Chicago Lakefront 50K George Cheung Memorial Race - Information
Location and Directions
The race starts at the Foster Avenue beach house in Lincoln Park,
Chicago, Illinois. The park is located on the north side of Chicago,
right along the Lake Michigan shoreline. To reach the Foster Avenue
beach house, take either Foster Avenue (Hwy. 41) eastbound until you deadend into the park, or use Lake Shore Drive northbound (also Hwy. 41)
and exit at Foster Avenue into the park. There is no southbound exit
from Lake Shore Drive onto Foster Avenue. Once you are in the park, look
for the large parking lot near the starting line. Parking options are
listed later in this letter.
Packet Pickup and Race Day Registration
There are 2
options: Race packets will be available on Friday, March 26, 2010, from
noon to 7 p.m. at Fleet Feet Sports, located at 1620 N. Wells, Chicago
Illinois . On race day packet pickup will begin at 7:00 a.m. at the
Foster Avenue beach house. Registration will be available at both
locations unless the race reaches its capacity beforehand. All
runners must visibly display their bib number in front, for scorekeeping
purposes.
Lincoln Park Safety Issues
- The Chicago Lakefront 50K will weave through a long, narrow strip of parkland known as Lincoln Park. The entire shoreline of Chicago is a multi-use park, shared by runners, bikers, bladers, boaters, golfers, fishermen, museum and zoo goers, dog walkers and every other form of leisure, pedestrian traffic.
- The park is closed between 11 p.m. and sunrise, during which the parking lots are gated.
- On race day, as every day, the park is 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 not be aware that a race is in progress, since we are small in number, compared to the larger 5k and 10k 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.
- Part of the event is on the lakefront bike path. Stay to your right, running no more than two abreast, and let bikes pass you on the left. As you cut across the path glance over your shoulder to look for the passing bikes, just as you would if you were changing lanes while driving.
- Chicago Lakefront 50K participants are not permitted to run with dogs or strollers.
The Course
The 50K course will
consist of three beautiful 10.3+ mile out-and-backs. The
Start/Finish area begins at Foster Avenue Beach and weaves south,
approximately 5.17-miles, to the Far South Turnaround near Diversey.
In-between, the course is comprised of a 78% crushed limestone and
cinder path, and 22% paved bike path. There will be a large race
clock at the Start/Finish Turnaround.
Here is a mapmyrun.com
course map.
Here are the distances at each turnaround point:
| Start | 0.0 miles |
| Far Turnaround | 5.2 miles |
| Start/Finish Turnaround | 10.4 miles |
| Far Turnaround (second time) | 15.5 miles |
| Start/Finish Turnaround | 20.7 miles |
| Far Turnaround (third time) | 25.9 miles |
| Finish | 31.0692 (50k) |
Who was George Cheung?
Find out here
Attention: First-time Ultramarathoners
- Ultramarathon courses, especially those using a multiple out-and-back route, DO NOT have splits at each and every mile.
- We will have splits at the middle aid station, and at the turnaround points, at each end of the course. (See distances, above)
- You will be able to obtain accurate 1-mile splits by using the Park District Running Path mileage markers, which are located every 1/2 mile on the course. Those markers do not coincide with any mile markers in our race. However, they can serve as guides for accurate pacing
Course Markings
The course itself
will be marked with orange spray paint especially near
forks-in-the-path, merging paths, turns near underpasses and at the
turnaround points. Look for the sample at the start as to how the
markings will look.
Aid Stations: There will be 3 Aid Stations on the course
- The Start/Finish/Turnaround Aid Station: Located at the Start/Finish area
- The Not-Quite-the-Middle Aid Station: Located near the Waveland Clocktower area
- The Far Turnaround Aid Station: Located at the far southern end of the course.
