The Hot Chocolate 15K is a tradition for me because it's just a fun time. It's always pretty cold, but is the best feeling ever to warm up with a fun run followed but delicious hot chocolate. I knew a lot of other people running this so it was like a big fun runner meet-up. It is a very well-known race around Dallas, especially known for the great post-run treats and SWAG. THE BEST hoodies. This years quarter-zip is SO SOFT. I will live in it. 100% better than a tech shirt (sorry, all other races out there!)

The race management is great. They are awesome about email updates, easy-to-read instructions for packet pickup and race day, and even training plans. This race is very well organized before, during, and after.

The expo is in Fair Park (downtown Dallas) so, it is a bit of a drive (vs. having a packet pickup at a local running store) but there are quite a few vendors. Maybe about 10 booths with goodies to look at, taste, and purchase. There are also a few big signs/blow up things to take pictures by with your bib. I took one start off for the expo just because it is kind of a pain to drive there and park ($5). Be sure to set aside a few solid hours for the expo.

The race morning runs very smoothly. Allow yourself, again, plenty of time to get to Fair Park (traffic is crazy with EVERYONE getting there at the same time). But once you park, the area is easy to navigate. It's a bit of a walk from the parking area, then gear check is indoors (THANK YOU for an area out of the cold wind!) and is also a big area where people will stretch and hang out pre and post-race. There are TONS of porta-potties, which is always a bonus, and the start line is close to gear check.

This is a BIG race, so the Start is thankfully in waves. There's a bit of a crowd as to be expected during the start until it thins out. The course is, in my opinion, hilly. It was a tough run. The views are pretty good. You're running through the Fair Park area. Nice aid stations and spectators. Not a ton of spectators, but enough. Overall no complaints about the course itself. Everyone is just happy and it's a great vibe.

After the race, you get the famous hot chocolate mug! It's got, of course, hot chocolate, also dipping chocolate and lots of treats. There's a big open area to eat your treats, say hi to friends, take pictures, etc. Speaking of pictures, the other bonus swag offered for this race is FREE RACE PHOTOS. YES.

After the race, results and (free!) race photos are uploaded extremely quickly. I couldn't believe that just maybe an hour post-race, I got an email with my race photos. That is really awesome.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this race to a friend and plan to do it again next year!

This race was overall really well executed, FUN, and great experience.

I had never been to New Orleans (came from Dallas, TX) and found that taking Uber everywhere worked beautifully. I gave all stars for parking/access because Uber was plentiful and great, but I also noticed a parking lot near the convention center (where the expo was) and spoke with someone and they mentioned a parking lot at the FINISH line for the Half/Full marathon that shuttled you (for free) to the START line. That way people were already at their cars afterwards. Brilliant! Plus I noticed people getting in busses after the race (perhaps VIP?). So access was good considering an extra 10,000 people were in the small city.

The expo was in a HUUUUGE convention center. We walked about a mile from the front door to the actual expo! Which was OK and actually just impressive. Anyway, it was your typical Rock n Roll expo - LOTS TO BUY. A huge booth with Brooks gear, RnR branded nick knacks, shirts, shoes, then all the vendors. There's plenty to look at, photo ops, and getting your bib and T-shirt is painless due to all the nice volunteers.

I did the "Remix Challenge" so I had two race day experiences, Saturday morning (5K) and Sunday morning (Half marathon):

Race day (5K): easy access, got to the Start line with plenty of time to spare, not too crowded, PERFECT weather. Nice, easily accessible gear check. Start and Finish lines were closeby, 10 small corrals/waves so that you weren't too crowded while running. We ran through the French Quarter and the scenery was perfect - just what you'd expect to see in NOLA. Great views, flat course, nice medals, great volunteers.

