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.

Overall, a great race and I recognize it was their first time. My only point of feedback:…read moreespecially in the Lincoln Park area - paths are very narrow and it is very hard when people are walking on the course. I would just encourage them to be a little more organized with the corrals and ask walkers to either stay to the right or be in the back so people who are actually running the event can run. Other than that, for a first time event, it was actually amazing. I loved all the women in costumes. There were a few guys here and there, but mostly women, so it was very empowering. Love Wonder Woman as a character and obviously the symbolism of female empowerment. The swag and medal were absolutely beautiful. Very nice for the price point!

I participated yesterday in the Chicago Wonder Woman 5k and it was the most fun and woman-…read moreempowering race I've ever been. Met lots of wonderful gals with incredible stories making them real-life Wonder Women! Their swag was worth it alone!! Great volunteers who were happy to be helping. Just a wonderful environment! I was not planning to be home in Chicago October next year, but gonna need to alter my plans! I don't want to miss next year and bringing more Wonder Woman friends to add to the fun! Gawd!! I'm still on a high from it all!!!!

I ran this race a few times before Covid and it always was a unique and fun one. For the 2022…read moreedition, 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.

The Purpose of this Half Marathon and 5K was to sponsor a Chicago Legacy called: Girls in the…read moreGame! 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!

Don't be fooled: it's the Chicago Beer 5K, not the closely named Chicago Bears 5K (which is in…read moreJuly). I love to do these events -as I'm a craft beer enthusiast. I love trying different beers and learning the names and flavor nuances so I can ask for those beers when I go out to eat. This was a great event. It wasn't very big. We ended up meeting some other ladies along the path as we walked to the south end of Grant Park. She said only 400 people were registered, which is considered pretty small by downtown 5K standards. The path was really pretty, mostly along the lakefront. My only feedback is that this happened to fall on the same day as the Walk and Roll Chicago (a cancer charity walk). Therefore, it was a bit chaotic. Both races shared some of the same path.There was a bit of a clogged situation at times, and a runner almost tripped over me. I was walking (nursing an injured ankle) with a 20 lb. "ruck sack" (it's called rucking), so the crowds didn't bother me. It was my first time doing this, so I was taking my time. Hopefully, next year, they will check the calendar of events or change the path to go in the opposite direction of the Walk and Roll. (There was also an event time change due to this conflict but it did not help the overlap. The cancer walk must have gone on for hours. It was wrapping up when we walked back to the car around 1pm or so.) The after party was great. You got a little mug as you finished and could then walk around the little festival and try different beers. There were a lot of great brewers from the city and suburbs and I got to know some new breweries to check out. Loved this event - hoping to make this an annual part of my summer 5K schedule!

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.

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.

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.