Aid Stations will have water, Gatorade, Coke, cookies, pretzels, potato chips, candy, fruit, first aid supplies and all the goodies you expect from us. An ambulance will not be stationed on the course. There are four major hospitals located within limping distance of the course, on the other side of Lake Shore Drive . Aid station volunteers and others will be able to call 911 for help if necessary.
Drop Bags
There will be a tarp near the Start/Finish area to leave drop bags.
These bags will remain there throughout the race. We can not be
responsible for lost items, so please do not include anything of value.
Unclaimed items will be donated to charity.
Parking
- There is ample parking at the Start/Finish area; adjacent to the Foster Avenue beach house. Optional parking is located along the street, just past the parking lot. Parking on the street may even put your vehicle closer to the path than in the parking lot. All cars will be in close proximity to the path and Start/Finish area.
- Spectator parking is located throughout the park in numerous locations. Ideal viewing and parking areas are located near the Hill at Montrose, the Clocktower/Middle Aid Station area, and at Diversey Harbor.
- Parking is no longer free. Expect to pay at least $1.00 per hour.
Time Limits and Cutoffs
There will be a
7-hour time limit for the race. Please notify an aid station
volunteer or race official if you intend to drop out of the race.
Volunteers may be able to assist you with transportation back to the
Start/Finish area if needed. You should plan on reaching the last
turnaround point at around 5.5 hours to make the 7 hour time limit.
Early Start Option
- Early start option is available for interested runners up to one hour prior to the official start
- Runners who choose this option must report to Pat Onines before you start. He will add you to the Early Start List and mark the bottom of your bib with an ES.
- After the sign-up, runners can start anytime they want
- Important Warnings
- Early starters are responsible for their own time-keeping, safety (since marking of the course may not be complete), and aid (since aid stations may not be fully set up).
- Early starters will receive a finisher's medal if they finish the event within 7 hours of the official start
- Early starters will not receive an official finish time but will receive a “Finished” in the results.
Age Group Divisions
There will be seven age groups: under 30; 30-39; 40-49; 50-59;
60-69; 70-79; 80 and over.
Only the first
overall winners receive a trophy.
Weather
Springtime forecasting in Chicago is guesswork at best. We could have
temperatures in the ’20s at the starting line or temps in the ’70s by
noon. More than likely, you can expect a bit of everything in-between.
Anticipate a variety of temperature fluctuations, along with the chance
of rain, snow or sleet. Bring a couple changes of running gear and
plenty of warm, dry clothing for after the race. Hopefully, we will
have a typical springtime day of 35-55 degrees. Sunshine optional.
50k Awards and T-shirts
- Trophies to overall top finishers, both male and female. Winners receive their trophies as they finish
- An attractive medal to all 50k finishers
- T-shirts to all paid participants
Results
Times will be
posted at the finish line area, during and after the race.
Official results will be available on our website, CARA and Chicago
Athlete. Official results with a race report will be sent to
UltraRunning Magazine.
Lodging
The following motels/hotels are conveniently located near the race
course:
1/2 mile west of start:
Chicago Lodge; 920 W. Foster Avenue; 773-334-5600 - Ask for Eugene Rivera and mention "Chicago Lakefront
50k ultra"
2-1/2 miles south of the start / 1/2 mile off the the course:
Best Western Hawthorne Terrace; 3434 N. Broadway; 773-244--3434;
http://www.bestwestern.com
City Suites Hotel; 933 W. Belmont; 773-404 -3400
Park Brompton Hotel; 528 W. Brompton; 773-404 -3499
3-1/2 miles south of the start / 1/2 mile off the the course:
Comfort Inn Lincoln Park; 601 W. Diversey; 773-348-2810;
http://www.comfortinn.com
Days Inn Lincoln Park; 644 W. Diversey; 773-525-7010
http://www.daysinn.com
Surf Hotel; 555 W. Surf; 773-528 -8400
Downtown Chicago:
Hostelling International Chicago; 211 E. Congress Parkway; 312-360-0300; http://www.hichicago.org