For anyone seeking the best way to take a break from Law School finals I have found the secret. Just take a quick trip out of town to an enjoyable race to get your mind off the stress of finals. When I saw that the Hot Chocolate series was coming to St. Louis on the weekend between my two weeks of finals I thought that it would be a great release from the strain of constant studying and pressure that was bound to occur during those two weeks.

There has been an exponential growth in themed races in America. Just in the few years that I have been running there has been an explosion of race series that have themes surrounded by parties, celebrations and excitement beyond the thrill of finishing. There are races now that promote glowing paint, mud (lots of mud!), inflatables and color powder just to name a few. One of the best tasting themes of any of these races is the Hot Chocolate series that has quickly expanded to multiple races throughout America. The races start in November and run through the winter and into the early spring in cities throughout America including a very big race in Chicago each year.

This is the third year for the STL race and the previous two years the Hot Chocolate was well deserved at the end due to the weather. This year the temperature at step off was in the fifties and they announced that combining the previous two years temperature at step off would still be 20 degrees below this year's temperature.

Race Criteria: I have divided my experience into five categories that cover what I think is every aspect of a race. Just to make it easy each category will be numbered 1-20 for a total out of 100 to rank the race.

Race Organization: 17/20
I have ran some of the best ran races in America and I love to see different approaches to putting on races. Hot Chocolate, obviously, has plenty of experience putting on races and they have perfected what is needed to run a successful race. They sent out multiple e-mails with training plans that list out what a typical training plan would include in the upcoming weeks to help runners prepare. They provided plenty of guidance on the locations of the expo, the start line, the finish celebrations. There will obviously be a difference between this race and the large marathons and it would not work well for races like this to mirror the Chicago or NYC Marathon with their promotions with the participants. Instead Hot Chocolate has developed its own unique approach that worked great for the STL race.

Expo: 14/20
The expo for the Hot Chocolate race took place in the historic Union Station. Union Station is in the heart of St. Louis and, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful buildings in the city. So often people look to the Arch as the extent of the St. Louis iconic architecture without realizing that there are buildings like Union Station that should be ranked up with the Arch when people look at St. Louis.

The expo was a small expo but it served the purpose. I was able to quickly walk in, get my registration packet and look around without having to fight the crushing crowds seen at some expos. One of the best features was after picking up my packet I was able to try on the long sleeve jacket to confirm that it fit, while being able to switch it out if I need to, before leaving the expo with it. Many of the sponsors were local companies that have roots in the STL area that provide a great regional feel to the expo. This feel was a great experience since most of the runners were inevitably from the St. Louis area so advertising local companies and races would have the biggest impact.

Course/Race Experience: 16/20
The course started on Market street downtown and went towards the St. Louis University Campus before turning back towards downtown where the 5K/15K split occurred. The course then ventures past Busch Stadium before heading south towards the Budweiser Brewery before the turnaround. Around mile 7.5 or so there was a turn that began a long hill that culminated almost a mile later. The race completed with a small hill, that felt much bigger on tired legs before a gradual downhill into the finish line. The first mile was almost all uphill and the final 2 miles was a majority uphill as well completing what was a tough 15K race.

On the course there was only four water stations, at each there was water, Gatorade and a snack relating to the chocolate theme. I did not partake in the snacks, not wanting to chance my body not appreciating them, but other runners said the treats (including chocolate chips, as well as strawberry and chocolate marshmallows) were great. I understand that when the temperatures are cooler fewer runners will take water but with the temperatures as they were on race day I felt that an extra water station would have gone a long way to making the race more enjoyable. Two miles between water stations is further than what is found in other races.

Post Race: 12/20
Although the warmer temperatures created a more enjoyable pre-race environment, that same weather created a less enjoyable post-race environment. The whole theme of the race revolved around having a warm cup of hot chocolate waiting for you at the finish line to warm you up after being out on the cold course for the race. To add to the warmth it drizzled throughout the race creating a very uncomfortable setting for the post race celebration.

The hot chocolate was great and the cup shaped serving dish that held all the post race treats including more marshmallows, a banana along with dipping chocolate and the cup of hot chocolate was a great way to quickly serve all the runners allowing there to be virtually no line to get the food. Overall the post race experience would have been must better if the weather would have cooperated to optimize the experience.

Extras: 17/20
The Hot Chocolate series tries to make itself stand out with the extras that it provides to runners. Beyond the post race hot chocolate the series gives every runner a nice long sleeve zip up jacket as well as a distinctive medal that features a candy bar with a bite out of it with a unique picture representing the city that the race takes place in. These are some of the best extras that are provided for free from any race that I have ran in. The jacket is something that I will wear regularly in the future. The medal features the arch and city skyline and is one of the most unique medals I have earned.

