Packet pickup was at Navy Pier on Saturday. I love going to these large picket pick-ups, you can get some great prices on running clothes and some prices are higher. I bought some tights and two pairs of shorts at very good prices. I get most all of my running clothes at these packet pick-up expos. I even got a Banco Popular ball cap to wear running. I always wear a ball cap while running to keep rain or sweat out of my eyes. This race was chip timed but the chips were disposable; it was just a thick, orange piece of paper that wrapped around your shoestrings. It is great not have to stop in the finish line chute to have your chip removed.

We got up at 5:30 had coffee and left. Because of time I only had a banana and two slices of bread for breakfast. I think breakfast before a long run is very important. Ordinarily I don’t eat breakfast. But I think it is important to eat before a race if you have at least an hour before race time.

We got there about 7 our son in-law let us out at Jackson Park. Running the half were my daughter, wife and myself. We decided to meet there at Cornell and 63rd after the race. I had checked the weather on Wunderground last night and it said rain all day, in fact it is still raining this evening after the race. The streets are flooded almost to center in some places, a lot of the freeway off ramps are flooded. It rained the entire race; I think Chicago got 6 inches of rain. I did not take my camera because of the rain.

We stopped at the portapotties first. They were in several places, but in this particular place there must have been 200. As we stood in line we talked to some of the other people waiting. You can get a pretty good idea of what kind shoes are most popular since there must have been a thousand people standing in all of these lines, side by side. I just the spent the time looking at shoes. The lines moved pretty fast.

Some people had ponchos on but a great many people had garbage bags on. I try not to worry about the rain unless it is a cold rain. If it is a cold rain I dress warmer. Today was 68 or 70 degrees so it was pretty warm. I wore shorts and a t-shirt and this is what most people wore there were some jackets and tights. I saw someone wearing a hooded sweatshirt. I think that is about the worst thing you can wear running. The wind goes right through it and when it wet from sweat or rain it weighs about a ton.

I had a t-shirt on that I got from
Lake Run Club when I joined. People all along the course kept hollering out “way to go Lake Run Club”, it was great. There were lots of people cheering all along the course. Even though it rained for the entire race 10,854 runners finished the course it was a great run.

Race Results from Banco Popular Half Marthon

Picture from last year
More Pictures From 2007