Which big ten schools will best represent?

Game on. Sixteen schools are now in the competition.

It has become one of the biggest and best of Chicago running races—and that’s pretty lofty company when you consider all the great race events our fine city hosts from spring through the fall season.

But The Big Ten 10K/5K run taking place this Saturday has truly become something special.

The enthusiasm of the runners all representing the pride and prestige of their favorite Big Ten schools is a sight to behold. The youthful energy (yes young and old run in this race, but the 18-35 year age group dominates), adds to it as does the common theme of midwest comradery and the incredible color display as runners race in t shirts, caps,. shoes, shorts headbands, earrings, nose rings, tattoos and pretty much anything else you can think of all bearing the colors of their favorite school.

It becomes almost like a moving artistic and colorful display, as over 5,000 runners race South along Chicago’s beautiful lakefront, before looping around and finishing right back at Soldier Field.

While all the runners will be running in spirited unison the question remains: Which school amongst the thousands of runners will be best represented? The competition figures to be intense.

The home state Illinois Fighting Illini, and Northwestern Wildcats obviously have the location advantage, and the Orange and Blue and Color Purple will be out in full force for sure. But they will have competition.

Watch out for a sea of red. Indiana, Wisconsin and Nebraska all sporting just slightly different versions of the Crimson color, all have really strong alumni bases right here in Chicago. Well, maybe not Nebraska so much, but the Husker faithful easily make up for it with their hard to match Cornhusker loyalty and passion.

“Go Blue “and “Go Green” always turnout in big numbers for this race and together in peaceful harmony ( ha, we can only hope) arch rivals Michigan and Michigan State will do battle for turnout numbers. Meanwhile, closer to home, Purdue always stands out in their majestic black and gold colors. Boiler Pete (their sometimes worrisome mascot) might even make an appearance to fire up Boiler Nation.

Speaking of the black ( while adding in some gold), lest we forget the huge contingent that always enthusiastically shows for the beloved Iowa Hawkeyes, and keep an eye out also for the surprising and underrated gang from Minnesota. In recent years, Minnesota has made big strides in the Chicago area, and the Golden Gopher alumni will no doubt be out in strong force.

Don’t sleep on the Buckeyes either! O—Hi—O will be shouted early and often during this race, and while their alumni base here in Chicago might not be quite as large as some others—we learned long ago—never count out the loyal Buckeye contingent.

Rutgers, Maryland and Penn State? They used to be the new kids on the block (not anymore, keep reading), but now that they have been in the Big Ten for awhile their alumni base has grown. Runners representing those three schools will no doubt emphasize quality over quantity as they match up with some of the other traditional Big Ten schools.

And to make this year’s race even more interesting…we have added four new schools to the Big Ten Conference. As Cub announcer Harry Carey used to say, Holy Cow!

UCLA, Oregon, USC and Washington now join the already crowded conference and will compete for the first time in The Big Ten 10k/5k, adding even more colors to what already was a dazzling rainbow of runners.

It’s unlikely that these new entries will have too many runners, but you never know. Surprises could be in store. What better way to make a splash in your first Big Ten event than shock everybody and show up in huge numbers for the Chicago Race.

Who knows? There could be 5 bus loads of Blue and Gold UCLA runners heading east on the highway as we speak ( read?), or maybe they are wearing the Trojan Maroon and Gold as they head down the Interstate crossing half the country?

Meanwhile, who's to say that Oregon and Washington won’t charter a plane and drop like drones loads of runners right onto the Soldier Field starting line. What a way for the Ducks or Huskies to make an entrance into the conference!

However it all turns out it should be a blast. As stated at the top, this run has really become one of the bigger ones Chicago has to offer, and when it comes to comradery and collective enthusiasm? It might be right at the top.

The 10 k race starts at 7:00 am this Saturday, with an 8:15 am kick off for the 5k. The post-race party (also a quality gathering and celebration of runners and the schools they attended) follows immediately after.

Spectators are welcome to cheer on the runners along the route. Just make sure you are proudly sporting your favorite school colors.