Fort2Base
Lake Forest, IL
- 10 Nautical Miles (11.5 miler), 3.5 Miler, 1 Miler
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Fort2Base is a monumental race through Lake County’s military history! Experience a firsthand view of the historic military encampments of The Philip H. Sheridan Reserve Center and the Naval Station Great Lakes as you take on one of the three unique course distances – a 10 Nautical Mile (11.5 miles), … MORE
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Nice distance, instant PR
The 3 Nautical Mile or 10 Nautical mile courses guarantee a PR. The courses are decent, the swag is great, including wow medals. Post race party is fantastic! One of … MORE
The 3 Nautical Mile or 10 Nautical mile courses guarantee a PR. The courses are decent, the swag is great, including wow medals. Post race party is fantastic! One of my favorite races in Chicagoland!
Well Executed
Have nothing but great things to say about this event. While the distance is a bit different (10 nautical miles = 11.5 miles), it's great to use as a training … MORE
Have nothing but great things to say about this event. While the distance is a bit different (10 nautical miles = 11.5 miles), it’s great to use as a training run, or just to race a different mileage. They bus you to the start and from the finish line, so parking was a breeze. Lots and lots of pacers and very well planned and executed. Finish line was very well stocked, and they were equally supportive of the runners at the back of the pack which isn’t always seen. Definitely have on my radar for future years!
Hero's Hill is worth it.
This race is amazing. The course is 10 nautical miles, which is 11.5 land miles. It runs on a bike/running trail for the most part. Lots of water stops, pacers … MORE
This race is amazing. The course is 10 nautical miles, which is 11.5 land miles. It runs on a bike/running trail for the most part. Lots of water stops, pacers all the way back to 16mm. The medal was amazing, plus the cold towel to take home made for great swag. Lots of food left for the back of the pack. Hero’s Hill is no joke. I’m going back next year so I can run the entire hill. The guys running the hill with everyone were fabulous, running on the Naval Base was really fun too. Great race
P2P Military Race on Chicago's N. Shore
Given its late August date, the weather can be unpredictable. This year, it was in the upper 60s and overcast, with the occasional threat of a thunderstorm. In other words, … MORE
Given its late August date, the weather can be unpredictable. This year, it was in the upper 60s and overcast, with the occasional threat of a thunderstorm. In other words, to my liking. This race starts in Highland Park’s Fort Sheridan and finishes in Waukegan’s Great Lakes Base, hence the name “Fort2Base.” It is billed as a 10-nautical miler (with a shorter, 3-NM distance), which translates to about 11.5 miles.
The race is mostly run on a bike path surrounded by trees, with the occasional train station to bypass and main road to cross. Aid stations are approximately 1.5 miles apart and the organization is pitch perfect … with one exception. The first mile was, by all accounts, very long. This isn’t normally an issue unless it throws everyone’s pacing into a tailspin because they believe it’s a Nautical Mile (about 1.15 miles). If you don’t have a GPS watch, you’ll likely spend the entire race thinking you just have to stop at 10. Until you don’t. So, a note to the organizers: please fix the distance of your first mile. While a deviation of 0.1-0.5 is expected, seeing the first mile marker at 1.18-1.2 miles across multiple devices is an error.
Besides that, I can see why this race has a small, but devoted following. With about 1,200 finishers, it was the perfect balance of large event and intimate gathering. Its point-to-point course and mostly flat course can allow for very fast times. I myself PR’d at 10 miles and then continued chugging along past Hero Hill at 10.5 miles to reach the finish.