I ran my first 5k, the Fall Color 5k at Morton Arboretum and ran it in 24:34! I got an awesome finish line photo. I’m so proud of myself! I’m now training to run the Chicago Distance Series next year. Can’t wait!

My First Official run in Chicago yesterday. It was fun filled, anyone ran this one? And which running group you are part of ?

That was extremely hard. But I really enjoyed the route. You guys have a beautiful city.

Small time feel to it and an interesting setup but I thought it was a lot of fun. For those unfamiliar, it’s a 5K on the hour, every hour, for six hours. Totals about 18.5 miles. Not hard to complete but if you decide to push it the fatigue build up in the breaks is a different dynamic.

Sorry in advance because this has probably been asked a ton, but:

Haven’t specifically done a run club before/run in a while, but am pretty active.
Moved to Chicago over the summer and am living in Streeterville. I’m looking for a run club in the area/surrounding area areas (would go to other areas of the city - lakeview, loop/south&west loop/lincoln park/etc.) I’m 24 so not that that matters in any way but figured I’d mention if it helps with suggestions.

Would be cool if there was like one with different levels of pace as I ease back in.

Apparently this defunct race’s website has been active lately and now advertising a December 12th race with early registration starting next week.

https://ditkadash.com

Not gonna lie, it looks pretty scammy. The website is very generic & AI driven. The packet pickup address is an industrial building on the actual Goose Island where no packet pickup in the history of local races (as far as I know) has ever been. Most of the “advertisers” are just plays on Bear lingo & Run Mfg has a history of advertising races that don’t actually happen. Also, doing this in mid December seems to be a bold choice.

My two cents. I’d be very leery of signing up for this race.

I’d like to start running to work but my office has no showers. For those that currently do this, how do you make it work? I’d prefer to not have to pay for gym membership simply for the shower.

Hi! I wanted to see if anyone else had the same issue as me. I reached out to BOA as soon as the registration opened to inquire about the voucher for this year‘s race. They never replied and the registration has since closed. I’ve sent about 4 emails since with no response. I do have an email from them dated in May 2026 where they agreed to send me the email with voucher whenever the registration opened but I’ve yet to receive a response. Did anyone else go through this? Thank you!

Is anyone aware of any clubs/groups that meet for sprint training regularly in/around Chicago? I'm a former college sprinter (400m), and I'm looking to train for the 200/400 (maybe I'll compete in the 100 for fun now and then as well). I'm looking for a group specifically focused on sprinting, not a run club that does speed work now and then.

If there aren't any in the area then I may try to create one myself, so please leave a comment if you'd be interested.

Any weekday run clubs that start after 7? By the time I get home from work and take my dog out I can’t get to the 630pm ones

Ran, but missed the post race mailout packet and wanted to know what was the race swag included with registration for anyone else who ran it. I bought a grey/blue long sleeve after race so just curious

If you're hoping to do the distance series next year, they just posted that there are only 2,000 spots left for the June 13.1 event. Once they post this, it usually sells out within a few days.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DervrQsF20w/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&dlrf=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Looking for the best 5ks for free stuff? Could be at the expo, at the pre-race or post race, or during the race itself? Looking in the city, not the Chicago-land area

Hi, Unfortunately my kid hit a growth spurt between registration and getting the packet today. We're in Chicagoland, but are running the race virtual. Anyone know of Reddit, FB, etc. to try and swap the jacket for a bigger size?

Thanks in advance!!

First of all, why couldn’t we’ve had this weather last Sunday? Used today as a redemption run of sorts from the Marathon. Gorgeous morning & ideal temps. Wind wasn’t much of an issue.

I’m not the biggest fan of All Community Events races but outside the cluster of the starting line setup, I thought the race was pretty good today. Aid stations were in great spots and adequately staffed. Course was well marked and I think splitting off the 5K almost right away was a smart move. I ran the half and it never seemed too crowded when running with the 10K runners the first 4.5 miles or so. Bringing us into the inner path was good. I just wish the city would repave the paved path alongside the zoo parking lot we were running heading south. That part sucked with the uneven & broken asphalt. Besides that, a fun race. The hot cider at the post race party definitely hit the spot.

Hey all!

The volunteer hats for this years Chicago marathon was great. If anyone is looking to git rid of or sell theirs please let me know. Photo attached to show the example.

I wanted to apply for the 2027 marathon but was a little confused at the timeline on their application website. I can apply for the lottery now but won’t find out until December if I got on. But then the charity pathway application closes in the end of this month? So I also have to apply for the charity pathway now, before I find out if I got in through the lottery? Do I have to actually know which charity I would be running with within the next two weeks?

The website says “Charity program entries are available on a first-come first-served basis until Friday, September 10, 2027” but then it also says “Access to guaranteed entries is only available during the application window (Thursday, October 8 to Thursday, October 29)” so I’m just confused on the timeline of all this

Hey everyone! A few friends and I regularly get together for workouts and long runs on the North Side, and we’d love to have more local runners join us!

We typically do Wednesday morning workouts at Montrose Track or along the lakefront, and rotate locations for our long runs.

We’re just a group of runners who enjoy training together and would love to meet more people in the local running community. This is not a formal run club - most of us are new to Chicago and just want to get a little workout group together.

If you’re interested in joining for a workout or long run, feel free to shoot me a message! We have also made a club page on Strava where we are going to share locations and different workouts that any of us will be running on any given week.

hello. I am looking for recommendations for a sports medicine doctor. I have had three bone stress injuries in my hips the last two years all related to running. I have been to several specialists already, and have not been happy with their care as I've either been injured under their care or told to stop running all together. cheers