Every year, I see many of my running friends post pictures of the Hot Chocolate 15K. I have never done that race for a variety of reasons. One is that I’ve never heard of that distance before. I also don’t like running events in Colorado in October. And it’s honestly not the cheapest event to get into. But, I always felt the medal and swag were top notch. And I really fell in love with the apparel they gave out. Instead of a typical t-shirt, they actually provided a nice pullover. So, I got some money from my job for the steps I take, and I figured this would be a fun way to spend that gift card.

The enrolment process was easy enough. It was a simple site to navigate through. They required you to prove your time to get into a fast wave. But, that wasn’t too much to ask, and it does prevent problems I’ve seen at other races. They also agreed to give me a (very small) discount for being a veteran. That was appreciated. As such, I wore my RWB shirt for the race itself!

The expo was okay. There weren’t a lot of vendors there; and the ones present weren’t that interesting to me. However, they did have a big fondue fountain in the center and provided you with marshmallows to get some dipped candy with. I was born without a sweet tooth, so I didn’t care for it, but the kids loved it! I was able to get the pullover I signed up for. It was better than I thought it would be; very high quality long sleeved pullover. It’s something I know I’ll be proud to wear for years.

Getting to the event was the worst part of this experience. There was no designated areas to park or busses bringing you to the event. As such, one had to get creative to get there. The even took place downtown Denver, right by the capital. It’s a busy area with construction. Between the lane and street closures, trying to get around was very slow moving. And finding available parking near the start line was difficult to say the least. I found a pay lot about 5 blocks away. The pre-race area was great though. They had more volunteers than were necessary. And there were a fair amount of port-a-potties. As such, I was able to get everything handled easily.

The race itself was great. It was a bit hillier than I had trained for. I live in Denver, so the elevation didn’t bother me. However, I know out-of-towners always have problems running a mile high. I always suggest to anyone who wants to run in Denver from sea level to come out a week early to acclimate oneself. However, no one ever listens to me; lol! I can’t say the course ran through any remarkable areas. It was all downtown which is pretty; but we didn’t run through any notable locations.

Upon crossing the finish line, I was handed a very large medal. I won’t say it’s the biggest medal I have, but it is bigger than most half marathon medals I possess. It even had a key chain attached to it. Perhaps I’ll use that someday. Then you proceeded to a booth where they gave everyone a sectioned plate in the shape of a giant coffee mug. Those compartments contained hot chocolate, fondue, pretzels, marshmallows and a banana. It was a neat tray to receive. However, it was discarded when I got home and couldn’t justify a thing to do with it. The after-race area was great. It’s in a historic part of the city that is beautiful and in the heart of downtown. They had many vendors there, several places to get pictures and even bounce castles for the kids! What they didn’t have was any alcohol. That made me sad, but the theme was hot chocolate not beer and margaritas.

All in all, I was satisfied with the event. The pullover and medal are very memorable. I even saw another person in a Bib Rave singlet! I was hoping she would write a review first; perhaps she will soon. I would recommend this race to others. I had a good time.