Race Report: Chicago Rock N’ Roll Half – Sunday, July 20th, 2014

As promised a blog post and a race report.  The Chicago Rock N’ Roll Half Marathon was NOT on my radar screen until a couple weeks ago.  I had looked at it but it started at 6:30 AM in Chicago which meant a 3:30 AM wakeup, it was expensive and a lot of it is run on cement which I hate.  I didn’t sign up.  Then about two weeks ago, The Chicago Area Runners Association (CARA), sent out a request for back of the pack pacers/motivators in exchange for a free race entry.   The magic word “FREE”.   I sent them an email and they picked me and another 10 or so people including two others from the Bolingbrook Fun Run Club (BFRC) to do the job.  I was totally excited!!!!  This meant that I didn’t have to try to get a PR or even push myself, this was going to be a chance to walk a half marathon and give others a little motivation.

The only down side to this whole thing, besides the 6:30 AM start, was that I was required (like everyone else) to drive into the city to attend the expo and pick up my race bib.  I was free midday on Friday so that was the time I scheduled to go downtown.  There’s a great parking website called Parkwhiz which offers discounted and reserved parking at various garages and lots around Chicago.  I chose a lot near McCormick Place, Chicago’s convention center, and got $10 parking for $5 with a discount skipping the $20+ convention center lots.  The drive in was uneventful and picking up my free bib was pretty uneventful.  I wandered around the expo for about an hour picking up freebies and looking at other races.  The ride home was more eventful.  Chicago traffic sucks.  It was only 2 PM and traffic on I-55 was dead stopped.  It took forever to get home.  I really hate that packet pickup for city races is often only available downtown and often not on race day.  Kudos to those races that offer suburban packet pickup and/or a mailing option.

Race morning started EARLY.  By 3:30 am, I was up and getting ready to pick Megan up at 4:35 am.  The cats really do not understand that breakfast isn’t served that early and look totally alarmed as I left without feeding them.  Megan was ready right on time and we were on our way.  The roads were clear of heavy traffic but we saw one seriously drunk driver (weaving all over the place) and got blasted by a motorcyclist going easily 100 mph.  People….it’s 4:30 in the morning; get a grip!   I had used Parkwhiz again and we pulled into our lot and went on our way.

Some of the BFRC Gang at Gear Check

We were meeting other BFRCers at gear check for a group photo at 6:00 am so we headed that way first.  As I had not yet done the obligatory pre-race poop, we stopped at a port-o-let along the way (thanks RNR, there were plenty of port-o-lets) but alas no luck.  I’m glad I didn’t have anything to check!  Gear check was an open, outside area with a little tiny fence around it with race #s on signs.  Staff then took your gear bag and put it near one of these signs saying we are not responsible for gear you leave here.  What the heck?  Isn’t that the point of gear check?  To make sure your gear is there when you get done.  What if it had been a pouring rain like last Saturday???  Rock N’ Roll, you need to do better than that for the prices you charge.

We took the group photo minus a few because Megan and I needed to get on over to the back of the pack and check-in by 6:15 AM.  We easily found the SAG wagon and were there to get our instructions.  We were told to try to keep everyone in front of us, look for stragglers hiding out in the bushes because unlike Disney no one would be pulled off the course, check the port-o-lets at the beginning of the race to make sure everyone was out and to help motivate people to stay on a 3:30 pace.  Right from the start, it was a great group of people and we set out to have a good time.  The only flaw of the plan was that the keys got locked in the SAG van!  After a moment of panic, the police were called and they quickly opened the car. 

Here I am guarding the port-o-lets

Crisis averted.  I volunteered to check the potties for stragglers as the race got underway.  BIG MISTAKE!!  I’m still gagging from how full they were with poop and the stench.  I guess with an early morning race, no one poops at home.  Yuck!

The Back of the Pack Motivators!

We were absolutely the last people starting the race.  Although the race officially started at 6:30 am, there were 36 corrals and it was nearly 7:30 before we crossed the starting mat. As we got underway, the group we were following was a group of folks doing the 5K who were supporting people with Downs Syndrome.  They were totally awesome and it was so much fun to run and talk with for the first mile before the 5K split off.   

After the split, we were a bit behind the majority of the half marathon pack but still behind the first of the stragglers.   Megan, Danielle and I trotted up past the last few stragglers and got closer to the denser back of the pack.  As we moved forward, Danielle told us how she had lost 120 lbs through exercise and better eating.  I didn’t even need motivation but she gave it to me!!  Rock N’ Roll advertises that there will be good crowd support and lots of music.  Since we were the last ones out there, we didn’t see ANY crowd support until about mile 3.  It was obvious people had been there but they had left when the majority of the pack had gone by.   We were barely into the half and it was already pretty lonely.  The water stations were well staffed and had plenty of supplies throughout the whole race.   I had brought my water belt but really didn’t need it.  Rock N’ Roll gets kudos for good course support.

