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Carrera de los Muertos 2013

I loved last year's Carrera de los Muertos so I had to sign up again this year.

I got a ride down to Pilsen with Fuzzy and Erica (because they're super-cool and because Pilsen is not the easiest place to get to from Lincoln Square without a car).

We got there with plenty of time to spare, which was lucky because we actually needed all that time to park the car and get a parking slip and all that. We ended up getting to the starting line just about five minutes before the race started. Luckily, the gear check for this race is impeccable and once I had my bag checked I think there was still about three minutes before start time. So I stood around looking at all the scenery: with the sweet costumes and bright purple race shirts, along with the (artistic) graffiti on a lot of the walls along the course, I think Carrera de los Muertos has to be the most colorful race in Chicago.


Last year I didn't wear a costume and really wished I had so I made sure to at least get a little bit into it this time and dress like a devil (or at least wear a devil mask). Not as sweet as all the face painting that was going on but at least better than nothing.

This mask is really good for walking around and blocking the cold on a cold day... but it's not the best mask for running in. I wore it for about the first mile and then gave up and went back to being a boring, normally dressed runner (until the finish line, of course - you have to wear your mask at the finish line.

Just like last year, this race had a ton of entertainment along the course, with bands, performers and DJs every half mile or so. The race also seemed much bigger this year and I think they totaled 5500 people at the final count - that's a lot of people for a neighborhood race like this.

They didn't pass out sugar skulls at the finish line this year, but I can't say that I missed them. They did, however, pass out churros and those were an excellent post-run treat.

I didn't get to hang out at the post-race party for very long but it looked like everyone was having a good time and there was some delicious food for sale. There was also a live band playing. I'll definitely be signing up for this one again next year.



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  1. Pete BNovember 11, 2013 at 12:20 PM

    Sounds/looks awesome. I wish it was held a week later, I'm usually still recovering from the Chicago Marathon. I guess it has to be November 1st, so that will never happen! Cool devil mask.

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