Friday's Featured 5k of the Week - Bucktown 5k

Well, as you might have guessed, the Bucktown 5k takes place in the Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago, known for its "artsy feel" and "trendiness".  But, I will add to that - it should also be known for its "friendliness".  I alluded to this in the writeup of the Sweetcorn 5k previously.

The event promoter recommends public transportation - and I concur.  The "Blue Line L" is less than 1 mile away (Damen station) and provides for a good pre-race warmup and post-race cool-down.  The CTA buses also run on North Avenue, only a block or so away.  Enjoy the Chicago experience completely and take the "L".  This will not only provide warmup/cooldown - but also allow you to experience the neighborhood at a slower pace than the 5k itself allows.

The Bucktown 5k begins at Burr Elementary School and then immediately heads into the neighborhood houses (actually, the staging area is right in the middle of houses).  Lots of old mansions in this neighborhood, all kept up to "mansion" standards in terms of visual appearance.  The course does quite a bit of winding and even turns back on itself in one spot and runners are heading both directions.  It's difficult to explain the course precisely in words, but it spends about 80-90% in the residential district and about 10-20% in going past some of the trendy (and long-time) businesses.  The route definitely gives the participants a true feel for what the Bucktown neighborhood looks like - a very well laid out course.  For those that are interested in speed, this is a very flat course, some long straights, and the race takes place in the cool fall temperatures.  When talking with participants at this race last year, many said they set Personal Bests here.

The pre/post race staging area is in the playground/park next to the school, and has a variety of items, such as vendors, a DJ, and some bouncies for the kids.

But, what really stands out about this event are the RESIDENTS.  Here we have a few thousand runners/walkers, literally taking over their streets.  The streets are closed - no vehicular traffic during the race event (time limit, of course).  But this doesn't seem to both any of the residents. I think it is safe to say that 90% of the residents were very visibly supporting this event - very visibly - and audibly.  Nearly every house had people sitting on the front porch steps, or in lawn chairs, or on the curbs, or in the front lawn cheering on the runners.  They had cowbells, and whistles, and horns, and their voices.  They had signs and the younger ones were offering high-fives to the runners as they passed by.   There was seldom a moment where there wasn't an audience - and a very supportive audience.  Through the business districts, residents and shop owners stood on the street and cheered with the same enthusiasm.  I talked about the residential support at the Sweetcorn - I'd put this in a tie with that event.  Whether the participants were elite runners, midpack runners, joggers, or walkers - this event kept a smile on everybody's face for the entire 5 kilometers.

A great neighborhood, great residents, great scenery, and a great event.

Official site here - http://www.bucktown5k.com/?_ga=1.26043133.1900315406.1429912182