend doing this run. We will be returning next year without a doubt.