MY OVERALL EXPERIENCE: 76/100
This was a fun race that I would definitely look to do again in the future. In fact I will look to do some of the larger Hot Chocolate races to see how they compare. Specifically I would love to do the Chicago race that I have heard from friends is one of the most fun race in the second city. I would recommend this race, and the series to every runner that I know!

-Runner

Race Criteria: I have divided my experience into five categories that cover what I think is every aspect of a race. Just to make it easy each category will be numbered 1-20 for a total out of 100 to rank the race.

Race Organization: 19/20
I made a point to get to the expo early this year and was able to very quickly breeze through the registration, get my packet and head to the back to pick up my shirt and bag before the crush of the crowd. Before I reached the area where I picked up my number they already knew my name (from when I first scanned my bib and got my assigned area to pick up my bib) and had the number packet ready and waiting. The only blemish on the record of Chicago is the long lines to get into the park on race morning. Obviously these lines are caused by the sheer number of people who attend the race, and the security is a necessary measure, it is just not the best experience when you are already super stressed about the race to begin with.

Expo: 20/20
If there ever was a perfect experience at an expo that had thousands of people then I had it. I got there early on Friday, with Bride and a friend who was also running the race and we headed strait to the booths that we wanted items at first. We wanted to make sure that they were not sold out before we got around to the booth. After that we headed to pick up our registration and was quickly pushed through the line. We quickly got our shirts (which were much better than last year’s) and were off to visit all the booths. While at the expo Bride got a pair of Chicago Marathon Nike LunarGlides, I got a USA Track and Field Chicago Marathon shirt and a few other items. But the big item was not something I bought, but something I won! I won a free entry into the Puerto Rico Marathon in March!!! I couldn’t believe that I wont and am so excited!!!

I could not have asked for a better experience. I beat the crowd, I won a free race entry, and never was I told that something that I wanted was sold out.

Race Experience: 20/20
It is obvious that the race is great. Not only is it organized but it is one of the most well supported races in the world. Well over 1.5 million people were estimated to line the 26 miles through the 29 neighborhoods. How can anyone not be inspired to run their best when they know that so many people are there cheering them on.

The whether called for it to heat up to near 70 later in the day so I changed my strategy away from staying locked in with a pace group. I instead decided to leave it all on the line and go out hard and just hold on for as long as I could. I knew that with it just getting hotter I needed to take advantage of the cooler earlier temperatures and that is exactly what I did. I stayed ahead of the 3:40 pace group until mile 20 where I really started to slow down. As with every marathon I have ever ran, miles 19-23 were the hardest for me. From mile 24 till the end, I survived on adrenaline and crossed the line with a huge PR of 3:57:06!!! Great time for a warm day. I saw one analysis where they said the heat could have caused the times to increase by almost 10 minutes, so that made me feel even more confident with my time.

Post Race: 16/20
This year’s post race was different from last years. This year I got to spend it with Bride who made the trip up for the race. She said this was her favorite race that she has ever watched me in. She got to see me twice along the course, and our hotel was just a block from the two locations where she could see me!

After the race we met by the family reunion area, after I wobbled over to it. We relaxed under the sun until I was recovered. I enjoyed my free beer, some food and some time to take in my new PR. We then moved on to the hotel where we packed and headed back home. The Chicago Marathon might be one of the biggest in the world but the way that it is set up makes it very manageable for any runner. There is plenty of room after the race for you to stretch out and enjoy some time off your feet in the park. That being said, there are still thousands of people walking around and many of the lines are unbearable to stand in.

Extras: 18/20
With any big race there is going to be plenty of themed items. Virtually every major running brand is at the expo and everyone of them has Chicago themed clothing and items available. Goose Island Beer is always one of my favorites. This year I got a themed pint glass to celebrate another year in Chicago. I also was happy to find a great t-shirt that had the outline of the skyline on it. (I was disappointed at the Nike official clothing this year because this years logo was almost identical to the one used last year.) One of the best experiences at any major race is getting to see all the extras that are available for that race and this year is no different.

MY OVERALL EXPERIENCE: 93/100
Simply, the Chicago Marathon is one of the best Marathons in the world and definitely one of the best races I have ever ran. I understand that big races aren’t for everyone, and I have ran some small ones as well, but a marathon major like Chicago is unique and I would recommend every runner to aspire to someday run those 29 neighborhoods.

-Runner

Some people might call me a snob for admitting this but I do not normally sign up for races that are shorter than a half marathon because they are usually just too short for one of my weekend long runs. But sometimes, those shorter races fit perfectly into my schedule…this weekend was one of those perfect times.

I have just started training for the Chicago Marathon in October and this weekend I was scheduled to do a four mile run followed by my longer run on Sunday. I couldn’t help but sign up for the Freedom 4 Miler in Forest Park on the morning of July 4th!!! Some holidays just call for you to run and 4th of July is definitely one of those holidays.

