Thanks to Lauren for submitting this race review! While the Bucktown 5K has already happened this year, you should still check out the review below. Maybe you’ll be convinced to add it to next year’s race calendar.
The Bucktown 5K is marketed as “Chicago’s Neighborhood Race,” and for me it is, literally. I live in the Wicker Park/Bucktown neighborhood, and the race start is just blocks from my home. Running Away Multisport, the running store which hosts the event, had their store in Bucktown for quite some time and only this winter moved out to Lincoln Park. This was the 10th Anniversary of the Bucktown 5K. They’ve created a specific race company called RAM Racing, which also puts on the Hot Chocolate 15/5K in addition to other running & triathlon events in the area.
Price: $40-45.
Swag: Track Jacket! And coupons to neighborhood restaurants/eateries. RAM Racing does provide nice alternatives to the technical tee for their goodie bags, and I like that the offerings change each year. (The first year I ran this event, I got a hoodie sweatshirt. Last year: a berber-style fleece. I’ve also seen people with messenger bags). The coupons that they provide are excellent if you’re able to use them: 25% off to the Southern, $15 off at Salud Tequila Lounge, Club Lucky, and more. If you don’t live in the area and/or aren’t interested in trying out restaurants (or using coupons) then maybe that’s not a benefit.
Expo: It’s really just a packet pickup. Packet Pickup this year was quick and smooth; I was in and out the door in about 10 minutes on Saturday morning – including a chat with someone I ran into. Last year the packet pickup (at their old & smaller store) was not quite as organized and I waited for about 30 minutes for my packet & goodie bag. They were also beginning to run out of certain sizes at that point, and asking the ladies who’d ordered a size S to come back the next day when they’d have more Smalls. In 2011, this did not appear to be an issue at all.
Planning/ Preparation: the website has a very thorough FAQs page that includes a video of common questions. While I’m very familiar with racing protocols & procedures, this would be a great help if this was my first race ever and I didn’t know how timing worked, or what time I needed to get to the race.
Start Line Organization: The race had ~5000 runners (judging by the numbers on the bibs), all crammed into about 2 blocks of Bucktown. Some of my faster friends were supposed to have been seeded into the earlier corrals based on previous times at a RAM Race, but did not receive those “A” or “B” designations on their bib. I know they did not have any trouble walking into the corral that they wanted, so all was well. I started in the open corral with friends, and did not try to jockey for a prime starting spot. We didn’t actually hear any starting sounds (gun, anthem, horn), but saw people begin to start moving. We ambled along and then started, although apparently it took ~8 minutes from the first corral start until we crossed the starting line.
Race Course: I personally like the course, but maybe that’s because I live here & have also PR’ed here the last two years. The course is a bit congested for the number of runners, but it is being run on neighborhood streets in the city. While most cars have been moved off the street, there was some occasional parked-car-dodging. There was definitely a lot of people dodging too, as this neighborhood race has people of all paces starting together. Personally, I don’t mind that congestion and find it to be less than many of the major races (Shamrock Shuffle, Rock’n'Roll Chicago, Turkey Trot) but I know this was a major complaint among some of my friends. The course does have quite a few turns, which makes it easy to get confused in terms of where you’re heading back to. The first two years I ran the race, I misjudged how far away the finish was (and before I had my trusty Garmin!).
Water Stops: There was one aid station at approximately mile 1.5 with water, gatorade & port-a-potties. It appeared that they had water at the beginning & end, and Gatorade in the middle, which may have been a bit confusing. I ran right through this aid station and did not encounter any issues or major congestion beyond what was already on the course. Given that this is a 5K, this is a nice perk although I’m curious how many runners actually took advantage of this (versus walkers perhaps).
Post-Race Organization: After the race you pass through the finish chute and then can head over to the post-race food and also the Taste of Bucktown! Post-Race Food is your normal stuff: Water, Bananas, Cookies, Bagels. All of this is free and it was pretty liberal in terms of taking what you wanted. This year I didn’t partake, but in previous years it has been more than enough.
The Taste of Bucktown is an additional event co-sponsored by the 5K where you can sample foods from local Wicker Park/Bucktown restaurants. In your goodie bag you received 5 tickets to get foods at the various vendors. This year I did not attend the Taste of Bucktown. In 2010 there were 5 vendors participating and there were more this year. Last year was the first year for the taste of Bucktown and it was a bit disorganized. By the time I had finished and recovered, gotten water/bananas/bagel, some tents were still setting up for the Taste. Lines for the vendors that were open were long, and the tasting portions were smaller than I’d expected (thinking along the lines of Taste of Chicago or summer street festivals). We had ended up using our last two tickets each to get double portions of chips & guacamole from Salud Tequila Lounge. This year there were more vendors participating and it appeared that things were moving more when I finished. Regardless, it’s a nice added bonus to the race and fun to try some new places you might not have been to yet.
The Good:
- Neighborhood Race
- Excellent Swag
- Taste of Bucktown is cool
The Not-So-Good:
- Crowded
In my opinion, I think that this race is a great value for the money. It’s slightly more expensive than some other 5Ks in Chicago, but you get some excellent swag and time to hang out in a fun neighborhood in Chicago!
