Last week, I started my journey to run the Chicago Marathon. My first pit stop along the way was the International Chicago 5k the day before the race. Initially I wasn't planning to run the race, but my friend had so much fun last year I decided to sign up.
Bib Pick up
Bib pick up was fairly quick at the marathon exp. I will go into more details about the expo with my Chicago Marathon review.
Race Day
The start line was an easy mile walk from my hotel. It was really cool to see all the runners on their way to the starting line. Since it was an international race everyone was representing their home counties. I loved all the flags and costumes. I wore my patriotic gear to represent the USA.
The course
The course was fairly flat and the weather was nice and a little humid. It was a 3 mile running tour of Chicago. There was plenty of photo opportunities along the way. It was great shakeout run for the marathon. The most interesting part of the race was the finish line. It was the first race that I had a hard time getting across the finish due to a human traffic jam. It took about 30 seconds to get across the timing mats. The picture details the scene at the finish at Grant Park.
After finally getting across the time mats we were awarded with our medal and scarf. It was nice swag for a 5k.
I also had a chance to meet a few of my BibRave Pro Buddies
I would recommend this race to everyone. It was run and worth the money.