Leading up to the weekend I made plans to head to my brothers house in the Illinois suburbs on Friday night and head over to the race on Saturday morning before spending the rest of the day back at my brother’s with the rest of the family. As the race day approached Bride said that she wanted to race it too!!! I love racing a good race, but one thing I admit I love more is racing a good race along with Bride so my day could not have started off any better.

MY RACE:
Bride and I left early that morning and there was actually a little chill to the air. The temp was only in the 60s, although it would eventually reach the high 80s, and the humidity had broken. I knew it would be one of the best racing mornings possible for a 4th of July in St. Louis. We got there with plenty of time to sit down and relax before the race and enjoy the beautiful forest park.

My goal for the race was 30 minutes although I knew that my legs were tired from the training and that goal was definitely going to be hard to meet. I compromised with myself by saying that I wasn’t going to look at my watch the whole race and was going to just run as fast as I felt like I could and see what time my body was going to give me. The start of the race was my worst nightmare. The largest, and only, hill on the course was within the first half mile. I don’t mind running a good hill but I always feel like I run them better when my legs have a few miles in them first. This hill wasn’t tough when I was running it, but my legs felt it a lot later on in the race.

Mile 2 was when I really got into my zone and just focused on keeping up the pace and pushing though the miles. I did try to enjoy the scenery a little through the beautiful forest park. The 3rd mile left forest park and went west along Lindell Blvd where I saw 3/4 of a mile full of beautiful homes (and some much needed shade). Entering the park again began the 4th mile where we curved our way until the finish line.

I felt strong when I crossed although my time on the clock was approaching 32 minutes I knew that my total time was going to be just a little below 32 which I was proud of. Sadly, in the hassle I forgot to stop my watch (a rookie mistake!). I went home and checked my time and I got 31:50 for the race. Not the best that I have ever ran, but I am happy with the time and know that I can use that and grow from it.

Race Organization: 16/20
This is a good size race for a 4 miler. There were a total of 880 finishers, including Bride who finished in 50:32! They had multiple locations where you could pick up your bib and shirt the day before, including one in Illinois where Bride and I went, as well as having race morning registration and packet pickup. They had a bag check available for a fee, but biggest of all, they successfully communicated to everyone the night before the race that because of all the rain in St. Louis that week the parking location was moving from a field in the park to the parking lot of the zoo. This problem could has wreak havoc on race morning but I felt like they handled it well and had plenty of signage around the park pointing everyone where to go.

Expo: 14/20
There was no expo for this race in the regular sense. But that is completely understandable. It was a holiday small mileage race and there was no need for an expo. I gave it this ranking because the pre-race festivities were well run and there were booths there set up by the sponsors as well as one great display by Schuncks Grocery Stores, the presenting sponsor, that will never be forgotten by Bride or myself.

Race Experience: 18/20
As written above, even though I did not get the time I wanted, I really enjoyed the race. I felt that I raced well, the course was in a great location, set up in a challenging way and provided a great test to see how fast I could go that day. I was impressed that they had water stations at every mile, but I was disappointed at how badly the Power Ade was mixed. The portions were not right and it did not taste good at all. I know that the 4th of July is a prime day for running in America and I am sure to do future races on this day as well but it will be tough to get a better race experience than this one.

Post Race: 16/20
After I finished the race I got my initial recovery snacks including a banana, a protein bar and plenty of water. I watched the runners come in behind me and cheered them all on, including an Army group running in cadence. The atmosphere was great including an announcer who tried to mention as many people’s names as he could (he even pronounced Mitra correctly!). There was always music playing and always a good crowd cheering on the finishers. It was a great time.

Extras: 18/20
This race is never going to be the one with the best swag, the best perks or the largest field but that doesn’t mean it can’t have something extra to give to a runner. First, I must admit how much fun it was getting to run through Forest Park. We ran by the 1904 bird cage at the zoo, the Muny as well as the Missouri History museum in the park. Also, this race, which only cost $30, included a free beer and a pretty nice t-shirt, which is about as much as you can ask for with that price. Once again, they did a great job with what they had.

MY OVERALL EXPERIENCE: 82/100
You can’t compare this to the major marathons I have gotten to run but for what this race is, it doesn’t get much better. If you are looking for a race that has sights, sounds and hills this is it. Starting off my day with the race and finishing it with fireworks are two characteristics that, by themselves, mean a great day. I am looking forward to not only doing this race again, but hopefully participating in more races in St. Louis in the near future.

