This was my second year running the Hot Chocolate 15K. This race is great because it is walker friendly and has two distances (5k and 15k) to choose from. I've run the 15k both years but this year my mom walked the 5k (this was her first race, she's a beginner) and she loved it.

Registration:
This race can get pretty expensive, so I highly recommend signing up early on to save some money. I waited until two weeks before race day and ended up paying $78.00 for the 15k and the 5k was about $55 at that time. Signing up when registration first opens is easily $25 cheaper so definitely consider that if you're thinking about running this race.

Expo:
Like most Philadelphia races, the expo was held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center right in the city. It's super easy to get to whether you drive or take the train. The process was extremely easy, all you need is the registration confirmation, either printed or on your phone, to receive your bib. You can also pick up 5 other bibs for friends, which is super convenient. After you get your bib you head over to the "swag bag" pick up. The “Swag” they are referring to is basically just the jacket that is included in the registration fee. Then you are free to either leave or check out the vendors but before you go make sure you grab a complimentary cup of hot chocolate and some sweets!

Race Day:
Since this race takes place in early April, the weather can be a bit unpredictable. The first year I ran it was chilly but the sun was shining. This year, it was raining and cold. My group arrived to the race venue at about 6:50 because half of us were participating in the 5k that started at 7:15. This was a bummer for those of us who were running the 15k because we had to wait around until 8:00 when our race started. I think in the future they really need to consider switching the start times. It makes no sense to me that the longer race would start after the shorter race - the rest of our group was finished the 5k before we even started the 15k. They weren’t thrilled about having to wait two hours for us to finish the race, especially in the cold rain.

Course:
Despite what I said last year, this course really is great. It is flat which helps with keeping a solid pace (which I did) the entire time. You start on the Ben Franklin Parkway, make a loop around the construction outside of Love Park (temporary) and head towards MLK drive. The way out is about 4.5-5 miles, turnaround and then another 4ish miles until you end up at the finish line.

Finish:
The finish line takes place in front of the art museum steps. At the end you were handed a medal and a water bottle as well as some other drinks and then were free to go grab your finishers mug filled with chocolate!

Amenities:
As promised, each finisher receives a finisher “mug” which is basically this plastic bowl with separate compartments. In the middle is the cup of delicious hot chocolate. Then there’s a separate compartment filled with chocolate fondue and they give you plenty of yummy things to dip in it (marshmallow, banana, rice crispie treat, pretzels ect.) As I previously mentioned, this race doesn’t give out t-shirts. Instead, they give jackets. The jackets are pretty nice but not really my style so I’ve never worn mine but some people love them.

Overall:
The one disappointment of this race would be that the 5k finishers don’t receive a medal. I previously mentioned that this race was more on the expensive side, so you would think that they would have enough money to make medals for the 5k finishers as well. My mom was definitely disappointed that she didn’t get a medal after her first 5k. All in all, this race was great. Despite the unfortunate weather, I still pulled of a PB time and enjoyed every second of my finishers mug. I would definitely recommend this race to anyone, whether a beginner walker or elite runner, it’s fun for everyone!