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Latest reviews by Nicole Kimball
Nicole Kimball recommends this race
(2019)
"Hot Chocolate 15k"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Loved this race! It was my first Hot Chocolate race and it lived up to all the hype!
Registration is through RAM racing and was super easy.
Expo/Packet Pick-up was open on Friday night and Saturday from 10am to 6pm. It's at a convention hall down by the airport so it was a bit of a drive, but there were parking lots for the center so that part was easy. Getting my packet and bag was seamless. I really like the jacket that all of the runners get, it even has zippered pockets, which is vital in my book! Such a nice change from a race t-shirt that most people never use. Expo had lots of vendors, I talked to a few, but then headed out to have dinner.
Race morning was a breeze. The 15k doesn't start until 8:10 (which is a bit late in my book), but it was kinda nice to sleep late on a race morning. There was a TON of street parking within a half mile walk to Golden Gate Park. Watching the sun come up at the park was gorgeous, and the energy was high. Everything was really well organized, including gear check, which was a pleasant surprise. There were some people not lining up in the correct corrals, but that is to be expected.
The course was BEAUTIFUL!! I loved running through the park and along the water. It was a bit of everything over the 9 miles. There were 4 aid stations with chocolate and marshmallows, nuun, water, and lots of porta potties.
Post race celebration was great. I got my hot chocolate and all my goodies. Lots of things to dip in melted chocolate - which was SO fun at 10am!! Plus the medal is really cool! Overall I really loved this race and cannot wait to do another HC15k!
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Nicole Kimball recommends this race
(2018)
"Golden Gate Half"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Loved this race! Running over the Golden Gate Bridge has been on my bucket list and this race was the perfect time to do it. The views were breathtaking! The hills were not at all as bad as I was expecting, totally manageable. Plus the aid stations had plenty of water, nuun, and honey stinger gels. Such cool medals too! The race shirt is a great long sleeved tech tee with a simple but really nice design. Definitely one I will wear in training all the time (especially when it's cold)!! Only tricky part to this race is parking, both for the expo and the actual race day. The expo was in a nice area, not many vendors, but luckily the city easily makes up for it. I'd love to do this race again one day!!
Nicole Kimball recommends this race
(2018)
"RnR San Diego"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Absolutely loved running this race! Getting to wind through the streets of San Diego did not disappoint. The most difficult part was running up the highway at mile 22-24, but there was an aid station right before that and during so it made it more bearable. Plus they had ice cold, water soaked, sponges - which are one of my all time favorite aid station things. The support from the local community was wonderful, and people were out cheering at most sections. Very motivating! Not a huge fan of their on course nutrition, but I carried my own and just refilled with their water.
The expo left a little something to be desired, but I tend to judge races more on the actual race. Parking is always a bit difficult for this expo location, unless you want to pay $20 to park at the convention center, which just seems like way too much for me. I parked about a mile away for $5 and just walked. Luckily I live in San Diego so I'm pretty comfortable with where things are, not sure if I would have done the same if I weren't so familiar with the area. The expo had a lot of booths, but it just did not live up to what I had heard about from past races. Not enough to deter me from registering again. I will say, I had to move my corral up and it was super easy to do! I just walked right up, told them which corral I wanted, and they corrected my bib. It took about 3 minutes!
Loved the t-shirt and the medal, both felt pretty SoCal to me. Looking forward to doing this again!
Nicole Kimball recommends this race
(2018)
"OC Half Marathon"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Loved, loved, loved this race! Tons of parking at the finish line and an easy to catch shuttle to the start. The course was beautiful and full of picture perfect views. Lots of on course support, which some aid stations made and run by the local community. I liked their on course drinks, however they did not have any gels or other nutrition. I had my own, but some people were surprised and caught off guard by that. The finish line area is what impressed me most. Tons of space! The Sage Wellness area was wonderful with great volunteers. A huge selection of stuff to get and things to do once you finished. I'll definitely be back!