Congrats on an excellent run.

This was my first half ever, and was happy with my time. It was very hot but was supposed to be worse, it rained the night before which might have helped a little.

Overall, the race itself was pretty good for me.

I thought the start area was well organized with plenty of room, and toilets for everyone.

At the 6 mile gatorade station they were out of cups by the time I got there. I finished in the top half of the racers, so that is a pretty big problem since 6 miles is near halfway and I am sure most people were planning on stopping there, which is also the probably the reason they were out of cups.

I was still feeling good at that point and was able to get a "hand-cup full" of water which is better than none. Still I was wondering if they were going to be out of cups the rest of the way! A slight panic ensued. They did have cups the rest of the way though.

I also was a little concerned about running along an open Lake Shore Drive. For those of you not familiar with Chicago, that is basically like running down a freeway or tollway. That is a really bad accident waiting to happen. Yes they had a "buffer" lane marked with large pylon/cones, but imagine someone getting distracted by the runners or a cell phone or whatever and than blamo front page news for all the wrong reasons. I am not sure I would run this course again for that reason. I know a lot courses are not totally closed, but a race this large of a race 11,000+ probably should. Perhaps it needs to grow a little more before they can get the city to open up the right streets so it can be closed, a la the Chicago Marathon.

The rest of the course was great, especially after the turnaround on the bike path with an amazing view of Chicago. That has to be one the greatest views of any race.

Very minor quibble... I also did not like the last mile of the race with the three long switchbacks through the park. Although it is really nice for spectators. The finish line is so close yet still so far away. 8> )

My last comment is about all of the picture stations at the end of the finish shoot blocking the exits. It took a little too much time to squeeze through there when it was crowded. The last thing you want to do when you are done with a race like that is squeeze through anything.

I did think it was awesome to have the hand towels dunked in ice cold water at the finish. Nice touch. Plenty of food and drinks. I especially love the vitners chips, they never tasted so good.

I also remember some kids passing out ice cold sponges just after mile 8. That was great too, but I don't think sanctioned by the race, but it should be next year.

I am sure I am sounding like a nitpicker here, but what was up with the super warm water at the aid stations? It seemed to be a lot warmer than the Gatorade to me. If I was part of the Hinckly water team I would want my water served at least moderatly cold. Warm water does not taste good, therefore Hinckly your water did not taste good to me. Not a great endorsement for Hinckly.

Overall the race was a lot of fun, and well executed by the staff. Change the course around, and be sure you have enough cups especially when it is hot, and you send out a pre-race email warning of the hot conditions and it will become a premier race.

Good reports all.

I also bonked, at around mile 9. Was feeling pretty bad starting around mile 6, but when I took my Gu at mile 9 I ended up throwing it back up. I walked 2 of the aid stations and walked one additional time. I'm usually the one passing people in the last few miles, but this time the tables were turned. Tough, tough run.


My goal was 1:29, but I finished 1:36 flat. I guess that's not all that bad, given my sad state by the end of the race. However, this was my slowest half marathon in 5 attempts, so I definitely don't like that.

The organization was great, although I'll agree with the comments about the multiple turnarounds in the end. And I didn't get a chance to go to the bathroom before the race since the lines were too long, and the port a potties were over a quarter mile from the start line. I figured getting there a half hour early would have been plenty of time, but I guess not.

All in all, I was defeated by this race, but I still had a good time. I'll call this a long workout and leave it at that.

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Yea I was surprised they did not cover the bridges with carpet. One fall on those bridges, and you are going to the hospital for sure. Those grates are very sharp. They are covered for the marathon.

I used the restroom about 15 minutes before the race started no problem. I noticed really long lines at the porto's near the tents, but their was a large group of them just North of their. I told people waiting in line that the lines at the other portos were short and just got a bunch of blank stares. Nobody moved.

La Salle Bank is just the sponsor, Bingham Racing I believe manages the race.

Good point about the buildings shielding the sun. No wonder I started to fade as soon as we headed out to Lake Shore Drive. My second half was about a minute slower per mile.

There is a link on the results page that says "Show All Splits." I'm not sure what distance the split corresponds to, however. We crossed a mat after Mile 7, I think, but that seems a strange split to record. I figured the mat was placed there strategically as a checkpoint since the course headed back north on the lakefront path with only grass separating it from the southbound part of the race.

I've run a dozen half marathon events in my life, but this was the first time I've actually raced one. In fact, this is the first time I've ever raced an official event. It is a very different experience. My goal was to get into the Corral C for the Chicago Marathon and so I was aiming for a sub-1:45 time.

I ran slow to the starting area; I live about 1.5 miles away. With 15 minutes until gun time, I got thirsty. I wished I would have brought a water bottle with me. On the other hand, I didn't have to pee at all. It was great weather for the race, given that it was mid-August, except the humidity was high.

The first 2 miles were nice and easy; I went a little slower to warm up. At the mile 2 marker I was 20 seconds behind my 1:45 goal. From that point on, the race became 11 races, one for each remaining mile. I'd focus only on the mile I was running, with the goal being to gain 5 or 10 or 20 seconds.

I've been having some hip flexor issues for the past few weeks and usually it becomes a problem if I start running faster than 7:30 or so. Around mile 4, I started to feel my left hip flexor fatiguing, the early warning sign of impending trouble. By mile 6, I thought I might have to drop out since the muscle area was starting to hurt.

My hydration strategy was to stop and walk for 10 seconds at each aid station, drinking 2 cups of Gatorade. At the aid station past mile 6, I took 20 seconds. This helped my hip flexor immensely. I was then able to maintain a consistent pace of about 7:45.

Around mile 10 my pace was 7:30, and I started to have hip flexor fatigue and pain again. Also, my shoes were soaked with sweat and the added weight made whatever muscles that control the feet tired. I stopped for 20 seconds again instead of 10 at the aid station. Problem solved. I once again managed 7:45 for the rest of the race, kicking it up to a 6:50 pace the last half mile.

As I said before, this was the first time I've raced a race instead of just participating to finish. So it was a new experience being so far "up" the pack. Everyone around me was fit and athletic. All the women had less body fat than I did. And we all maintained a very consistent pace. I found myself running among the same people in the final miles as I was running with in the early miles.

I finished in 1:42:52 and made Corral C for the marathon. If my hip flexor would have been fine, I think I could have run a sub-1:35 race. Aerobically, I didn't feel like I challenged myself. I even ran 1.5 miles home from the starting line after grabbing my finisher's medal. The race felt more like a slow tempo run. But next year...

I thought the course was good. I've run all the sections of the course (except the part on Lake Shore Drive) so many times I can't count. The switch backs at the end weren't as bad as I was expecting. However, the section on the lakefront path seemed a bit narrow and crowded, and I was among the first 1000 runners to finish -- I'm sure it was worse farther back.

The management of the race was excellent. Well-marked course. Well-stocked and staffed aid stations (at least when I ran through). The next day my registration information for the Chicago Marathon was updated to show that I was in Corral C.

I really loved the experience of racing a race. I loved being "in the mile" and managing my pace precisely. It was challenging and fun. Until October 7th...

Race was well organized, but too many people for the course, typical for a LaSalle race but still better then 2005 when I ran it last. I thought the water stations were too short because a couple of times I had to skip all together because everybody decided to walk through them and clogged them up.