Muddy Monk

you can tell these guys love what they do…
ran my first race with this organization (i heart momma) and have been singing its praises ever since… will be back for more.
you can just tell so much thought and passion are put behind the execution of these races. no crappy goody bags, no man-​handled bagels… instead: (vegan) dogs and BEER! no egos… instead: smiles for miles.
if you want to escape the concrete jungle and run with nature (and feel safe), i highly recommend looking them up.

I ran the Nearly Sane Trail Half this last summer, for $ 60 I’d say it’s not a bad deal. It being my first race EVER, I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t like that they changed the course route last minute to a lot of there-​and-​backs. From the start line to the beginning of the trail was single-​filed walking, so that was a bit of a bummer. I was unhappy with lack of information leading up to the event, as it created a fair amount of unnecessary pre-​race anxiety. Also, it was not chipped.
With all that being said, overall I DID enjoy it. The weather was gorgeous and the beer was great. A 10 year old ran the course which I thought was awesome! I would definitely recommend this if there’s any kids out there (preteens/​teens) looking to race and not able to get in to other events. They were very accommodating in that sense.
Also, a shipment of the medals did not come in, so they handed out leftover medals from a prior race with a «send us your address» sticker to some of the finishers. There’s a real family vibe going there, and they gave my friend 3 of the old medals for her kids at home — the kids were STOKED! I thought that was super kind of them. Really great people!

Andy C pretty much covered everything so go read his review.
Muddy Monk puts on A+ events. They are laid back and an absolute blast! The races are well organized and well executed. The courses are extremely well marked. Some of the courses are more technically challenging than others, but they’re always a blast to run.

Founded in September of 2012, Muddy Monk had a simple vision based on a few loves: people; the city of Chicago; good beer; and, trail running. So the concept was born that Muddy Monk would design and coordinate trail races replete with aid stations and plenty of volunteers and provide craft beer (following all local rules and regulations) at the end of each trail race. I’ve had the luxury of running in three of their events (their inaugural Thriller in Schiller, the Frozen 5 Miler, and the Mayday³ 15k) and I’ll offer a a few quick points about these guys:
Organization: 4.5 out of 5, and getting better each time
As with every new concept, there will be growing pains, and Muddy Monk was not exempt from these early learning curves. At the very first Thriller in Schiller, a lot of good work was done up front, and registration/​getting to the course itself wasn’t an issue. Some of the main concerns that the runners had (and echoed by the organizers after the event) included a shortage of water after the event, and the need for some type of streamlined timing system. As an aside, MM does not use the disposable timing chips that you may find on road races for a # of reasons, some being cost and logistics, but they do employ Race Splitter. The second race I did with them (Frozen Five Miler) was truly a test against nature. The race was set in Poplar Creek Woods (I-​90 and Sutton) and it snowed, snowed, snowed the days before with limited snow removal. Combine that with the fact that REI was doing a demo of some type in the same area, and parking was nonexistent at the grove. Here, MM definitely improvised, and had people park at the sports retail center down the road, and sort of came up with a makeshift shuttle system. Did it work? Yes. Was it pretty? Perhaps not, but I have a feeling that if the same thing were to happen again in the same type of weather, they’d be prepared. My most recent race with them was the Mayday³ 15k. Because I had some errands in the area in the morning, I came out two hours prior to race start time, and MM had the operation running smoothly. Volunteers were out helping with registration, the course was already marked, and all of the electronics were working. The organization of this event was spot on and I hope that the upward trend continues.
Cost of Races: 4 out of 5
MM’s races are reasonable to run from a price perspective, and if you register early enough, a 5 — 8 mile run will set you back about 35 bucks. And you get a t-​shirt/​hoodie and some type of finisher’s award. And snacks/​refreshments at the end, along with one craft beer. Race day signup isn’t that bad either, as I signed up on the day of the Mayday³ for the 15k distance and was only set back 40 bucks. I didn’t get a finisher’s award (pint glass), but I did a shirt. For reference, they are holding a half marathon this summer, and early registration is 55 $. I imagine that a good chunk of that goes towards making sure that there are paramedics on site during the whole duration of the race.
Technical difficulties of trails: 1 — 5 out of 5
I remember the Thriller in Schiller being a very easy race to run. It was my first ever 5k of any type, and I enjoyed how for all intents and purposes, it was «easy» and I didn’t struggle a lot. The Frozen Five Miler, full of slush and snow and ice, was more technical but at least it was mainly straight with very little lateral movement throughout. But oh yes… the Mayday³, that race was gnarly. The single track was particularly narrow, and oh boy was there a lot of lateral motion to dodge in between trees. Limbs and branches greeted you IN THE FACE if you weren’t careful, and there were enough fallen trees that you had either jump over them gracefully, like a gazelle — or if you were tired on the last 5k, come to a standstill, put one leg over, and then slowly put the other leg over. As a general rule, the 5ks I would imagine would be slightly «easier» from a technical perspective, but this is not a hard and fast rule.
Fun factor: 5 out of 5
This is where MM shines. There’s something a little different, maybe even «off», about trail runners. At the end of the race, we drink a beer and talk about what parts of the course gave gave us the most problems, or compare the amount of mud and cuts that we have. Trail running is just more FUN for me.
Selection of beer: 4.5 out of 5
MM and I will just have to split hairs on this one. I personally don’t think that Finch’s is that good when it comes to competing with the rest of Chicago’s microbreweries. This does not mean that I won’t drink it, it just means that for a volume to cost comparison, I much prefer Half Acre. But I get it — Finch’s is probably easier to get in the 4 varieties that are usually out there, and no one really complains. And I shouldn’t either. Moving along…
Overall: 5 out of 5
Fun times, fun people, good beer.