I think it was around the 2^nd water station when we decided to make a potty stop.  We quickly ran in and peed and the very back of the pack with the SAG wagon caught up with us.  At this early point (approx. mile 4), it was clear that at least one woman was starting to struggle with the pace.  I stepped back and had a discussion with race staff in the SAF wagon and we decided to offer her the opportunity to cut off a mile by taking a short cut through the loop.  Staff also suggested I got with her and keep her motivated.  I trotted up and said hello to Bessie and asked her how she was doing.  She admitted she had not trained for the race and had just signed up on Friday.  Bessie appeared to be close to my age and we immediately bonded.  After a little discussion about how it would not be cheating to take the short cut as it had been race sanctioned, we took the short cut.  Actually we took two of them.  This put us quite a bit further ahead but with people who were mostly walking.  If Bessie had started in an earlier corral she might have been with these people even at the pace she was walking.

I had a ball walking with Bessie.  She was such a delightful and interesting woman.  I felt so flattered as she kept saying “I prayed to God and he sent you to me today.”  This was a good affirmation as I wondered a few times if I was bugging her, chattering away.  I stayed with Bessie right up until mile 11.   We saw most of the loop together, the walk down Michigan Avenue, and the walk down Lake Shore Dr.   There were moments when I wasn’t sure Bessie was going to be able to go on but she kept plugging.  Around mile 10, Bessie stopped to take off her shoe because of blisters and we also stopped at a medical tent or two to ask if they had anything to check blood sugar (they didn’t).  I really started to worry and convinced Bessie to get into the SAG wagon at mile 11.  There really isn’t any reason to kill yourself out there!  More kudos to Rock N’ Roll for having so many medical tents and wandering medical personnel.  It was very much appreciated!!  Suggestion, have some blood sugar test kits.  Not just for diabetics but low blood sugar can hit anyone in these conditions.

Now a course complaint.  The Rock N’ Roll website says:

LIVE. MUSIC. LIVE. ENTERTAINMENT.

That’s right, live rock bands and entertainment groups along the course. And we don’t mean strumming guitarists on the side of roads or in trees– we’re talking professionally staged and equipped uber-talented local groups eager to push those legs of your closer to the finish line. Feast your ears on a variety of sounds from alternative, classic and punk rock to blues, jazz and soul along each mile of the race course. The bands set the tempo for this marathon block party, where runners and spectators alike will be “dancin’ in the streets.”

I believe we saw three bands, lots of stilt walkers and a some loud music pumped in over speakers on the Lake shore trail.  It was totally disappointing from a music perspective! On their Facebook page Rock N’ Roll is blaming Chicago for not giving them music permits for 6:30 am.  Come on guys, you’ve been doing this in Chicago for a number of years.  You should know where and when the city will issue permits and adjust accordingly.  This was not a $90 half marathon.    I’ve had more entertainment in local 10Ks.

Back to the race….the long walk.  After leaving Bessie, I bumped into Missy, one of the other back of the pack motivators, who was helping out a woman that had had to make a longer stop at the medical tent for back problems.  As we walked along, we shared our names and the woman says “what’s your last name?”   I’m thinking, what does that matter?  When I told her, she says “I know you from the Moon Joggers group on Facebook!  You welcomed me to your city last night.”   How cool is that?  Thousands of folks out there and I meet someone I know through social media.  We walked together and talked until we hit the 13 mile marker where we hugged and she went on to finish the race strong!

At that point, I ran back to meet up with the rest of the back of the packers and who was back walking, Bessie!!!  Bessie, Missy, a couple others and I crossed the finish line together. It was a joyous moment. 

Rock N’ Roll had plenty of medals, that was good and water was available but that was about it.  The beer was gone and the entertainment was over.  I now know how the true back of the pack feels. They pay the same amount as the guys who come in early but get little of the fun of the big race.  If a race is going to allow a 3.5 hour finish, things should still be happening when the runners are done.

I’ve got a lot more I could say but this post is getting really long.  To sum it up, I had a great time with the back of the pack and met some really cool people.  But, I don’t think I would ever pay for this race.  It’s expensive, I had to spend most of a day coming into the city for packet pickup, the course is rather boring without much entertainment (if this is your first time in Chicago, the course is probably pretty cool), gear check wasn’t very secure and the start is awfully early.  I’m delighted to have been chosen to motivate the back and would do it again in a heartbeat just to meet all the really cool people!