Sunday, November 3, 2013

Carrera de los Muertos 5K race recap

Yesterday I ran the Carrera de los Muertos 5K for the first time.


This race is in honor of Dia de los Muertos ("Day of the Dead"), which is a Mexican holiday observed to remember friends and family that have died. The race takes place in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, which is a traditionally Mexican-American neighborhood to which I live nearby.

I had only recently heard about this race, but those that had run it before had absolutely RAVED over it. I have actually been starting to get into a little bit of a race rut, so I was looking forward to something different from the usual. WOW, did this race ever deliver! It was pretty much one giant party from start to finish.


I pulled myself out of bed before sunrise to get dressed and eat breakfast, then left in the darkness to catch a CTA pink line train down to 18th Street. As per usual with early-morning races, especially those that involve leaving in cold and darkness, I was wondering why I do these types of events "for fun."

Then I arrived at the race start to see the sun rising, big crowds of excited runners (many in costume), and the cheerful sounds of a mariachi band. I immediately perked up.




Packet pickup was a breeze, and there was no line for the portapotties. Excellent!

I wandered around for a bit observing some of the costumes:



This Blackhawks fan (aka yours truly) happened to notice some other great outfits being worn:



We also had a variety of beings keeping us company:

Why, hello there!

I saw Amanda. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture with her because she was scurrying to move her car from a nearby area amidst the announcement of tow-warnings over the public address system. Amanda, I hope you got there in time!

I went to check my bag at gear check. It was one of the more unusual gear check set-ups that I've ever seen:

Gear check tables set up underneath a railroad overpass

After I checked my bag, I ran into Maggie and her husband, who were both running the race.

Maggie and me

By the way - check out the cool personalized bibs, e.g. "La Maggie" and "La Emily." Male names, for example, would say "El Fabio." So funny!

I went to make a second stop at the portapotties and to try to warm up. A portapotty line had built up by this time, so afterwards I only had about ten minutes before the race starting time. Many of the surrounding streets were packed with people and/or were being blocked off to traffic due to the race. Therefore, there weren't a lot of places to warm up. I improvised by just running back and forth on a one-block stretch behind where all of the runners were lining up.

Some Speedy Gonzales graffiti artwork that I saw near where the runners were lining up

While I was warming up, I never heard a starting airhorn or similar for the race. But, I saw that the crowd was starting to inch forward. There had been pace signs set up for runners to line up accordingly. However, since the runners were moving, the pace areas were no longer clear. I just ran up to somewhere in the middle of the pack and wiggled sideways into any opening I could find.

It was very, very crowded. There were also lots of walkers, some of whom were walking five or more abreast. It made it very difficult to get my pace up. I didn't want to go overboard weaving through, but it was so crowded that I ended up having to slow down to a walk several times.

I thought that I had started the timer on my Garmin when I crossed the starting line. But somewhere during the first mile, I looked down and realized that it hadn't started. Oops. Not a big deal since this race was by no means intended to be a PR attempt or goal race. But, it still would have been nice to see my splits. Oh well.

In the meantime, I felt like I was moving along with a traveling party! The crowd was very energetic and there was lots of music and other course entertainment. In a flashback to my college years, I heard this song at least twice throughout the course of the event:


Plenty of folks of all ages stopped to dance along the way!

The crowd finally started thinning out a little bit after the halfway point, so I tried to pick up my pace a little bit. The course ran through parts of Pilsen and University Village. Even though I run through both neighborhoods all the time, the course did cover some streets that I'd never seen before. That was cool. I am excited to go back and run some of those streets again later in training.

According to the official race results, I ended up crossing the finish line in 28:57. Not too bad, especially considering how crowded it was for the first half of the race.

Almost all races that I've been to have served the run-of-the-mill water, bananas, and bagels to the runners at the finish line. Not this one.


They were even handing out freshly-made churros! What a nice treat after a race. I wish I had gotten a picture.

Then, on to the post-race party. It was a big street festival!






I always say that the way to get to know any travel destination is not just in its tourist hotspots, but more so in interacting with locals in their residential neighborhoods. Therefore, it was so much fun to run a race while simultaneously getting to absorb some of Pilsen's energy and festivity. It is motivating me now to seek out more of the other local neighborhood races held throughout the city - especially in the more ethnic communities.

One last thing. The Carrera de los Muertos is highly regarded for its race shirt. The shirt is so popular that the race organizers keep a tally of the locations where the race shirt has traveled.

Here is this year's shirt. (I was trying to show the sleeve detail so please disregard the awkward asymmetrical way that I ended up displaying it for the picture.)


The verdict? Love love LOVE! In my opinion, the race shirt alone was worth the race registration fee. It is easily my favorite shirt ever out of all the race shirts I have ever received.

Normally I only wear my race shirts when I am working out. But, I would wear this particular shirt all the time to travel, hang out with friends, go out for a casual meal, etc. Case in point - I happily wore the shirt to a Toastmasters meeting yesterday morning after the race, and I received several compliments on the shirt. =)

This race was a blast! I thoroughly enjoyed all of the festivities and I look forward to doing it again next year!

My next race: the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon on November 9

28 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Gracias, SeƱor Habe! Te gusto el Beef-A-Roni?

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  2. Congrats Emily! I agree, that shirt is the bomb. I love when races make the effort to be unique. This one sounds like a winner! Pilsen was one of my favorite neighborhoods to run through in the marathon.

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    1. Thanks, Marcia! There are so many races out there that little standout things like this make a huge difference when picking which races to do in the future! And I agree - Pilsen was an AMAZING neighborhood to run through during the Chicago Marathon. So much spirit and energy. Next time I'll have to take more advantage of all the food and drink they hand out there. =)

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  3. Glad we ran into each other before the race!! It was a lot of fun and I would definitely do this one again!