Race day (Half Marathon): Race morning was very well organized - it was a little crazier this day because there were 3 races going on - 10K, Half, and Full marathons. So more people as to be expected. Even still, it was very organized. Plenty of porta-potties, tons of trucks for number-organized gear check, an announcer, and all the corrals lined up. It was a gorgeous morning and the area the Start was located was gorgeous and perfect for pre-run photos. It was an overall happy morning. The course was literally flatter than flat. I don't remember any incline or decline at all and my Strava said that I'd gained 20 feet over the course of 13.1 miles. That is insanely flat! There are some uneven road surfaces but nothing that would make me avoid this race. I thought the course was great. It is a great way to really see New Orleans. the finish-line party was very noteable. It was around a huge, gorgeous track and was like a HUGE party! Beer, food, a huge stage with live music, and really happy runners. Not to mention the weather was PERFECT! Also a lot more photo ops!

SWAG! The RnR swag is always on point. For doing the remix challenge, I got an extra medal ("Remix" medal) that is definitely my new fave. It's a guitar with a spinny thing, really colorful, and just awesome. The shirts are tech tees, and if you want any extras you have more than enough options to choose from at the Brooks booth during the expo (they also make an appearance on race day in case you forget anything you wanted!)

The aid stations both days were plentiful and stocked with necessities. For half/marathon day, they also had energy gels. There were lots of nice and great volunteers, really nice live bands on the course, and it's just overall a really fun day.

I would definitely recommend this race and spending some time in New Orleans.

The BCS Marthon Half is a race I'd heard nothing but great things about, and it lived up to its name. It's a good size race, not small but not HUGE, is well-organized, and the swag is great (sweet finisher's jackets!)

I drove down to College Station from Dallas, Texas (about a 3 hour drive) and stayed in a local hotel. I went to the expo at the Baylor Scott & White hospital on the Saturday before the race and it was quick, easy, and painless. A hospital was an interesting location - it was in a hall-way type area so it bottle-necked easily but there wen't a ton of people there so it wasn't too bad. The expo was a lot smaller than I expected - maybe 6 booths, tops and an area to pick up your bib and your shirt. They also had course info available and a few Pacers that were there as well, which I thought was nice.

Race morning ran smoothly - the hotel I stayed in had free coffee and breakfast (and even some bagged breakfasts available for runners to take to-go), so I went down for some coffee and lucked out by getting a ride to the start line with a lady I met in the elevator. There was plenty of parking at the nearby mall, and not a far walk to the start line, which was organized by corral, had an easily accessible gear-check area, and a long line of porta-potties. The race announcer was great and kept us updated.

And we're off! The course was nice - not the MOST scenic in my opinion but you got to see part of the A&M Campus and College Station surrounding it (college town) and the course was pretty flat. You were always running at a *slight* incline or decline, but I'd say it evened out overall. There weren't a ton of spectators - probably the least amount of spectators I've seen at a half marathon, but the spectators that WERE there were really supportive and awesome. Lots of high-5's and even a cocktail stop.

The finish line was SWEET! Not a huge ordeal but you got your medal, a water bottle, and a food tray. Yep, food tray. There were a bunch of food truck there with free food (and beer!) Sausage on a stick, pizza, breakfast tacos, chocolate milk, all the goods! So that was nice. I hung out for a while, hit the gong for getting a PR (loved that cool addition!!), then called it a day! A GREAT day! This was really an experience I will never forget.

Overall I had a lot of fun running this race and enjoyed the ease of access and organization. My favorite things was the finisher's jacket and the giant gong at the end to hit if you PR or BQ. Also the announcers and race organizers were great, caring, and it just seemed like such a personal, memorable and important race. I say its the perfect mid-size race, would definitely run it again and recommend it to friends!

I truly enjoyed the Tulsa Run! I drove from Dallas, Texas just for this race and it was 100% worth it! Plan to make it a tradition!

My Dad and I went to Tulsa not knowing what to expect for the Tulsa Run. I signed up for the Challenge (5K and 15K in the same morning) and he did the 15K. We stayed at a hotel in downtown Tulsa and we were pleasantly surprised at how nice, cute, and unique the city as a whole was as well as how great the hotel/race location were. We parked at the hotel and didn't drive at all the rest of the trip. We were able to walk to the start line, back to our hotel, and to various restaurants and even a Feet Fleet (running store) - which was REALLY nice considering I forgot to pack a sports bra!

