Chicago Lakefront 50/50 - Information
Start and Finish Location
The race starts at
Grove 19A, near the 63rd Street Beach House in Jackson Park,
located on the south side of Chicago, along the shoreline of Lake
Michigan. 63rd Street Beach is located just South of the Museum of
Science and Industry, off Lake Shore Drive. Directions and parking
options are presented below.
Special Note (especially for those who are
familiar with our “old” Start/Finish location):
We
are now located on the west
side of Lake Shore Drive. Do
not go to 63rd Street Beach House. You will not
see us there.
The closest hotel is the Ramada Inn, 4900 South Lake Shore Dr, Chicago IL, (773) 288-5800. Mention "Lakefront 50k." (The hotel is not within walking distance of the Start/Finish)
Directions to the Start/Finish
Take Lake Shore Drive to Hayes Drive (63rd St.)
There is a traffic signal at Hayes Drive. If you are coming from the
north, turn right at the traffic signal. If you are coming from the
south, turn left at the traffic signal, onto Hayes Drive. Grove 19A will
be on your right-hand side. At the first driveway on your right, turn
right, into the Parking Lot. If the lot happens to be full (which is
unlikely), there is more parking on the south side of Hayes Drive.
Parking
There will be ample parking for the race but it is no longer
free.
Here is a link to
information about the pay stations.
You can pay with coins, bills or credit cards for
up to 24 hours at a time. A receipt will be printed and you put it
on the driver's side dashboard.
We suggest car pooling, bikes and cabs.
A map of the start/finish and parking area is available here.
Packet Pickup and Race Day Registration
Race packets will be available on Friday, November 1 (noon-6pm) at:
REI
1466 North Halsted Street
Chicago, IL 60642
Metered parking in the street. Free parking in the garage in back of the
store for 90 minutes with store validation.
On the race day, packet pickup will begin at 5:30 am at Jackson
Park, Grove 19A, at Hayes Drive on the west side of Lake Shore
Drive (not at 63rd Street Beach House). The Packet Pick-up Area
is located just beyond the northeast corner of the basketball court at
the northeast corner of the Parking Lot. Auxiliary parking is located on
the south side of Hayes Drive, west of Lake Shore Drive.
The Chicago Lakefront 50K and 50M will weave through a long, narrow strip of parkland known as Jackson Park and Burnham Park. The entire shoreline of Chicago is a multi-use park, shared by runners, bikers, bladers, boaters, golfers, fishermen, museum goers, dog walkers and every other form of leisure, pedestrian traffic (although all these activities are relatively subdued in late October/November).
The park is closed between 11:00 pm and sunrise, during which the parking lots are gated.
On the race day, as every day, the park will be open to the public. Please be aware of this and use common sense and caution when negotiating the various paths throughout the park. The general public will probably be unaware that a race is in progress since we are small in number compared to larger 5K and 10K running races in Chicagoland. Park patrons are generally friendly and cheerful and you can expect them to yield the path if they see you coming. Please run defensively and give a wide berth or verbal warning when passing from behind.
Course Markings and Maps
The course will have ground markings (chalked directional arrows) to
guide you through turns. Between the starting/finish area and the far
north turn-around area, course marshals on bikes will randomly monitor
the race and assist runners if necessary.
- To view a mapmyrun.com map of the 50K course, click here.
- To view a mapmyrun.com map of the 50 Mile course, click here.
- Download course maps / certifications here: 50m 50k
Aid Stations
- Start/Finish/Turnaround aid station - Grove 19A, near the 63rd Street Beach House area.
- “Middle” Aid Station – adjacent to the Oakwood Blvd./39th Street Parking Lot.
- North (50K Turnaround) Aid Station – at the 50K turnaround, north of 31st St. Beach.
Aid stations will have water, Gatorade, Coke, cookies, pretzels, potato chips, variety of candy, fruits, first aid supplies and other surprises.
Drop Bags
- All runners may leave a drop bag at the Start/Finish line (this may not be necessary if you are fortunate enough to have found a parking space close to the course).
- We are not responsible for lost items, so please do not keep anything of value in your drop bags. Unclaimed items will be donated to charity.
Early Start Option
For early start information contact
info@chicagoultra.org.
Awards and T-shirts
- Trophies to the overall female and male finishers. The overall winners will receive their trophies as they finish.
- Belt Buckles to 50M finishers 11 hours and under (no early starters).
- A medal to all 50K finishers.
- Dry-fit tech shirts to all paid participants.
Spectator Locations
The best spectator viewing areas are located near the Aid Stations and
the turnaround points on the course. Late arriving spectators should be
forewarned that there may be limited parking at the Start/Finish area.
However, there should be ample parking at the Chicago Park District
Parking Lots north of 31st Street, and at Oakwood Blvd/39th
Street. Normal Chicago Park District parking rates will apply.
Promontory Point, near 55th Street is another picturesque location on
the course. A pedestrian underpass beneath the Lake Shore Drive provides
access to the Promontory Point from the Hyde Park area.
Weather
Fall weather forecasting in Chicago is guesswork at best. We could have
temperatures in the 20's at the beginning of the race or temperatures in
60's by noon. More than likely, you should expect a bit of everything in
between. Anticipate a variety of temperature fluctuations along with the
chance of wind, rain, snow or sleet. Bring a couple of changes of
running gear and plenty of warm, dry clothing for the after race.
Hopefully, we will have a typical late Fall day of 30-50 degrees.
Results
Unofficial times will be posted at the finish area during and after the
race. Official results will be available on our website. Report, results
and photos will be published in UltraRunning Magazine following the
event – go to
www.ultrarunning.com to subscribe.
Post-Race Activities
A huge pot of Beth Onines' delicious world-famous red beans and rice
awaits all runners. Enjoy!
Important
Transfer of bibs to unregistered runners is not allowed. There are
no refunds for any reason.