Running was popular in Europe long before it caught on in America, which is why most races are measured in kilometers instead of miles and why most of the Pilgrims were eaten by bears. Race to the top of the food chain with today's Groupon for race admission from All Community Events. Choose from the following options:

• For $15, you get one race entry for Run the Pier (a $30 value) on Sunday, September 18. Racers start from 7:45 a.m. to 8:45 a.m.
• For $15, you get one race entry for the World's Largest Corn Maze Run/Walk (a $30 value) in Spring Grove on Sunday, October 16. Racers start from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
• For $15, you get one race entry for the Long Grove Turkey Trot 5K Run/Walk (a $30 value) on Thursday, November 24, at 9 a.m.
• For $15, you get one race entry for the Grant Park Turkey Trot 5K Run/Walk (a $30 value) on Saturday, November 26, at 9 a.m.
For $30, you get one race entry for the Chi Town Half Marathon (a $60 value) in March 2012. The exact date and time of this race is still TBD.

All Community Events gathers together athletes of all stripes to set off on brisk, well-organized outdoor runs. In the one-mile Run the Pier jaunt, sprinters can goggle at the skyscrapers surrounding Navy Pier, dash beneath its towering ferris wheel, and reach underneath the pier to grab fistfuls of the cotton candy keeping it afloat before finishing through its welcoming arch. The World's Largest Corn Maze Run/Walk weaves through five kilometers of paths that wind through a dense cornfield, while a pair of Turkey Trots let exercise-hounds burn off calories in advance of the day's traditional feast. Though its exact date will be pinned down as the event draws closer, the Chi Town Half Marathon pits runners against 13.1 miles of verdant north-side terrain. The challenging but beginner-friendly race's March date places it well before most of the year's other major races, and provides a compelling reason to step outside during the dark, werewolf-riddled chill of winter.