Get Lucky 7K & 21K

Enjoyed Get Lucky! They have 3 races going on; all on one course: 7k, 14k, and a 21k! Very well organized from what I’ve seen, and very great volunteers along the course. This race took place starting, and ending at Soldier Field, along the Lakefront trail. Prior to the run we received a hoodie, neck gaiter, and a finishers medal after the run. I enjoyed this run, and most definitely be returning next year.

Everything leading up to the race was well organized and I received my packet with my hoodie in the mail pre-​race. This was great and I had no issues with this as I wasn’t able to make it to one of the packet pickup locations. With the packet in the mail I received my hoodie, bib, and chip tracker. Seeing the shoe tracker had to be attached I knew that this race was probably not going to be as strongly funded as many other races I have participated in. That is not a problem for me and I was still open minded to participating in a good race.
Race day was like any other day in Chicago spring time. Temperatures were around freezing but there was at least sun and no rain or snow. The rough winter did not help the setting of the course which is mainly run on trail paths through Jackson Park and up and down LSD. Because of the inclement weather we have had all winter long the paths were covered in ice and frozen snow patches. Walking up to the race we hoped that the course wouldn’t pass through these areas but we soon realized that crossing these hazards was going to be necessary. Still, I had a positive outlook on the race and prepared myself for the half marathon.
Gear check was pretty simple and they also had stations for gear return/​pick-​up. They required you to place your belongings in a clear bag for security reasons and the staff placed them in a designated area for pick up after the race.
This was a smaller race with about a thousand or so participating in the half marathon, triple 7 or 21K as they called it. The rest of the field was there for the 7K race, about 3 thousand or so. The race hosts that were informing runners of race details were helpful at times and dry the rest. They tried to be funny and entertain but often times they just missed the point. Ok, no problem, weather is semi-​cooperating, I’ve dropped off my belongings and now I am in line for the race to start. A simple 3−2 – 1-​go would have sufficed but the host failed to send us off and I could only imagine the kind of false start the elites were forced into. The start was more like 3-uh-2-uh-1…go go. I don’t know how you mess that up but they did.
The course is mainly on the lake shore path so road closures were not required and volunteers simply guide you along the two way path. The path is obviously still open to the public so you may have to dodge some runners, walkers, bikers etc. The race starts off fast running under LSD and up north down the path. You are almost immediately introduced to a water station that was less than a mile into the race. Looking back on this I am now understanding that this race is more focused for first time racers or beginners. As you get to the outer end of the course for the half marathon runners the water stations become sparse. The course is also deceiving in that you turn closer to the 4 – 5 mile mark giving you the impression that you have half way to go but in reality you have a much further distance to travel.
Now, this was the worst part of the course. Mile markers 1,2, and 3 were correct and placed properly but when you got to either mile marker 4 or 5 they completely skipped a mile. So I come up to mile 6 according to the course but it really should have been 5. If there is anything that you get right on a race you have to get the mile markers rights. It doesn’t help that the only clock that they offer is at the start/​finish line. Anywhere else you were left to your own devices or the «mile markers» on the course which were completely off.
The last 3 – 4 miles of the race is a mess. At this point the 7K runners have gone off and are on their way to completing their race. You come back after runnning 9 or so miles to have to dodge the slower runners and follow directions from course volunteers as to which way to run, the paths were different for 7k and 21k with overlapping areas. What a mess! I found myself throwing my hands up in complete confusion asking the race volunteers for some guidance as to where I should go.
From mile 9 – 10 you pass the turn to the finish line to run a few miles south of Jackson Park. After coming back you pass under LSD and again run pass the finish/​start line to run through the now wet and muddy paths in Jackson Park. This might be the worst way to finish a half marathon. I have just completed 12+ miles of running, now I must dodge slow 7k runners both going in my direction and coming directly at me. Not only this but the faster 7k runners have finished and are now walking on the same paths as the race. You have got to be kidding me. There are just people everywhere and it is pretty much up to you to figure out the right direction to go. If a volunteer didn’t recognize what race you were in you could easily run right to the finish line having only completed 12.1 miles as opposed to the complete race.
I wish I could go on but my characters are limited…