Getting There.
We exited the car to get into the 1/4 mile long line. You had to wait out in the cold before you could get into the giant heated tent. They moved people through pretty fast, so as long as the line was we did not have to wait very long. It felt nice to get into the tent since we were not dressed very warm thinking we would be out in the cold.
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| This was the quater mile line. |
Getting In.
Once in getting our bags was a breeze. As you can see here the line snaked back and forth for a little while, but you were moving at quick walk to keep up with the line. If I had to estimate We were in line for 15-20 minutes total. That was from getting into line thru getting our bags. |
| The quick moving line. 5 mins max. |
In the Goodie Bag
The goodie bag is straight forward no frills, and no nonsense.
- Bib with timing chip.
- Hooded sweatshirt, tech style, wicking. slightly large hood. (nice)
- Directions and Parking. Race day info on corrals and start time.
The Expo.
After getting our bags we hit the expo. The expo was tiny, but hey, it's a short race. I did not assume it would be anything like the Chicago Half Marathon or Chicago Marathon expos. The expo was pretty just a large running store, as had one company (Running Away Sport) was selling like 8 product brands. They had Mizuno, North Face, Saucony, Brooks, Nike, Sugoi, New Balance. All the normal stuff, and at all the normal prices. They did have a whole section of Hot Chocolate Race Gear, everything from headbands and hats, to tech shirts and $90.00 running jackets. The prices on that gear was reasonable I guess.
Freebies at the Expo.
We did manage to get a few freebies. I mean what good is an expo without freebies. In the center they had a large display set up, themed like fall or Thanksgiving. That is were they were giving out goodies in the form of little chocolate squares, and hot chocolate.
Core Power.
One other noteable mention, Core Power. Core Power was there giving out samples. I happened upon this brand at the Chicago Marathon expo, and let me tell you, if you have not tried this stuff, GET SOME! Core Power's main competition in the market place is Muscle Milk which I happened to like, until the Core Power Taste Test. When compared to Muscle Milk, Core Power tastes more natural, less sweet, but with real flavor. You know how when you have something that says it is banana flavored? Thats just it....flavored. Think back to most of the stuff out there, yes it tastse good, but why? The flavor or the sweetness? Maybe both. My first impression when I had the Core Power was it's very good. Very smooth and natural tasting, not overly sweet. The flavor is lite and the sweetness is perfect. In comparison the Muscle Milk tastes more sugary and not as smooth, when I say not smooth, I mean it leaves a chalky residue feeling in your mouth. When I run a hard race or hit my long runs over 1.5 hours, I am taking gels. Sweet gooey gels. Gels are overly sweet, therefore, the last thing I really want after a run like that is an overly sweet drink that leaves a chalky residue in my mouth. I highly recommend Core Power for it's great taste and availability, as you can get it at Jewel or Albertsons. This stuff is great. I want to thank Sarah an Ben out at the Hot Chocolate Expo for spending some more time explaining their product to me. They don't hit you with a sales job as to what makes thier product so much better. They tell you what is in it, give you some samples and then funny thing, less is more. For more info check out Core Power's website at http://www.corepower.com/ .Getting Home.
Once we got out of the expo it was easy peasy getting out of there. A couple of turns, a little Chicago traffic (it's always rush hour) and before we knew it we were out of the city headed home.
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One of the signs letting people know to be ready for 40,000 people.And by the way.............. |
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| How did this guy get corral A? |
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