The biggest draws for races at a beach is obviously the view, the ocean breeze, and flat elevation. The Surf City 10 had all of those features and more. This year's race took place at night #RunatSUNDOWN so in addition to all of those previous perks, we got to enjoy the sunset along the beach!

I had a friend pick up my bib, but I picked up another bib just before the race started and had no issues. The starting line was crowded which is no surprise given the amount of runners at the race. We were patient and waited for the first few corrals to start and then did the zig zag around slower runners. I have yet to be in a race where that is avoidable (with the exception with the few races where I was at the front of the first corral (after the elite runners, of course). I found out the shirts were glow in the dark AFTER the race, when I was already home. That's too bad, it would have been fun to run with the shirt during the race. But overall, I was happy with the race location, logistics, and perks. I highly recommend this race if you are looking for a fun race with an ocean view!

I like local races because you know exactly what to expect in terms of crowds, swag, course support, etc. Since this was a smaller race, I wasn't too surprised about the smaller turnout. It's always a nice surprise when you don't have to sit in traffic waiting to park or zig zag through runners at the start. The t-shirt was OK, I'm not a fan of cotton tees but it felt pretty soft. The medal was actually a nice surprise, well made and comes with a built-in bottle opener! Overall, great local race that I would run again with friends and family.

I've wanted to run this race for many years now. I still remember seeing this race being advertised at a race expo back in 2012. While a run that offered hot chocolate at the end was different, what I liked about it more was that they offered a nice running jacket instead of a medal. At that time, I had collected more than enough race medals and the jacket seemed more practical since it was something I would have been able to use much more often than a medal. But I got the chance to run it until last year. I registered and even picked up my jacket at the race expo last year, but something came up and I wasn't able to attend the race. I finally got to participate in the race this year and am glad I did. It was a very organized race, and I had no issues from start to finish. The course was pretty straightforward, we ran through some streets around downtown, I didn't notice anything too scenic but it was nice that it started and finished around the same area. There were some hills throughout the course, but nothing too daunting. The chocolate was a nice treat at the end, and it was dark chocolate so I did not feel guilty eating that after the run. The Hot Chocolate Run is a great way to combine exercise and the social element of running together.