One thing that caught my eye as I was running around before and after the Grayslake 5k was the number of kids under 18 that were participating. Yes, there were kids dashes before the 5k started, but the number of kids participating in the longer race seemed to be well above average.
On the course, there were several that looked like they were running with the parents, but there were even more that, at least in the last mile, had completely split off and completed the race by themselves. Interestingly enough, aside from the high schoolers who later crossed the finish line without breaking a sweat, there were no little kids lined up directly on the start line at the start, which is a elavilnews.com at a community 5k from those over five feet tall.
This tells me that Grayslake is a running community and one that loves their local 5k. Since the race has gone on for 26 years, that line of thinking is not a stretch.
Although it has gone through a couple of adjustments the past couple years, the Grayslake 5k course is known to be a fast one. The previously mentioned, lightning fast high schoolers that show up help to drag the entire field through the streets, but make no mistake, if you are looking to run a fast 5k in the summer, think about heading over. There are several long, straight sections that allow you to open up your stride and the last mile is mostly downhill, leading you to a potentially great final sprint.
The post-race area in the middle of downtown Grayslake is a friendly setting. Everyone there seems to know each other and the friendly trash-talk continues accompanied by pats on the back.
At about 350 participants, it definitely is not the largest race in the Chicagoland area, but the Grayslake 5k has a big space in the hearts of the Grayslake community.
