One month after being named the Chicago Area Runners Association’s (CARA) Race of the Year for the third time in four years, the Hidden Gem Half Marathon accomplished another feat, selling out the 2026 race in less than nine hours.
“We thought we’d have a little fun with our runners and announced registration opening at midnight on April Fool’s Day. Little did we know how many people would lose sleep over the announcement,” said Tom Dobrez, race co-organizer and president of Flossmoor’s Future, the non-profit citizen group behind the race.
By 9 a.m. on April 1 the race was completely full.
“We double checked the admin site about 12:15 a.m. just to be sure all systems were working and were stunned to see over 300 runners had registered already. From there, the numbers kept growing,” Dobrez said.
The Hidden Gem will welcome 1,200 runners from 20 states and Puerto Rico to Flossmoor on Saturday, Sept. 12, for the seventh running of the popular race. All is not lost just yet for those who slept in and missed the registration. There will be additional chances to run in September.
“While we always plan to eventually sell out the race, we intentionally keep a few entries to provide to local charities to auction off as fundraising opportunities. Runners who missed out on registering will have a chance to support a local charity to get into the race,” said Brent Bachus, a race co-founder.
The Hidden Gem also maintains a waitlist for runners who were unable to register for this year’s race. Organizers encouraged runners who are looking for entry to email [email protected] to be added to the waitlist and to be alerted to those auctions as they come up.
“The Gem has always been blessed with amazing support from our community. Supporting local charities is one more way we can give back to the community that supports our race so well,” Bachus said.
At the heart of that support are the more than 500 local volunteers who come out each year to enthusiastically support the race and cheer on the runners. For those interested in volunteering, please reach out directly to Brent Bachus at [email protected].
Dobrez said the volunteers are a big reason the race has been recognized as Race of the Year three times in its short history. Runners have a big say in which race wins the honor each year, and he said CARA’s survey of runners indicates they appreciate the community’s passion for the race.
Every neighborhood in Flossmoor has a theme, and volunteers gather along the race route, often in costume, to cheer the runners along. Some neighborhoods have local musicians performing. One Heather Hill couple serves mimosas to runners who need refreshment between water stations.
Dobrez said volunteers make sure the Gem is a well-organized event, managing all the details that make things work smoothly for runners.
“I’m not really a runner myself, so I don’t know, but apparently every race might not have the same kind of organization to it, everything from registration day packet pickup to starting the race on time, having accurate timing and providing proper directions and parking,” he said.
Dobrez said the leadership of the race included runners like Sam and Betsy Cutrara, who had a good sense for how to manage race logistics. He also credited CARA for providing good guidelines for race management.
He said he was especially proud of the honor for the 2025 race because the route had to be changed to account for construction work in the village. He said volunteers made that adjustment seamless for runners.
The race has decided to give the community a chance to celebrate its success. In late August, organizers will host Toast The Gem at the Flossmoor Station Restaurant and Brewery.
“Race fans and beer fans always look forward to the annual tapping of the Hidden Gem beer at the brewery and so this year we thought we’d make an affair out of it,” Dobrez said.
The organizers will celebrate the CARA Race of the Year award and the tapping of the limited time craft beer on Aug. 29 at the brewery.
