The Second Hope for the Day Humboldt Mile was held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, even with the lovely Chicago weather. The rain actually held out for the race itself, but it down poured both before and after the race.
Anyone that got parking in the park itself before or after the race was lucky. Many were registered and the determined raced. Emails from the race organizers were sent out to inform participants regarding the race time and potential weather changes. This neighborhood race is presented by Dark Matter Coffee and the run group 3RUN2.
Packet pickup was held the week of the race at two convenient location- Nike Bucktown and Dark Matter/ Star Lounge. Participants could easily pickup their packet, grab some new gear or coffee at the same time. The t-shirts are Nike tech with a great design.
The Humboldt Mile course itself starts near North Avenue, goes into the park and back around towards the start. There’s three starting waves; adorable dogs, strollers and drones are welcomed in the third wave. The finish line has a giant clock so you can easily read you time. The post finish line chute was filled with friends, snacks, coffee and beer.
Full disclosure: I was unable to run this year’s race due to a running injury. But rest assured, I came, drank Dark matter iced coffee, held rain jackets and cheered. I’ll definitely be back next year, because this is my favorite one-mile race in Chicago. Seriously though as an adult, how many chances do you have to race a mile (and for a great cause)? P.s. it’s also a great race to spectate with the race itself lasting around than 45 mins with all three waves.
Suicide prevention is an important matter and as Hope for the Day says, it’s okay to not be okay. If you need help, please reach out- see Hope for the Day links to resources.
