2012 Chicago Monster Dash, Sunday October 21st,2012
After 26.2 miles yesterday, I had a rough time getting up at 6 am. Just a thought: If I am to run the 2013 Walt Disney World Goofy Challenge (Half-Marathon and Marathon) I needed to see how it was going to feel. The Monster Dash Half Marathon would give me that opportunity to test how 39.3 miles in 2 days feels.
Race Day: Wake up time 6am.
Weather: 41°F and clear.
Getting Down There
We left the house around 7:15am and hit McDonalds. The race did not start until 9am so I had an unsweetened ice tea, and an Egg McMuffin since I was roughly 2 hrs out from running. Those went down easy on our drive downtown to park at Soldier’s Field. The parking they had for us was about a half mile from the race start. I was easy to get to the start. We ended up getting there really early.
The pre-race setup was normal. There were a couple of large tents for merchandise and pre-race fuel. They had a D.J, plenty of Porta-Johns, and some other events before the race started.
Overall it seemed really well organized and thought out. There was not a really long wait on the porta-johns since the ratio of potties to people was optimal.
After running a The Indianapolis Marathon yesterday, I started the race off as a run/walk with my wife. The course yesterday was brutal, I never felt that beat after a race so walk/run was perfect. We started with a 3:1 ratio of running to walking.
Miles 1-4
We averaged at 15:00 mile for the first 4 miles. Bizzi, my wife was having a hard time breathing with her asthma. We made it to 4 miles when she said she would not make 13.1. I could see she was disappointed. It was not giving up since she would have completed at least the 10k + 1.7 miles. I felt bad, but I must push on then. I wanted to see how my legs were really feeling. I started off at a slow run.Miles 5-8
Felt Really good for this portion of the race. I ran close to 9:00 pace and decided my legs were not feeling too bad, and I could do better. So I moved down into the low 8's through mile 8.Mile 9-13.1
Mile 9 came and I posted a 7:55. I thought I better slow down or else I may not finish. In mile 9-10 I thought I slowed down, but upon checking just barely, I had posted an 8:14 mile. At this point I thought go ahead and push it, if you have to walk you will still finish. Just then I hear my name being called, it was my wife from the other side of the path. She yelled she is gonna do it even if the whole thing is walked. I think that gave me a little boost. She was on my mind up until this point. I know she was thinking that it would be a big lie if she wore the finisher’s jacket. LOL. Anyhow I was relieved. My mind was on the matter at hand, roughly 4 miles to go so I kept pushing. I was passing various pace groups and thinking to myself this is turning into a really respectable run. My last 4.1 miles ended up at a 7:56 pace. I won’tlie. The last quarter mile I felt like was dying but the crowd support was awesome in that last stretch. We came under the Lake shore Drive underpass into the last tenth of a mile and it was an incline, this made me want to punch someone in the face. That feeling subsided pretty quickly since I was crossing through the finish line. Getting through the finishers area was orderly and well organized.Race Summary and Race Ratings.
The race had a limit of 3.5 hours. Which there were a few that came through after that, and they still got a finishers medal. The race is a later start, good if you are not a morning person, like me. The organiziation of the event was excellent, and the staff and volunteers were very helpful. Crowd support was great at the beginning, and at the end, but out on the lake path support goes cold, and you need to turn to competiton for a boost. I suppose support is sparse because it is an out and back course for the most part. Also watch out for other runners and cyclists out on the path. For the most part the non competitors did not really interfere with running, but mutual respect is not always a given. The aid stations were AWESOME! They were very well staffed, upbeat, and had plenty of Power-Aid and H2o in stock and ready for runner deployment. I job well done by the volunteers. I will try and add some photos soon as well.
Aid Stations – They had 8 aid stations with restrooms over the course. The volunteers were up beat and awesome. They provided water and power-aid. They had Hammer-Gels at two of the last stops. I give the aid stations a rating of 5/5.
Spectators – For a public course the start and finish had strong crowd support. The aid stations gave a little mental boost with their cheering us on. The spectators get a rating of 3/5 rating, considering it is on the lake shore path was the course and it was an out and back run.
Traffic and Parking – They had parking available for $13.00 at the Soldier’s Field Parking Deck. That is pricey, but this is also Chicago, so we were lucky to not have to pay $20.00+ However, the parking was convenient and somewhat close to the course. I would give it a rating of 3/5.
Race Tees – The race apparel that came with registration was all right. You received a knit cap,and a tech jacket. The jacket seems kind of cheaply made, and the zipper is on the opposite side so it awkward to zip up so I give the swag a rating 3.5/5.
Restrooms – Short waits in comparison to other races. That might also be because a smaller race field for the half, then a staggered 5k and 10k start. So people did not all try to get into line at the same time. Rating 4/5.
Course – The course had great views of the lake and city on the way out and back. Again the path was open to the public, so there were non competing runners and cyclists to avoid. I would give this a rating of 4/5.
Awards – The finisher medal is different, a wedge
shape with like a stained glass look.
Pretty neat, but the ribbon was just OK.
I would give the medal a rating of 3/5.
Bottom Line: I would recommend this race based on the experience, and the cost/value.
Bottom Line: I would recommend this race based on the experience, and the cost/value.
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| Monster Dash 2012 Finishers Medal |
