Closing out 2023 with an overdue race review and a commitment to run better and write more in 2024!
The Frank Lloyd Wright Races were not included in my list of must-do Chicago races published at the end of 2019. This was because, although I saw the FLW races to be a popular event highlighting Chicago history, it takes place in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Illinois.
Oak Park does have more rights to calling itself “Chicago” than say, Naperville, since it does border the city and it’s only a straight shot of less than 10 mils into the Loop. My list however was limited to races that started and finished in the Chicago zip code.
With that out of the way, I did finally get to Oak Park this fall, a week after the Chicago Marathon, to participate in the Frank Lloyd Wright Races celebrating the famous architect. There was a 10k, a 5k, and a youth mile (for kids 7+). Kurt and I chose to run the 10k since that course promised to pass five Frank Lloyd Wright designed homes in addition to the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio.
The course started near Oak Park & River Forrest High School and was mostly flat suburban streets. Frank Lloyd Wright settled there in the late 1800s and much of the area was influenced by him. I found the homes so remarkably “modern” for homes built more than 100 years ago. The race itself has a long history. It has been a staple for the local running community for close to 50 years!
Held on October 15 this year, a day that was brisk and saw rain in the early morning. I was grateful for indoor gear check and a warm dry spot to warm up at the nearby Ridgeland Common Recreation Complex. Thankfully, the day dried up and the sun came out and it turned into the perfect day fall day for running.
Anyone coming from the city can access the event location from the CTA Green Line Ridgeland stop or the Metro Pacific West Line Oak Park stop, both a short walk to the start. We drove coming from Lake County and parked in a recommended parking garage about a half mile away. There is no race parking at the high school or recreation complex. Street parking is also limited because of the racecourse and street closures.
The race is organized by the Park District of Oak Park. Registration and scoring was handled by emotive, all went smoothly. Pre-race packet pick up was at Fleet Fleet Chicago’s Oak Park store, and day-of packet pick-up was also available at the recreation center.
All in all, this was a nice race. May be a potential PR course, although there are a lot of turns. For the first half of the course, I was focused on spotting the houses which weren’t marked beyond the standard pre-existing plaques. By the 2nd half, I was focused on finishing and trying to pick -off some of the other runners just ahead of me, and maybe – just maybe – doing better than my last 10k.
Kurt says the reason to come back and do the race next year is that you know where to look for the houses the next time. For me, I’ll be back because I have other unfinished business! At some point in the 2nd half of the race while I was gunning for a 2023 10k personal record, I tore my plantar fascia (who even knew that was a thing?).
Didn’t know that’s what happened at the time. Just hobbled back to the car thinking this felt a lot different than what I was treating as plantar fasciitis with marginal success on an off all summer. Finally, a doctor’s visit 2 weeks later when there was no relief. MRI. Six weeks in a boot and now another 6 weeks of foot and ankle conditioning exercises before I can even think about getting back to a run/walk or even increasing my step count.
But I’ll be back. One of the upsides to an injury – assuming you’re smart about it – is the opportunity to come back stronger. I’ve done this before. Important to take it slowly and prioritize getting strong, balanced, and flexible. Winter is a good time for that. So, yes Frank Llyod Wright, I’m coming back next year.
