I Love Chicago and I Especially Love Running in Chicago so this review may be a bit biased!! Also, after running two previous Hot Chocolate races virtual, I was super excited to finally be able to run one in person. I took a quick weekend road trip with 3 of my running friends. The first thing we did when we arrived in Chicago was hit the expo, which was at the McCormick Center. We had a bit of a time finding the designated parking at it was a bit of a walk from the garage to the expo hall, but once we got to the expo, it did not disappoint. It wasn't a huge expo, but Hey! coming off a year with no expos, we're excited to be at an Expo!! We did get hot chocolate samples, chocolate samples, a few other freebies, so we left happy.

We were lucky enough to be able to stay at a family member's apartment, which is 1/2 a mile from Grant Park, so race day transportation was not an issue for us. One thing we weren't prepared for was the distance between gear check and the start of the race. We almost missed the start of the 15K trying to get from gear check, through the 5K corrals, to the 15K corrals. However, we did manage to make it in time. We couldn't have asked for better weather and the course was fast a flat, with one small incline. I personally think a 15K is the perfect distance!! The Crowd support of Michigan Ave. was great. Water stops were appropriately spaced. The course took us from Grant Park, south of the city and back along the lakefront trail.

In addition to the Awesome Jacket and great finishers medal, runners were also treated to a bowl that included hot chocolate, chocolate syrup, a marshmallow, a banana, Oreo cookies, and a mini Rice Krispy treat. Hot Chocolate live did not disappoint! Would definitely run this race again!