On the weekend of Mother’s Day, my family and I travel to Ottawa, Illinois, for the hungry rock marathon. This annual event is a hero every year on the second Saturday of May and allows runners to board the hills of the state park. It is a difficult event, but it is worth the experience.
Ottawa, Illinois, is just one hour from Chicago and an extremely easy trip. You feel that you are in a completely different state, only thought you just travel shortly. After leaving the suburbs, it enters Rock Country, which is bordered by corn fields and rural development.
We arrived on Friday and went directly to the collection of packages, which is a hero in the Columbus Knights building in the center of Ottawa. This is a good opportunity to drive through the area and see all the charming restaurants and stores that make up the community.
After grabbing my package, we go to Utica, Illinois, which is on the outskirts of the state park. This small community has a block of breweries and restaurants for visitors to enjoy.
There is also a museum and some historical sites to visit. Our favorite was an ice cream shop called Something and Bruce and Ollies. Theme after the owners’ dogs, the puppies are welcome and encouraged. This family jewel is located inside the Bickerman building and serves a delicious variety of offers, which include Capannari ice cream, hungry rock coffee mixtures, August Hill wine, craft beers and more.
Then we used to dine in the Court Street pub, which had a sensation inside with large windows on the front that open and a menu or abundant options. We were all hungry and needed a basic and family food spray, the marathon was the next morning.
After dinner, we registered in my absolute favorite place to stay in Ottawa, The Fairfield Inn & Suites. The hotel is only 8 minutes from the city center and shares a parking lot with a Starbucks and Culver. It is a minute from the local Walmart and from the road. Beyond the location, it is ideal, the hotel is warm and cozy, and a true home away from the home.
The rooms are large and luxurious with comfortable mattresses and clean and spacious bathrooms. In addition, free breakfast is included with all stays. Breakfast is hot and cold and has a wide variety of options for guests. As an itinerant and active family, it is an efficient cost and time for breakfast at the hotel that is included in the price of the stay. It is also important for my family to have healthy options to support the many activities that are planned during the weekend.
After a rapid unpacked, we snuggled to spend the night and slept like a rock, before my alarm woke me up until I got to Rock the rock!
I walked to Starbucks and had a coffee before driving the 8 minutes to the center of Ottawa, where is the starting line for the marathon and 5k. Media marathon runners are taken by bus to the hungry rock park and return to the center of Ottawa. If you are a fan of the half marathon, it should not be lost. You get the experience of the state park and you can enjoy the hills before your legs are too fatigued.
The marathon and 5K runners blessed at 7 am and ran through the center of Ottawa and the residential areas that surround it. Then we head to the State Park. We are seeing half marathon runners walking in the opposite direction of us just around Mile eight of Ourney to the state park. Thousands of one to six were relatively flat, but then the elevation began. We had hills through the State Park and the areas surrounding the state park, which sometimes had enough intention. A particular hill had almost a mile long. Up.
Thousands of six to twenty were quite stacked with lifting changes. It was an exhausting battle with my legs and the sun, which was relentless. There seemed not to have a single cloud in heaven. Despite the difficult conditions, the course was beautiful.
We ran through the State Park, outside the park along a rural road and then returned to the State Park, where we woven through several rock formations for which the park is known. Then, in mile 20 after having left the park, we returned to the center of Ottawa.
Miles 20 to 24 were on a rural road without clouds. It is flat, but it was quite difficult given the heated conditions, and thousands that had just packaged. I think this was the most difficult part of the race for me. Once we arrived at Mile 24, we were back in the center of the city and the end felt close.
We ended up crossing a bridge and returning to the finish line in the center of Ottawa. The finish line was stored with treats after the race and hydration so that the runners enjoy.
It was a difficult race, but Hemth in every step. The landscape was beautiful and the logistics of the race was marked. The small event is easy for parking and walking runners to the starting line. The course is incredible well marked, and all runners received a t -shirt and a cotton bag, as well as a medal at the end.
After finishing my 26.2, I returned to the hotel for a shower and a change of clothing well necessary. Then we arrived at the Lone Buffalo, where all the runners received a free beer 26.2, which the brewery does every year for the races.
We arrive at some of the center’s stores and particularly the books of Déjà Vu and Prairie Fox.
After exploring the city center, we return to the hotel to give us a dip in the pool. There is nothing like a relaxing swimming, after hard training. Water literally massages its muscles and cooling temperatures feel good in the stuffed joints and feet. The pool area and the pool in the Fairfield Inn is clean and is well camping. (This is strange today and really appreciated!). Thanks to the hotel for providing clean and dry towels in the pool area and an impeccable pool floor.
I also get used to the training room to use the foam roller and mats to stretch. Having a physical conditioning area in a hotel is so important after the race for adequate stretching before traveling home. This training room had two running tapes and a weight load for weightlifting and stretching.
After the update, we go to the state park to do some hiking. We accidentally parked in an area that required us to climb 180 stairs to reach the path to walk. We were walking down the stairs. That was the easy part. The children skipped rocks and explored the paths that constitute this incredible treasure that we have so close to Chicago. The state park is really magnificent. After our exploration, we board the stairs and return to our car.
The graduation dance was happening for the schools in the area and it was sweet to see all high school students dressed for the new ones taking photos in and around the park. We took a quick dinner and fell asleep shortly after our heads hit the pillows.
I strongly recommend this as an end to your spring marathon season. The hungry rock marathon is small and charming. It is well managed and offers a challenging but rewarding experience. You feel how you think you’ve gone and entered a completely new world. Fairfield Inn and Suites in Ottawa is really a home away from the home, with clean and spacious rooms. Free breakfast is an incredible advantage, with many healthy options. The pool and the exercise room are essential for runners after the race to help relax.
Schedule this race for May 2025 and unique me at the Fairfield Inn for an incredible race weekend!
