Race Review: Chicagoland Half and Full Marathon

On Saturday, May 15, All Community Events held their annual Chicagoland half and marathon race. It was moved back to May this year, having been held later in the year due to the pandemic last year.

I always feel as though this is my birthday party as it sometimes falls on my birthday and always falls around my birthday. This year, my friend Lynn Crim surprised me with a birthday cupcake before the race!

Race day temperatures were in the 60’s and cloud cover was fairly strong. Humidity was pretty high which made the morning feel hotter than it actually was, and for Chicagoans, who are not completely heat acclimated yet, it felt extremely warm.

This race took place in Schaumburg and showcased the commercial area of Woodfield and several nearby trails. Thousands of runners come out to tackle this flat course and try for a BQ.

Both the half and full began at 7:15 AM and the energy was high at the start line. Peter Starykowicz, owner of All Community Events is the perfect DJ to ramp up runners before the race start. Runners love when he gets on the mic and pumps us up just minutes before start time. It’s such a personal touch and I truly appreciate that he takes the time to do this at nearly all of the races.

We began right at 7:15 AM and headed out on Martingale Road for the first 3 miles. Runners then turned into a trail system where they wove through several tree covered trail miles before splitting based on distance. The half marathon runners were routed away from the marathon runners between miles five and six.

Half marathon runners were taken on another loop before heading back to the Start/Finish. All runners received a short sleeved or long sleeved T-shirt based upon their selection and a finishers metal. There was also a huge selection of post race food.

Full marathon runners continued their route circling in and out of trail systems and residential streets. The last 3 miles circled back on Martingale Road again before heading back to the start/finish line.

This is a spring fan favorite for runners throughout the area. It is A flat course and offers lots of aid stations and sharing sections to keep energy high. The All Community Events does an incredible job with mile marker placement and an ever-changing course.

You can check out all of the All Community Events races here.