My initial plan was to run the 15k fairly hard at the Hot Chocolate in Minneapolis. But that was before signing up for a Spring Marathon only two weeks later, so I opted down to the 5k to run with friends.

I wasn't able to make the expo partly due to work, and partly due to shortened hours because of the snow Minnesota was getting. Fortunately, my friend was able to swing in and grab my packet. And that's one thing I love about the RAM Racing events, is that it's super easy to pick up someone else's packet.

Parking the morning of the race can be a little tricky if you haven't ventured into downtown for a race before. But if you've run Twin Cities Marathon, Polar Dash, or any others in the city, I would argue parking for this one is on par with those.

For the race, I opted to run with my friend, so we started around the middle of the 5k pack. The 5k course runs mostly along the river in the city, which provides nice scenery. The snow lining the roads was a little disappointing, but hey it's the Midwest. It was also the first time I've raced in Minnesota since I ran the Twin Cities Marathon in 2016, so it was nice to get back up there.

The finish area is also top notch. Runners get a great bowl of fruit, snacks, and of course hot chocolate. Throw in the awesome zip up hoodie, and the swag from this race is on point.