Race Recap: The 2019 Stan's Donut 5k — Aesthetically Athletic

WILL RUN FOR DONUTS.

No seriously. I’ll run for donuts. Or hot dogs. Or pizza. Or candy…basically Will Run for Junk Food.

And that’s why the Stan’s Donut 5k is one of my fave fun runs in the city. They have two donut stops on the course as well as donuts at the finish! Plus the medal is donut shaped (I put mine in my Kudos coaster so it’s on display!) and you get a High Brew coffee at the end.

This is a great, family friendly race that allows strollers and has less focus on running for time and more on having fun. I like the quick out and back course (which is great for a 5k) and I love the post-race party.

I did have a couple of cons for this race, but the team is aware and always learning (this race is only a few years old, after all!)

· Packet pick-up was so far outside of downtown, that ubers/lyfts from the Loop were well over $30 and it would take over an hour to commute. This led to more people than I have ever seen at any event doing day-of packet pickup, which meant a lot of runners were stressed and rushing. I did this as well, because as someone who works in the Loop and lives in Gold Coast, Ravenswood is a pretty substantial hike.

· I saw quite a few stroller/runner collisions. I'm glad it's a family friendly event, but strollers being in the back corral will need a more strict enforcement.

· I think the Very Fast, Fast, Kinda Fast, Slower types of corrals are great—I’m a definite fan

· I loved the donut stops, but there was a desperate need for more volunteers manning the water tables, and more water available (especially because the donuts are hard to chew while running without water!) It's a short race, but it was warm.

Those are just things to be aware of when you show up—make sure you arrive early and with your patient pants on (just like all races).

A great thing about this race, and the whole series of races Adrenaline Special Events puts on, is that it gets people who wouldn’t normally giving running a shot at all to get out, be active with friends, and explore the city a bit! I saw all ages on the course, from kids to their grandparents, from all walks of life. That’s a really great aspect to fun runs that I think is often neglected. ASE has two more events coming up soon that I’ll be posting about as well—one with Candyality (the Candy shop in the North/Clybourn area) and the Santa Hustle, which fun fact, is a race in which my aunt (who doesn’t consider herself a runner) participates every year in Indianapolis!

Overall this race is an absolute blast. I recommend going in with a relaxed attitude and treating it as a fun run, even though it’s chip timed. It’s a fun race to just enjoy the scenery and eat some donuts with friends! Can’t wait to run again next year, and I’m so excited for their Candy and Santa themed races in the coming months!

— B

Stan's Donut 5k 2019

WILL RUN FOR DONUTS.