“Disclaimer: I received an entry to Allstate Hot Chocolate 15K Charlotte as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews!”
Year Number 5 complete. I was super excited to get back to IRL racing and taking on the Allstate Hot Chocolate 15K in Charlotte. I admit I was a little worried I might have trouble running this year due to an address mix-up. I registered for the race back in September & paid extra for my packet to be mailed, and we ended up moving in December. I had my mail forwarded, but I didn’t even think twice about this race packet…..until I received an email saying it was shipped. You guessed it, my first response was “oh *$%#”. I emailed the coordinator and tried to contact postal service to see if I could do anything. I thought maybe the postal service would re-route, but they couldn’t. The packet was due to arrive on 2/8, with the race being on the 19th. Postal Service coudln’t do anything, so I was forced to watch the tracking each day as the packet got closer and closer to my old address. On the 8th, the status said delivered but then switched to forwarded. I thought “great, they will send to my new address” Today is the 26th and the status still says “forwarded”. I still traveled to the race and went to the customer service booth at the expo. I explained what happened and they printed my a new bib on the spot, great that was the most important thing. As far as the swag, they didn’t have anything extra of my size but they gave me a code to order it, and it would take 4-6 weeks.
As for the race itself, you could feel the excitement in the air by all the runners. Everyone was excited to be running in person after having to do it virtually last year. The DJ was playing catchy tunes, as well as providing some pre-race entertainment.
The starting corrals were packed full and before you know it, we were off. We were off right into a uphill incline. This race has so many hills, yet I keep torturing myself because I have to maintain my legacy status. I have run the race every year it has been around, so that’s 5 years. 5 year legacy also came with a nice legacy gift, an insulated mug. Back to the race, because I had run in many years in a row, I knew what to expect and monitored my pace accordingly. I watched all the ambitious runners handing out too fast, and thought in my mind..”ill be seeing you again soon”. One thing that I did notice was that the pacers were going much faster than the pace they were suppose to maintain. For instance, the 8:00 pacer was well out in front of me and I was running sub 8 miles. Between miles 6 & 7 is a hill that I named “The humbler” because it does just that…humbles a runner. I was greeted with water and medal upon crossing the finish line. Once you make your way to the finisher’s village, you are greeted with more music and the answer to your chocolate dreams; hot chocolate and melted chocolate, along wtih all the fun things to dip: banana, rice krispy treat, cookies, graham crackers and marshmallows.
Safe to say, I will be doing this race again next..torture hills and all. I highly recommend checking out Charlotte or any Hot Chocolate races in the future.
The forecast for race morning had changed a few different times. Up until friday, there was a 60% chance of rain on saturday morning but it changed friday night. The rain was supposed to hold off until around 11am, which would give me more than enough time to finish and get back to my hotel. I stayed at Aloft and the starting line was like a 4-5 block walk, so not bad at all BUT it was low 40s. It was cold but I still opted for shorts and short-sleeve shirt because I knew I would warm up pretty fast once the race started. The starting line area(also the finish line area) had booths already set up for the finishers. Huge shoutout to Allstate for being the only booth that though to bring heater towers. They had 3 and a lot of the runners gathered around them to stay warm before the race start. The 5k began at 7:30, and 15k was scheduled to start 15 minutes later. We started 3 minutes later than scheduled because some of the 5k runners arrived late so we gave them time to get out on the course. The 15k started and within quarter of a mile, we had already hit our first hill. As with the whole route, it was full of uphill and downhills. The crisp temperature helped keep me refreshed throughout the battle with the hills. About halfway through the race, it began to drizzle. Thankfully it wasn’t a downpour, but the drizzle wasn’t bad enough to really cause any issues outside of making it hard to see out of my sunglasses. The volunteers maning the water stops were great and were constantly yelling their support. The police officers controlling traffic were also a huge help. You had to fight through 1 last uphill before crossing the finish line. I finished about a minute and a half slower than 2018, but I was satisfied seeing how the course had more hills than last year.
No brainer, Allstate Hot Chocolate 15K/5K Charlotte is a must run. Yes, it is challenging but it is still a fun race and very well-managed. Did I fail to mention, FREE RACE PHOTOS. Hopefully I will run it again in 2020 to make it 3 years in a row.
And that’s it, that is how my 2018 race year ended. It ended on the highest of notes and I couldn’t be happier. Now, what awaits me in 2019, I don’t know. I know it will start with Hot Chocolate 15k Charlotte. I will be running Cherry Blossom 10 miler in April and I still hope to run New York City Marathon, after being denied the past 3 years. If I can’t get into NYC, I will either to Marin Corps Marathon or try to redeem myself in Richmond. It will be my 5th marathon so I feel like it should either by NYC or back where it all began with Marine Corps(my first marathon). I don’t know but stay tuned for race year 2019, I think it will be an exciting one.
TMilesAndRunning 