Friday's Featured 5k of the Week - Santa Hustle

If you are driving down Lake Shore Drive, Chicago this coming Saturday morning - your eyes are NOT deceiving you.

Yes, you are really seeing hundreds of Santas running south next to LSD.  No, they are not training for Salvation Army bell-ringing, no they are not auditioning for Santa's job, and no it's not a bunch of people fleeing Santa convention.  It's a 5k - yep - a 5k.  The Santa Hustle.

The Santa Hustle starts in Soldier Field Stadium Green and is complete with reindeer, hot chocolate and coffee, Christmas music, and other holiday related items - including a Toys For Tots bin.  Even with the Chicago cold weather, this is one of Chicago's bigger "crowd-runs", drawing THOUSANDS regardless of the temperature.

On course there is, of course water and Gatorade, but also cookies and candy!!  Must haves for Christmas.  The "swag" for the event is a Santa Hat, a Santa Beard, and a choice of a red Santa running shirt.  Last year, as I ran south along LSD, I remember watching cars pull over and people taking photos.  I mean how often do you see thousands of Santas running like maniacs in the snow??

The course heads south from Soldier Field and goes under McCormick Place - if there is snow on the ground and it's sunny, this is quite a trick on the eyes, going from "snowblindness" into pitch black and back into snowblind white is quite interesting.  The course then runs right alongside Lake Shore Drive for a while before turning back north.  The course then takes the lakefront path (not the run right against the lake though - in December that would be dangerous) all the way back alongside McCormick Place back to Soldier Field Stadium Green.

A very festive atmosphere and a great Holiday 5k.  After the race, most runners, still in their Santa outfits tend to head downtown to State Street, Daley Plaza, or Michigan Avenue for some more Christmas cheer.