This race is probably one of the more scenic and beautiful races I have run.
As a matter of fact Jeff Galloway was at the race with me and remarked on the community support and scenery being 2 of the reasons this makes his must run marathon list.
The good: Everything. Seriously though they do a fantastic job of supporting you and providing resources and well it's a very scenic course.
The bad: Well I get think of almost a 1000 badd things every foot of elevation change.

Don't get me wrong the toughest road marathon designation is what made me want to do this race. But somewhere Around peak number 3 you wonder what you got yourself into...
Registration is pretty simple it's administered by active.com and they allow you to add the amenities such as Vip which I recommend and post race concert while you're registering.
There is also the ability to tack on the slowest 5K..A post race walk..And you also have the ability to register well in advance and save some cash or up until the Monday before and spend all your money...hint hint...

Communication from the race director and staff is not overloading or overbearing they do a good job with timely announcements and reminders.

I didn't go to the expo this year. I'm kind of bummed out by that but it isn't a big deal because they offer race day pick up for your bib and T-shirt. I remember it being kind of small last year but it's still nice to walk around and see what local vendors are offering as well as some of the partnerships that the race has.
Packet pick up in the morning was really easy and everyone receipt for pleasant bag check was easyAnd even though this is a pretty big race it had all the hospitality of a local race.
Parking if you get there early is free at the parking lot right next to the finish line... Guess what I did...

The course:
It is well marked.
there's hundreds of volunteers...I think over 600 volunteers.
the aid stations are stocked with Gu, water, electrolytes, bananas, oranges and a couple of mimosas.
The best part about the course is the community involvement. I think that's the best part about the race.

The finish festival in my opinion rivals that of a rock and roll race. Of course there's a massage and stretch station and of course there is water and chocolate milk... But there's pizza bagels trail mix...
There are ice baths for your feet!!!!
Kiddie pools filled with ice and water!!

Of course there's beer and I'm as much a fan of Michelob Ultra as the next guy but the Variety of craft brews available are amazing.
The concert is amazing
And I recommend you splurge on the VIP area because it is cool to have your own special area your own private keg of beer.

New will question your sanity while running this race the line the race is over you'll be glad you did it and you'll be itching to sign up again

The good. This didnt feel like the first year this race was run. The folks putting it on did a fantastic job!
The bad. Uhm. If I needed one...the mile markers were a bit off?

Registration: this filled up fast and I almost missed registration. The event sold out and talking to the race director they set a hard cut off to ensure t shirts, medals and post race food was available.
It was a run sign up website so all my info was saved and it was easy to do.

Communication:
The race director sent out a few, well worded (and a bit long) pre race communications. The information was helpful and relevant.

Parking was a dream. It was a field next to the start finish line and was expertly manned!!

The course was really flat. There were a couple of bumps going over the turnpike which were welcome (imho).
The finish festival was really nice.
They had food trucks and lots of bagles, banana chips and water

I want to start by saying I am a huge fan on the hot chocolate events.
I have done 3 this year and have not been disappointed.

The good: you get tons of slag
The bad: it's hard to park it Brooklyn

This format might be different than my normal race review; but I have to tell you I really enjoy running in Prospect Park.
You forget that you're in a big city; there are waterfalls and tunnels in the middle of the park!
Maybe not at the start of the race; but definitely after the finish; there were hundreds of people with dogs and kites and frisbees and you forget that you're a Brooklyn

The Course itself is pretty flat. there's one tiny Hill when you make your loop.

For this race they started the 5 and 15K at the same time. Which was nice because I think the field would have felt empty if there was a staggered start.

I would say feedback for the race management team would be that there was some confusion on where the start of the race was. Before getting to the park I looked at the website and saw where the start was and just walked to where it said the race started and I got their fine

The only negative or critical feedback I have is that there was not a lot of cheering.
That doesn't speak so much to the hot chocolate boats but more to the community.

Okay second critical feedback is there isn't a good deal of parking.
If they have the race clearly again next year I can beat the street sweeping but how many people know that...

I think they did a decent job laying out the finish line but again with it being the 1st year I think there are some things that were present at Seattle and Philadelphia that were missing from Brooklyn.
I think if they come back for a second year those small missing things will be ironed out and the race will be on par with all of the other cities.