MY RACE:
The weather could have been better for this race. The day was VERY hot and VERY humid (92%). Although the rain held off it did not help. The heat has to effect any runner and it definitely made the run harder for us. The route took us all around Wilmington, including past the minor league ball stadium, the waterfront, the downtown, the zoo, a beautiful city park, quiet neighborhoods and their little Italy. You could not ask for a better tour of the city, which to me says a lot about the race. We finished strong, despite the many hills throughout the course and I am nothing but proud of my wife's performance.

Race Organization: 10/20
This is a small race, so it will inevitably have some hiccups along the way. The race organizations revolved around a beautiful little park on the water in Wilmington, Tubman-Garrett Park which provided a beautiful starting point and location for the expo. Except, the size of the park limited the size of everything. The park is not a large park and the expo had to resort to only having a couple of tents with just two vendors and one tent for the title sponsor (Discover Card). This park also caused the start line to be congested and chaotic the morning of. The bag drop off was hard to find, the corrals were almost non-existent (a 4-hour marathon runner lined up next to us behind the 11 min/mile sign because there was no room near the front) and the areas for the crowds were tight and caused more congestion on the streets. I told my wife before we stepped off that this race had out grown this park. In the future I hope that the race either rearranges the start line to better accommodate the size or works to stagger the start so that everyone can have a more enjoyable beginning.

Expo: 8/20
This rating might seem harsh but I cannot but help rank this expo compared to other races that I have been apart of. This race is small but it is the premiere marathon in the state and should have a better expo. As mentioned above, the primary reason that the expo is so underwhelming is because it is confined to the small footprint of the waterfront park. They try to make the best use of space that they can in this small area but there is no way that a proper expo can be accomplished in this small space. I would suggest that the organizers look at using the parking log of the neighboring waterfront market as the base for their expo in the future to allow for a larger one that can hopefully attract more vendors.

Race Experience: 18/20
My race experience after I started the start line was amazing. The route started along a beautiful water front trail winding through a lot of new development, office buildings and their minor league baseball stadium before heading into the city around mile 3. From miles 3-5 you went through parts of downtown and began the your run through Brandywine Park. In Brandywine Park you got the chance to run right next to the Wilmington zoo (close enough that you can hear and smell the animals) before making a u-turn our of the park and onto Park street where the hills truly began.

The next two miles included a constant incline before leveling off in a beautiful neighborhood. After running around the neighborhood you went into Little Italy where the greatest mid race snack I have ever had awaited. This snack was even better than the gummies at mile 23 of the Disney Marathon. Around mile 9.5 Bernies Italian Ice (Title Sponsor of the Wilmington Italian Fest) was passing out their signature Lemon Italian Ice. There could not have been a better mid race snack on such a humid day than a small cup of this delicious flavored ice!!! Around this same time we heard the police sirens that were with the lead runner, and defending champion Titus Rotich. As he passed us my wife was able to see up close just how fast he was running. We got to see him climb a small hill over a train track and experience just how impressive his athletic ability is.

To close out the race you run down the Park St hill we ran up after Brandywine Park and at mile 12 we turned towards the finish line for the final mile downtown. Only to realize that there was a final half mile hill facing us. We finished under our goal and looking back on the course I realized that I felt like I saw all of Wilmington while being challenged with the hills, the heat and the sun. It was a great course and such an enjoyable race.

Post-Race: 17/20
After finishing the race we sat down to relax and quickly was able to pick up our bag from the small bag check and got in line for the food that was provided. The food included sliders, chips, fruit, and drinks that all tasted good after the run. But what stole the show was Bernie’s Italian Ice being there with two extra flavors (coconut and cherry) along with their lemon that they had on the course. On top of all of these the race medal is one of my favorites and includes a spinning boat at the top along with sights from around the course. This race is an example for others to follow on what to provide to its runners. Finally, the park’s location along the waterfront provided beautiful scenery and after finishing any race it always feels good to relax after knowing you have worked so hard for the whole morning.

Extras: 18/20
Every race tries to have their perks that make the race memorable and worthy of the entry fee. The Delaware gave perks that few other races, at its price point, can provide. While at the race we were able to get a free Headsweats Hat, pint glasses with the marathon logo, a (with a discover card) a car magnet themed for the race and a mesh bag that I will definitely use again. The hat is one that I will definitely wear on future runs and is a much better hat than the one I received at the Shamrock half in VA Beach in March. This race is an example for others to follow on what to provide to its runners.

MY OVERALL EXPERIENCE: 71/100
This race had a little bit of everything. It had a great course that included urban, trails, hills, hot weather and fun. The expo could be improved but I think that this race is one that I would suggest others run. My two pre-race categories (expo and race organization) are low but all the categories that take into account the actual race and afterwards are very high. The race itself is a great race and has many positive aspects. I would suggest that this is a hidden gem, especially on the east coast were many high profile races take a lot of the attention. I am glad that my wife chose this race as her first half marathon and I hope that it will not be her only one.