On Saturday, April 9th, the ChiTown Races put on by All Community Events came back in the spring in full force. With distances of a 10K, and half marathon, thousands of runners flooded Montrose Beach to enjoy the scenic courses along the lakefront trail.
Parking was incredibly difficult this year due to construction in the area, but runners were fairly warned by the race company and encouraged to carpool and take public transportation. Unfortunately, most runners come from the suburbs for this race, so driving was inevitable. And parking was a huge pain in the you know what.
Runners were making up spots, parking along ditches, and getting creative with where they left their vehicles. Luckily, the city must have been on alert to the morning’s festivities, because I didn’t see any cars being towed or ticketed. And, the race was chip timed, so you could theoretically cross the start line whenever you made it to the beach front.
As with all ACE races, this one was fantastically well done. Pre-race communication was on point and multiple packet pick up options were provided to runners. Volunteers were plentiful in the race start area staffing packet pick up, gear check, and answering runner’s questions. The race start area was high energy with a DJ, announcements and plenty of pre-race fun.
Runners were split into three corrals, depending on their anticipated finish time, staggering the start for the thousands of participants. This meant runners had space on the course and the ability to easily grab aid, when needed.
It was a chilly start with the wind pushing in off the lake but warmed up throughout the morning for runners. The course was clearly marked with turn off’s for the various distances. Aid stations were packed throughout the course offering water and gatorade every few miles. The mile markers were right on with my watch and runners ended where they began. All runners received their choice of a hoody or quarter zip and large medal. All in all, it was a great morning and so nice to see a large scale event back at the LFT.