The good: uhm Chocolate at the end??
The bad: getting in and out of Philly

The hot chocolate series has to be one of my favorite race series because it is a consistent runner experience.
From the moment you decide to run this race and sign up; until the moment you finish the race; you are in good hands 😂🤣😂.

Whether you are a first time runner, or legacy runner this course and company does not disappoint.

The event website is pretty easy to use; you go sign up, and if you've created an account it'll auto populate everything for you.

The communication from the race management team is pretty seamless there's a little bit of advertising but for the most part they share relevant information at good intervals so it does not feel overwhelming.

Unlike the part of Pennsylvania where I live Philadelphia is predominantly flat ergo this race is flat. The only Hill you may experience is coming off Martin Luther king drive around the museum to the finish line but at that point the race is over and you're in the home stretch.

The volunteers on course are pretty energetic in general but philly brings a good crowd and the allstate folks at the end do bring you in strong
Also I'm a sucker for course scenery and the time of year (Spring in Philadelphia) is amazing. You're running along the Schuylkill river and the cherry blossom trees are blooming! Even though it was freezing this morning It wound up being a gorgeous day.

I skipped the expo this year but if you've read any of my Philly reviews it's because I really don't like going into Philadelphia...you spend 3 hours going 10 miles just to get from the turnpike to center city.
If you have a friend that's doing the race they can pick up your packet with your confirmation number. Additionally you can have it mailed to you...or you could just skip the packet altogether and pick up your bid race day at the emergency tent (the information tent) but I wouldn't want to abuse that provaledge... You cannot pick up your swag but you can get a replacement bib.

Finish line at the hot chocolate runs is truly a family event no you can't buy a hot chocolate for your kids but all state started bringing a ball pit that they can jump in and wait for you and yes there is chocolate fondue there is hot chocolate there are honey stinger waffle is there are marshmallows and you get to hang out.

At the end of the day this is a perfect distance to tune up for a Spring marathon to test your mettle after a Winter hiatus or just an excuse to get outside with a bunch of people you don't know and get sweaty.

Also the metal is kind of cool because you have the ubiquitous chocolate bar with a bite missing and a custom sticker for the city where you ran this year I will have 3 cities Seattle Philadelphia and Brooklyn
Yes. Do this race.

Any way you look at it; the the Hot Chocolate races are a must do!

I missed the expo this time around because of a snafu with getting to the airport.
BUT
This gives me the unique opportunity to review communication with the race staff and how they respond to people needing assistance!

The skinny on my communication:
I was bummed that I couldn't get my swag bag day of the race, but I understand why they do that. Once I found the information booth it was super easy for them to print a bib for me. They scanned my QR code and printed it out!
Finding the booth.... that was a bit tricky
I started backward at the finisher festival; then finish line; then gear check then start line. That's when I found them lol (figures)
They were super helpful and were easy to get along with.
The communication leading up to the race was good too.
The team was pretty responsive when I reached out for help! Same day response which doesn't always happen; especially at races this size.

Other pre race communication:
They dont spam you with stuff which is nice. Maybe 1 email. I was please with it.

Expo:
See above

Race organization:
Fantastic.
The course was laid out really well! I also have to admit the layout of the start/finish village was really ingenious...run it next year to find out why 😉
I think the family reunion signs near the gear check were a fantastic idea (I don't remember seeing these previously)

The course
Uhh read the intro.
The hills weren't awful but I was certainly not anticipating them. I almost feel like there wasn't a flat part on the course.
After the half way point, that up hill was okay, but the giant one around mile 7 was killer!
For the most part it was a closed course. There was one AH who drove onto the course and the cops legitimately chased him down.
I also really liked how the incoming and outgoing runner traffic was separated. They did a great job of making sure there was ample space even if the roads were a bit narrow.

I would have liked a bit more scenery. Going over the bridge was cool (yes I have a thing for bridges) but again that was also the big hill where you needed to dig a little to keep pace.

Course support:
There is nuun; water; marshmallows and something else on course.
The volunteers are great. They cheer and are friendly.

Finish line
In true HC fashion the music and chocolate flowed. I don't remember honey stinger products being in the mug last year but heck yeah!
All state had a great booth with some recovery tools and some photo booths which was nice (and it made the finish area a bit more friendly for kids)

Bottom line:
You need to run a HC race. They are walker friendly and a load of run. The jacket they give is really nice and the finisher medal is pretty dope too!