The Green Girl did the SkirtSports Skirt Chaser 5k in hot and humid Chicago's Lincoln Park this weekend.SkirtSports is a sporting apparel company created by a professional triathlete,Nicole DeBoom. Out of a desire to create active wear that made her feel feminine, she designed the first women's running skirt and actually became an Ironman champion wearing a home-sewn prototype.
This was Mr. Green Garmin's first time outside of California and his first time changing time zones. I had assumed he would automatically detect his new location and adjust accordingly, but that was not the case. I had to set him up for a second time zone*.
The race was well organized and everything was clearly marked.With each race registration, the girls received a SkirtSports running skirt and the guys, aka the 'skirt chasers', got Skirt Chaser shirts. There was a changing tent conveniently located next to the registration tables.
There were Skirt Chaser stickers for the single girls to attach to themselves to indicate they were available to the male 'Chasers'.After I picked up my bib, running skirt, and goodie bag, I checked my backpack at the Bag Check.
An ice cream cart went by and I got a strawberry popsicle to try and cool off.
The Skirt Chaser race features a 'Catch Me' wave. The 'Skirts' get a 3 minute head start ahead of the 'Chasers' so all the girls lined up in front. I headed straight for the back of the girl section. It was so amusing to me that behind me was all guys! They looked ready to chase.The race started promptly without pomp and circumstance. I tried my best to block out the stifling heat and eased into a comfortably fast pace.
Aside from a couple of girls I spotted wearing shorts, all the female runners were sporting running skirts.As much as I had dreaded the very thought of a running skirt, I was glad I ultimately decided to wear one because I blended right in with the crowd.
The route took us around Lincoln Park's Diversity Harbor. The occasional ocean breeze combined with the shady sections of the course made the heat bearable.
I did the first 2 miles at an 11:30 average pace but the oppressive humidity got to me and I walked most of the last mile. I was so consumed by the heat that I missed the last turn and ended up doing an extra 0.23 miles.I skipped the Finish Line beer after-party, fashion show, and singles dating game and opted instead to walk back down to Downtown Chicago to get in some post-run carbo loading with an authentic deep dish pizza.
* Mr. Green Garmin was able to detect when he was back home and automatically switched back to time1.