The expo was at the Cox Business Center, which is a really nice, big building. There were a good amount of vendors, but the expo wasn't overwhelmingly huge - just the right size to do some shopping/browsing, but not overwhelming. We spent about an hour getting our packets and looking around. The swag that came with our bibs were AMAZING. A HOODIE! for the 15K and a long sleeve shirt for the 5K! I am wearing the hoodie as we speak - rarely do I get race swag that I actually use! Also a really cute and practical tote bag, which is a nice change from the drawstring bags. BONUS and BEST race swag: free race photo downloads after the race!

Race start times weren't ridiculously early - 7:50 for the 5K and 9:00am for the 15K - which was nice especially since it was unusually cold that morning (33 degrees). Race morning, my dad and I didn't even need to leave the hotel until 15 minuted before Start time and had just enough time to get to the start line (seriously!). Then he was able to go back to the hotel and relax and we met back up for the 15K. It was just an overall great and convenient location!

The race organization was great - announcer, organized Start line (a little bottle-necked at the beginning, but that's to be expected at a big race), plenty of nice volunteers for water stops, porta potties throughout the race, and a nice race Finish. The medals were amazing - the 15K medal was particularly HUGE and impressive, and if you did the "challenge" you got an additional add-on for your medals. They gave you a boxed lunch from McAllisters at the finish (super nice!) along with a banana and full sized candy bar! They had massages available and (really cute and unique) Tulsa Run apparel available for purchase.

The course was hilly, which isn't necessarily a negative, just something to be aware of. The route was pretty and went throughout Downtown Tulsa. The 15K went over two gorgeous bridges over the Arkansas River and through the old Route 66, which was really neat and iconic. The finish line had a huge, gorgeous US flag hanging above it and made crossing the finish feel really special.

We took our boxed lunches and goodies up to our hotel and grubbed out and were on the road back to Dallas within the hour! Although we would've loved to stay and experience Tulsa longer! We agreed as soon as we got back up to the hotel room that we'd make this race a tradition. We both truly enjoyed the course, city, organization, and convenience of running the Tulsa Run. It was perfect and I already can't wait to run next year!

I truly enjoyed this race. The half marathon course was nice and flat, nice views, bands/entertainment along the way, and not too crowded. The weather was nice - it did start sprinkling (a risk you take running in the PNW) but this happened right after I finished so I didn't mind. It was just a light drizzle. The race size is nice - not HUGE but a fairly large/major race. I would definitely recommend this race and do it again!

The expo was nice, again not huge but a good size to where you could spend about an hour looking around at all the different booths. Lots of awesome "Portland Marathon" merchandise for sale as well! I had no trouble picking up my bib and goodies with no wait. The expo was at a hotel downtown and easily accessible via public transportation. Lots of friendly volunteers pointed you in the right direction.

I took an Uber down to the race on race day and has no issues. I got there extra early and it was obvious where the Start was and where corrals were. Again LOTS of (friendly!) volunteers were there to help. An awesome running store was open (Foot Traffic) right by the start line which was AMAZING. I hung out in there for warmth, used the restroom before the race, and of course shopped around!

The race itself was great. I enjoyed the course and the friendly people. There were people cheering and interesting bands/entertainment along the way. Aid stations were plentiful - lots of water and Ultima replenisher (electrolytes). There were porta-potties along the way - I did notice a line for them at some points but I didn't personally use any.

The finish line was great - there was an encouraging announcer, then you got your medal and photo taken, then down to the goodies! They had lots of snacks, and you got a commemorative coin, a pendant, a rose, and a cedar tree seedling. I thought all of the "swag" was really sentimental and I love the tradition of it all. They also had a food truck handing out grilled cheese sandwiches! Pretty awesome. I personally also went over to the running shop and got myself a little something I'd been eyeing for snagging a PR.

Overall, this race is really well organized, in a really friendly and unique city, swag is great, and if you don't get too much rain the weather is amazing. I would 100% recommend this race to a friend and hope to run it again!