I love the Hot Chocolate races and wanted to do it even though it had to go virtual for Covid reasons this year. But, the beauty of a virtual event is that you can do it whenever, wherever you like, which was actually a godsend for me this year as on the official race day, I was still in a leg brace from knee surgery, so I ran my race earlier, right before my surgery so I could "earn" my chocolaty swag. On the actual race day, I hosted an event with a group of friends for the "race day" experience where I served as RD instead of runner, so I still had a blast.

The race was very communicative about the status and told us when they were shipping our goodies. I received my items several days before the event date. The jackets are always really nice, black with zip pockets and a removable hood. They are a bit snug so I advise sizing up if you don't like fitted. Even though we didn't get bowls of heaping chocolate like in the past, the goodie bag had packets of hot chocolate and several chocolate candies, plus some sponsor items as well. I didn't qualify this year, but had friends that earned Legacy status and Legacy items were sent with packets as well. Overall, I totally recommend the event, even virtual. The quality SWAG alone is worth the registration!

*ratings for live items were based on previous years, this year the event was virtual

I ran this race virtually but was joined by a few friends. When I arrived my friend's house a 9 am on race day, unfortunately, it was raining. Fortunately, it was a Virtual Race, so that meant that we could wait for the rain to pass a bit before starting. Score another point for Virtual Races! Weather not cooperating, no problem, just wait a bit. After about 45 minutes, the rain had stopped and we decided it was go time.

#TeamRalphie (2 of us) were running it and the other 2 were doing the Elf Virtual Run for #TeamBuddy and were walking it. With routes in hand and after a quick Start Line group photo, we were off.

I wasn't expecting too much out of my 5K since I still haven't recovered my speed from my knee surgery, but I felt pretty good so I decided to push it a bit. It helped having someone with me for the first mile to provide that bit of competitive push. We hit a decent hill and I heard her tell me to keep going so I did, realizing that if I could keep my pace right about where I was, I had a good chance at breaking a 30 minute 5K for the first time since my surgery, despite the hilly route. The course was very straightforward and Kim's directions were perfect. I finished the 5K and was thrilled with my 29:02 time.

After we finished our miles, we went back to my friend's house to put on our finisher swag sweatshirts and show off our medals. The SWAG was top notch- a nice, thick zippered sweatshirt with zip pockets, a knit beanie and nice medal. We also received personalized Bibs with individual numbers and our names. Seriously worth the entry fee and then some. It all arrived before the event which meant instant gratification, just like an in-person race. Some Virtuals don't sent out until after race day. We received lots of emails ahead of time for the race including updates on when our stuff shipped.

After the race, you could upload your time and finisher photos online. There were even fun downloads. After the race, my friends and I watched the movies that inspired our races and had some holiday fun. Virtual races are as fun as you make them and give you a chance to be creative, so I love it when the themes are fun like this one was!

When I first heard about the DC Batman Virtual Race, I wanted in cause who doesn't love Batman?! Especially when I knew the race was put on by RAM Racing, their SWAG is always top notch and this race was no exception. The 3/4 Zip is cool and comfy and the tech hat is awesome. Love the medal and we even received a GU Waffle (which, full disclosure, I ate before I technically earned it for my race). SWAG was shipped super quickly and I received it well before I planned to run the race so I could have instant gratification of medal pics!

You were able to chose from 2 different distances, 5K or 10K, so the race is good for those of any level. And the beauty of a Virtual race is you can kind of create your own experience. Want to run it alone, do that. Want to race with friends, get them involved. I had originally planned to race it alone for speed, but a friend asked to join me and lone crusader race became a dynamic duo and I enjoyed it so much more. You had a generous time frame to complete the race (between Sept 1 and Dec 1) and I typically run Virtuals near the end to maximize my training so we ran it on Nov 28. I even synced it up to run at the same time as 2 friends that live outside my area. We texted "Go" at the start and then video chatted after, showing off our medals and swag.

Overall, it was a great event. I highly recommend any of the DC race series events.

I was looking for a "Comeback" 5K to run after my June knee surgery. The race dates were between July 27th and September 30th, the perfect time frame as my 12th week surgery anniversary was September 3rd. The SWAG was crazy sweet, consisting of a Finisher Medal, Ultra-soft T-Shirt, Distressed Trucker Hat, and Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle. And also, the America Runs Virtual 5K partnered up with the Gannett Foundation to donate to local COVID-19 recovery funds with a goal raising $1 Million in donations. The Gannett Foundation will disperse 100% of all money raised and donated to COVID-19 recovery state funds. It sounded perfect across the board, so I decided to make it my official Comeback Race!

The race sent a few emails out and SWAG arrived before the end of the racing period, which is nice if you are into instant gratification. Some Virtuals only send out after the race date. All the items, shirt, hat, water bottle, and medal were all excellent quality. The bib was personalized by name and number and they even sent a few product samples. My only suggestion would be to come up with more participant interaction, maybe a Facebook group, to increase runner excitement.

Last weekend I ran the Virtual Run for the Zoo to benefit the Lincoln Park Zoo. For this virtual my run bestie, and I wanted to make this race as special as the organization it was to benefit. So we planned a race day extravaganza. That is one of the big advantages of Virtual Racing, you can kind of create your own experience.

The event organizers sent ample emails with lots of information about the event and the zoo, especially where the proceeds went during the race period. There was also a Facebook Event page set up for participants to share info and virtually "hang out". We were encouraged to post our photos on social and there were also several prizes that participants could win from fastest times to the most money raised and a few random draws as well.

Basic entry got you a race shirt that was tech material and really cute. For an additional donation you could get a medal that was also super cute and featured the same ostrich as the shirt.

We were able to run the race whenever convenient between April 6 and June 7th. I got up bright and early on Sunday to head over to my friend’s house. She was super gracious to host the event and to map out the course. Also she ordered some super fun inflatable animals for us to hang out with at the Start/Finish Line in front of her house. I brought some Animal Crackers for our aid station and we also chalked us a Start and Finish Line. Things were looking super festive for our race.

I finished my 5K in 26:53.

After I finished, we had an epic Finisher's Party! We changed into our totally adorable finisher's shirts and had a ton of fun taking a ton of finisher photos with our inflatable friends, and to replicate an "official" finisher's party, My friend’s hubby even hooked me up with some finish line beer. He even made us breakfast after! Seriously, I think these two have a future in race day even planning.

As far as the official business of the virtual, once completed, I entered my results into the Run for the Zoo website. There were several virtual prizes for runners

All in all, it was an awesome virtual race. It was great to be able to participate in an event that I normally would not be able to due to the distance and cost of travel