By: Barb Rodriguez
It's no secret.
Winter in Chicago is brutal. Especially those short days in January where you find yourself running on the lakefront path armed with four layers of clothes and YakTrax, while exchanging smiles of stupidity with strangers out for their daily run. You know exactly the look I'm talking about...the one that says I'm glad to know there's someone else out here as insane as me.
During the winter months, it's not uncommon for Chicagoland runners to band together with their friends for a mass exodus to race in warmer climates. Arizona. Southern California. Texas. Florida. They're all taunting us with races that promise a beautiful escape from the harsh frostbitten winter that we always find ourselves in.
Anyone with a passion for running looking out their window to a foot of snow would willingly hand over their credit card for a bit of reprieve. I've done it. And heck, you've probably at least considered it if you haven't done it already.
Let's get one thing straight. The grass is not always greener, folks. Running a destination race for warm weather alone is a gamble. Back in 2007, the starting line of the PF Chang's Rock 'N Roll Marathon and Half in Arizona was a blistering 27 degrees. And this year at the Disney Marathon, temperatures were at a near record low, clocking in the upper 20's and low 30's. You can blame global warming, or even El Nino, but it looks like even Mickey Mouse can't guarantee marathon hopefuls warmth and sunshine.
So when ex-pat and running enthusiast Kimberley Steadman decided that destination races were too costly and that Chicago needed a January half marathon...she decided to throw one herself.
Limited to 100 entry slots, the inaugural F***ing Freezing Frozen Lake Half Marathon and 5k (fondly known as F^3) was born. All it took was one idea, a few friends, and a Facebook fanpage to help spread the word...and before she knew it, the race was sold out. It was truly a grassroots effort that took on a life of its own.
Coming off the heels of Ironman Arizona (see? I told you I'm one to escape the Chicago cold!) I personally had very little desire to run 13.1 miles. As far as I'm concerned, I've earned a free pass for professional couch surfing for the next year. But I tapped into my inner winter warrior and ponied up for the 5k--then rallied some friends to come join me in the promise of some fun, cold winter running with a beer at the end. And with an entry fee of $6.50, I was easily drawn and registered without hesitation.
Sunday morning, I woke up and checked the weather.
Current temp? 41 degrees.
And by my calculations, we were already poised for better weather than
what Goofy and the Gang had provided down south--"Chicago 1. Florida 0."
The F^3 was a BYOB (bring your own bib) and BYOM (bring your own medal)
type of event. No winners. No losers. No formal timekeeping. No closed
streets. Not USATF certified (not that anyone was complaining). Just
100 people with a passion for running regardless of Mother Nature's
elements.
The half marathoners took off in two waves at 9 and 9:30am and set off
along the lakefront path. The 5k folks were set to run at 10:30 with a
course in the Lakeview neighborhood. The idea was to have everyone
finishing around the same time to kick off the post-race festivities.
The simplicity and enthusiasm behind F^3 was--in a word--pure.
A special shout out is due, not only to Kimberly, the fearless Race
Director, but to all of the sponsors she was able to rally in support
of the F^3 run, making it a huge success. Universal Sole jumped on
board, providing a start and end point, aid stations along the path and
post-race chili (along with helping print the official race shirts
featuring our defunct ex-gov. Blagojevich). Run 312 made sure that
everyone was able to "rehydrate" after the race with a free beer for
all participants at Fizz. And we cannot forget the great raffle prizes
from Moji, Base2Peak Strength & Conditioning, 312, Universal Sole
and Mizuno.
Be sure to enjoy the professional picture gallery of the F^3 Half
Marathon and 5k, courtesy of Eric Shropshire.
As for what's next? Well, now that we've all dethawed (not that it was
significantly cold to begin with), we have learned that there will be
future events F^3 events planned. So if you're looking for a local,
low-key race without the bells and whistles, but with all of the
heart--keep your eyes open for updates on the official F^3 Events page.
Filed under: Events, News, Races, Reviews, Running
Tags: Barb Rodriguez, Eric Shropshire, F^3 Half Marathon and 5k, Universal Sole
David Wallach
4 days, 9 hours ago