The Hot Chocolate is all about the swag - the jacket at the expo, the mug and chocolate goodies at the end. The price tag for the race reflects the supposedly high quality of the giveaways, but at every turn I was disappointed. The jacket I received was poor quality, with flimsy material and stitching that started unraveling in just a few weeks. I could have been fine with that. I was particularly excited about the mug at the end. But the "mug" turned out to be a plastic snack holder. True, it was vaguely mug-shaped on its exterior, but was not reusable for anything other than holding kitchy snacks. As a final note, the snacks were not great.

The course itself was fine, with a couple of pretty spots, but for the most part was just city streets. If done with friends, at a discount, this could be a fun race. But on my own, paying full price, this race just isn't worth it.