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    1. Maggie, it was great to run into you and Robert as well! I also look forward to running this race next year - and as you mentioned, I will probably look at wearing something more festive next time. Time to scour my wardrobe for anything skull-themed... =D

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  4. Is it time for da perculator? Ha. Anyway, sounds like a cool race and I do think the t-shirt is cool. Sorry to hear about all the slow runners/walkers, sounds like you and Maggie should have started up closer to the front. Oh well, maybe next year!

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    1. "It's time for da perculator... it's time for the da perculator... i'ts time for da perculator..." =D

      This race really is awesome! Although, unless you start up near the very front it is definitely not a race for a PR attempt. It is for sure more of a race that you go just to enjoy the party-scene. If you are free next year when it is being held and want to go run a race just for fun, I think you would really enjoy it!

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  5. What a fun race! I remember talking to Maggie about this race a couple months ago, but somehow it just totally fell off my radar. I love that the after-party was actually a party! A lot of race after-parties seem to fall pretty flat.

    Good luck at your half on Saturday! :)

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    1. You are so right about post-race "parties"! Usually I don't stick around for long after crossing the finish line - once I get some food and drink, I'm typically ready to head out. But this was actually a time when I would have liked to hang out for a little while afterward to partake in all the food and vendors. If you are free next time around this year and want to go run a race just for fun, I think you would really enjoy this race!

      Thank you for the well wishes for the Disney Wine & Dine next weekend! I am excited to see Mickey. =)

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  6. Gaaahhhhh! Ripping my hair out that I don't live in Chicago. That race shirt is AMAZING!! So jealous.

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    1. Come visit Chicago anytime!!! =) You've got an amazing selection of races in Minnesota, too! I read every year about how incredible the Twin Cities Marathon is, and I am loving hearing about all the local races that you do, too!!!

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  7. This race looks SO FUN! Totally on board for next year.

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    1. Katie, let's do it! I think you would love it! It'd be really awesome to get a big group of CRBs to run the race together next year and then hang out at the post-race festivities!!!

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  8. This sounds like such a fun race! I love the costumes, but I just don't know if I could run dressed like a gorilla or something like that haha. So exciting that you are running a Disney race next weekend...you must have a think for costumes ;-) Good luck!!

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    1. Amy, I do love seeing other folks running in costume, but have actually never worn one myself! I am challenged enough wearing traditional running attire, let alone some of the more elaborate, cumbersome ones you see out there. Last year I ran a 10K hosted by three of Chicago's sports teams, and there was a guy that ran in a full hockey goalie mask! Can you imagine!?!?!?

      Thanks for the well wishes on the Disney race! This will be my first-ever Disney race and I am looking forward to it. =)

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  9. This looks like it was part race, part party. I'm blown away by just how much of everything there is - activities, food, decorations, people. Pretty cool. And I agree, that's an awesome shirt!

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    1. Amy, you are exactly race in that it was part race, part party. Probably more party than race, actually. I saw a number of bibs lying on the ground throughout the race, probably from those who decided for forfeit the race portion and just go to the party, LOL. Btw - I noticed that your half marathon from yesterday was in honor of Day of the Dead, too! I am loving all the festivity behind the holiday!!!

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  10. Still bummed I missed out on this race! I think it's gotten a lot more popular. I remember when friends from my running club did it and it wasn't very well known. Now it sells out?? Amazing! On one hand, I love that it's such a fun atmosphere. On the other, I kind of wish it was still a "runner's" race. Oh well, I still want to do it!

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    1. Erin, I am bummed that registration was closed for you, too! I think you would have really enjoyed the festivities and it is so close to home for both of us! It does sound like this race has gotten a lot more popular. I had never heard about it until a few months ago but now it sounds like it's getting to be the talk of the town. But for sure - this is definitely more about having a good time and enjoying the atmosphere as opposed to attempting a PR (unless you line up in the very front). I think that a solid 75% of the folks at the race weren't experienced runners (you could tell by the number of participants wearing the race shirt at the race ;-) )

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    2. It was really too busy for me to enjoy the after festivities with the kids. But everything looked amazing!

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    3. Amanda, bummer that you weren't able to attend the festivities afterwards! I know you had to head over to McCormick to get your packet for Hot Chocolate (and I am glad to hear that race went so much more smoothly this year). Hopefully next year the timing will work out better!!!

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  11. Loved, Loved, LOVED this race! I hope to be able to run it again next year. So many great races though, so little time!

    Great recap and as always, it was great to see your smiling face!

    Hugs!!

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    1. Thanks, Amanda! I absolutely loved this race, too. I also hope to be able to run it next year but the choice of races is getting more and more competitive. There are multiple races to pick from every single weekend, now - it is crazy! Even this race has gotten so popular that I bet it sells out earlier and earlier every year from now on.

      It was so good to see you, too, and huge congrats on running such a strong race yourself! HUGS!!!

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  12. What a fun race! I am happy you got to do it! The shirt is so cool! I see that it's made it all over the globe! Will you be taking it somewhere to check in on their map? Ha ha.

    Ha ha ha, "La Emily." LOL

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    1. Thanks, La Kim! ;-) If you are free next time when the race takes place, I think you would really enjoy the festivities! And you know me too well - I was indeed scheming where I could take the shirt so as to add another skull-point on the map. =) It looks like they have some nice patches of white space that I could find an excuse to visit, LOL.

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  13. I've done it before and it is always like a party afterwards. However, I have never stayed before it is always too cold for me.

    Glad you had fun!

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    1. It was definitely a chilly one out there! But I think a lot of people warmed themselves up with lots of the local food offerings. =) Next year I will be more prepared to enjoy the post-race party (I really didn't expect that it would be the magnitude that it was)! I hope you are able to run it next year, too!!!

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