The BTN 10K - Who's Going?

Earlier this week, BTN announced the first annual BTN 10K in Chicago. It'll be held on July 28th as a conclusion to Big Ten Media Days and the Big Ten thought this would way to "kick off the Big Ten football season", which ought to give you some indication as to what the conference is all about.

No debauchery. No "World's Biggest Cocktail Party" so we could beat the SEC in something. No contests where we can beat pinatas in the form of BCS bowl representatives. No, this is for healthy people.

GIven that, I was only mildly surprised when Mrs. CN sent me a text asking if we should plan a trip and go. Mrs CN likes to run. She's run a couple marathons for the Leukemia Foundation - one at Disney World in Florida, and one up in Alaska. This running thing, it's in her blood. Runners are like that. The rest of us look at them and only see masochism. They see some kind of high or a personal challenge, I think, I don't really know despite the experience with the woman. I can't get past the masochism.*

Even the three teenagers are interested. They've all played competitive soccer, the boys picking soccer over baseball because it was so bloody boring standing in one place waiting for something to happen.

Me? I'm not running 10k. Maybe if the only beer within 6.2 miles of me was on a race course and I had to beat all the other sunsabitches to get it, but even that's a stretch. More likely I'd go on a killing rampage because if it's the "ONLY BEER" in Chicago within that many miles, clearly we're in a post-apocalyptic scenario and you have to do what you have to to survive.

I'll probably do the 5K family friendly run/walk, or maybe I'll just go stand at the 10k finish line and wait for them with a camera. And a beer. (More likely the latter.)

A 10k race isn't an event that's going to attract a whole bunch of people. It's only going to attract a certain element (masochists, obviously), but if you're going I'd like to know (just how many masochists are out there, really). Maybe we can get together, share stories about how far we've gone to beat ourselves up in the name of health or something like that.**

Oh, and they have a spirit contest!

Participants are encouraged to show their school spirit with festive costumes and school-inspired accessories. The race gives Big Ten fans a chance to represent their school, compete against all Big Ten universities, and run alongside their friends while racing along the lakefront.

Mrs CN has already mentioned that, and that probably means that I'll be wearing some kind of corn outfit. Maybe it'll have good-sized pockets in which I can hide my beer.

I could use some advice on where to stay in Chicago as I have not been there in years. We're not looking for the finest hotel (Mrs CN: "They're kids, they shouldn't expect the best."), but we're wondering what the best choices would be around the area in which the race is taking place.

So, anyone else planning to attend this? (Honestly, I'm expecting crickets....)

* I remember when she was training for her first marathon, the first time she ran 20 miles. She finished at our house, and a lot of our neighbors were waiting for her. They were concerned - "Are you all right? Are you okay?". By the third time she'd run 20 miles, no one gave a shit anymore. They'd ask where she was and I'd say "she's out running 20 miles." The response? "Maybe she should run 30 or 40 and then we'd all be impressed again." Tough crowd.

** Okay, I kid. Health = vastly overrated until you don't have it, then it's the most important thing EVER.