The Hot Chocolate Race series did an excellent job all around. First of all that stood out was their communication. The series frequently posted about their events on Twitter and Instagram as well as sent out emails. Participants were well in the know about race sign-up, swag bag timing and race day hype. Along with the communication they had great organization. Some virtual races send out their swag bags either sporadically or with no specific timing, but Hot Chocolate sends you your race bag a week out from race day so you can all participate with your bib, medal and gear. They paid very close attention to detail in the swag bag provided. Along with samples from sponsors, you received a medal, bib, hot chocolate, chocolate pieces and a zip up hoodie. The medal opened up to a little piece of chocolate on the inside and the zip up had both men's and women's sizing which is always appreciated. They even included pins for you bib! All around the Hot Chocolate Virtual series was well thought out, well organized and had great communication. A great experience all around.

The Carmel Marathon had gone through a couple postponements and then ultimately ended up going virtual. The communication on all of their social media accounts was accurate, timely and helpful. Although the packet took a while to be mailed, they did communicate when packets were sent and when to expect them. The shirts were dry fit and in both men's and women's sizing which is always nice. The swag consisted of the basics - medal, string bag and race shirt but everything was well done. This was especially well done considering they had to switch to virtual rather than be virtual to start with. I would love to participate in this event IRL because of how organized and well done the virtual event was.

Packet pick-up the day before the race was a smooth and easy process. No issues with parking and the packet pick-up went quick and efficiently. There were a few booths set-up but nothing major. As for race morning, getting to the race was a hassle. The traffic was backed up on the highway and cars were all trying to get to the same area of the city at once. I was able to get to the starting line on time but I had a brief moment of panic! Once the race got going it was all smooth running until about mile 3 and that's when the hills started. You would climb up a very large hill into the neighborhoods by the Lakefront and then do various out and back loops. The first half wasn't too bad. Then, you circled back into the city (my GPS watch went a little crazy and lost signal) and continued to do these long out and back loops with hills about a half a mile to a mile long. It was a very challenging course, especially in the second half of the race. The finish was exciting and the crowd was great. I especially liked the race t-shirt as they had both men's and women's cut. The aid stations were perfectly spaced a part and there were lots of volunteers on the course. I would recommend this race to someone who wants a good marathon experience. I would not recommend this race to someone looking for a big PR.

This was an absolutely wonderful marathon experience. Finding a place to stay required a bit of planning ahead as hotels fill up very fast. Once I got to Duluth the city was very welcoming. I rant into traffic when I was going to the Expo and packet pickup but once I was parked and in the Expo Center everything went really smoothly. The Expo was great with plenty of vendors and interesting things to look at. The day of the race I was nervous about getting to the starting line however the shuttle buses were very well organized and easy. The race was deceivingly challenging. There were plenty of rolling hills but not so challenging that a PR isn't a possibility. After the race I was in a bit of a post marathon stupor and had some difficulty finding the buses that would shuttle you back to the hotel so I would recommend double checking that before the race! The race was well managed, well aided and the town was very proud and welcoming. I would recommend this race to anyone looking for an excellent experience!