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Evening Runs This Week


Last week we had three days over 100 degrees (the Texan part of me thinks "And? That's it?" while the Chicagoan part of me is thinking "Jesus Christ, why was it so hot?"), but this week the hottest it's predicted to be is 88, starting on Thursday. A few weeks ago we all might have thought "88? That's going to be hot." but now I think we're all pretty excited about this "cool" weather.

And as race organizers across the city look at this weather report for the week, they must be breathing numerous sighs of relief. Because there's a surprising number of evening races this week, while as far as I know there weren't any last week. Lucky coincidence for runners and organizers alike. 

Anyway, there are three evening races this that I know of (two of which I'm running):
  • Tuesday @ 6:30: The Strike Out ALS 5K - this one takes place at U.S. Cellular Field and, similar to how the Race to Wrigley lets runners run through the concession area of Wrigley Field (Sox and Cubs fans alike are cringing at the comparison I'm sure), this one lets runners finish by running through the warning track of the field. This one raises money for the Les Turner ALS Foundation, which is "dedicated solely to the treatment and elimination of ALS [also known as Lou Gehrig's disease]."
  • Thursday @ 6:15: Humana Race to Taste 5K - this one starts and finishes at Queens Landing (the area around Buckingham Fountain) and features a bunch of food from Taste of Chicago vendors at the post-race party. This is the 20th year for this race! (If you want to run this one, the code "taste" saves you $5 off the registration fee.
  • Thursday @ 7:15/7:30: Bastille Day 5K & 8K - this one starts and finishes in front of the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. There's an 8K that starts at 7:15 and a 5K that starts at 7:30... and the post-race party doesn't "officially" end until 10pm.
Anyone planning to run any of these? Maybe I just haven't been paying attention but it seems like evening races are getting more and more popular. I tend to prefer running in the morning, but when a race has a great post-race party, I can definitely see the benefit of running in the evening.
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Comments

  1. Cindy KuzmaJuly 9, 2012 at 5:40 PM

    I'm doing Bastille Day--are you doing that one, or the Taste race?

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJuly 10, 2012 at 9:42 AM

    How about a morning race this September with a huge celebration after?

    Girl Scouts is launching a movement to achieve gender equity in leadership in just one generation. This mission bursts into action on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012, with Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana’s inaugural Cookie Classic 5k in Chicago’s Grant Park. It is a great race for beginners, an enjoyable race for seasoned veterans, and an event to which you can bring the whole family! Each runner receives a box of Girl Scout cookies and a T-shirt, and there is a celebration afterward with food, entertainment, and fun. Interested participants can register here: https://register.gorun.org/cookieclassic5k

    ReplyDelete

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