34
i realized a few weeks ago that 2015 may be the last full, calendar year i spend in chicago. while this thought is exciting, it also makes me sad because there are so many things i love about this city. just one example is the amount of races there are to do here. they often have fun venues, beautiful skyline views, swag perks, and great after parties. today, i'm linking up with mar on the run, you signed up for what?!, and eat pray run dc for their friday five to share with you five races in chicago to run in 2015 (i'm signed up for a few myself!).
i love the lincoln park zoo. it's conveniently located for me and free, meaning that if i'm having a boring day, i can head over there on my lunch break and hang out with the lions. because it is a free zoo, it runs off of donations and charity events. one such event is the united run the zoo race, which offers both a 5k and 10k distance. i'm signed up for the 5k since much more of that course takes place in the actual zoo. i'm so excited!
i actually heard about this race before even moving to chicago and before i was even a runner. why? because this race is huge. i'm talking 30,000ish people. in fact, so many people do it that one day last summer, my boyfriend and i saw 4 different people wearing their finisher's shirt one day. i decided i wanted to be one of those people, and apparently this year they're also giving out finisher's medals! even more reason to run, right?
this is another overly crowded race. while it's not as well known as the shamrock shuffle, it draws big crowds because you get to run through the concourse of wrigley field. now i'm not a huge cubs fan (go red sox!), but i really do enjoy going to the games. i have so many memories at wrigley field, it only made sense to me to sign up for this race. i'm doing the 10k because that's what my training plan calls for that weekend, but they also offer a 5k option.
chicagoland half marathon series
the spring event last year. oh how i'm looking forward to the sun.
okay, so technically this is two races: one half marathon in spring and one half marathon in fall. i'm really looking forward to both of these events, and if you complete them both, you get a special, extra chicago medal. if you don't care about the medal and are looking for a shorter distance, the spring half has a 10k option and the fall half has a 5k option. both events are put on by the same company, and since i've run the shorter distances at each before, i know they put on a great race.
i don't think this race needs any explanation. it's one of the world majors courses, so most people have heard of it. i think it is so cool that such a huge race takes place in the city i live in, and i've heard from so many people that it's a must do course. unfortunately, if you don't have a qualifying time or aren't able to raise money for charity, your only way in is through the lottery system, so who knows if i'll ever get to run chicago, but if you're able to, i definitely think you should!
