MetLife Duathlon

A friend of mine suggested we sign up for this last year and I agreed, thinking that it might be nice to enter a race that mixes a little biking in with my running. Eventually, a triathlon will make it on my list here, but for now, a duathlon is the next best thing.
Since I grew up in a neighboring town, most of the sites along the route were not only familiar, but nice to see again since I haven’t been down here in quite some time. This event consists of a 2 mile run, 11 mile bike, 2 mile run throughout Tinley Park’s beautiful «Old Town» and the surrounding Forest Preserve area. A portion of the proceeds benefit the local charity, Together We Cope. (Together We Cope is a Tinley Park homeless prevention agency that provides assistance to area families, so your entry fee is going to a very good cause.)
Not a bad race, but nothing to rave about, either. Plenty of parking, but the post-​race festivities really leave something to be desired. They have the chance to make this an all day event, given the surrounding bars and restaurants that neighbor the Train Station (where the race is based), but seem content to just end the event when the last person finishes and pull up stakes until next year. Kinda sad.