Sunday, November 4, 2012

Hot Chocolate 15k Race Review

The much maligned, massive Hot Chocolate 15k took place in Grant Park and surroundings this morning. The main pre-race gripe was the 2 to 3 hour line just for packet pickup on Friday. Luckily, my neighbor who lives across the street, volunteered to pick up my packet along with his. He went to pick up the packet late Friday night and "only" had to wait 45 minutes. He did not seem to mind, since 45 minutes was far short of the 3 hour wait time he had anticipated. Anyway, on Saturday morning after yoga with no effort on my part, the packet was hanging on my backdoor, so packet pickup was a breeze for me!

I hitched a ride from the same neighbor and we parked in the Millenium Park garage, directly under Grant Park. Arrival time was 5:45. We sat and waited in his car for about 30 minutes and then I made my way up to the Blogger Meetup.  I got to the meetup about 10 minutes late, and everyone (2 bloggers) was gone by then.  Anyway, I checked my bag and booked on over to the "A" corral with 5 minutes to spare. An observation on the corral assignments  They need to start verifying the qualifications of the runners in the "A" corral, I saw people running with backpacks lining up ahead of me. Also, some runners were more concerned with the playlist on their iPhones than getting warmed up!

Anyway, at just around 7 am, after Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel gave a speech and the Blackhawks guy sang the National Anthem, we were off.

Miles 1 through 3.1: I thought this race would be more scenic, however we were stuck mainly on Lower Wacker Drive, essentially underground with just pavement to look at. Eventually we got to run down a short portion of Michigan Avenue, yay! Then the 5k runners separated from us 15k runners and they made their way up "Mt. Roosevelt" back to what was essentially the Chicago Marathon finish line. Average pace: 6:48

Miles 3.1 through 6.2: After leaving the 5k runners, We headed down a ramp that brought to a road that runs below Lake Shore Drive, for about a mile. Some guy I was running with was complaining that the race last year ran through the Loop and this year's course had us running through relatively uninteresting areas. I could not agree more. The up and down ramps provided a mini hill challenge. We also got to run in yet another McCormick Place tunnel! Finally, we ran on one lane of Lake Shore Drive. However, we were running against traffic. The oncoming traffic had not been diverted and was separated from us, by a few pylons. Average pace: 6:48

Miles 6.2 through 9.3: The final third of the race was run mainly on the Lakefront Trail instead of closed off roads. Wow, Incredible! Not! Then it was back through the Eastern tunnel at McCormick Place. In the last 200 yards on Columbus Drive, I was dusted by a woman about 25 years old.  It felt like I was standing still. Average pace: 6:41

This will give you an idea of how big this race was: After I crossed the finish line, I could still hear the starting horn for the waves that had not yet started!

Race Summary: 

  • Total time: 1:02:55. Average pace: 6:45/mile
  • Overall Place: 177 out of 16,457
  • Age Place: 11 out of 588
  • Other note: This was my 15k p.r. Although, granted, it was my first 15k ever. However, I told myself during the race if I did not break 1:04 which is my 10 mile p.r., I could not count this as a 15k p.r. So, mission accomplished!

After the race, I got my cheap plastic hot chocolate mug, complete with a dollop of chocolate fondue which made a mess on my jacket.



I also got a picture of me by the marshmallow man:
Me and the Marshmallow Man!



Then I headed over to the Chicago Running Bloggers meetup area to see if I could spot anyone amidst the masses of people milling about.
Masses of people waiting around the A-B meetup area

Waiting..

And then at last, I spotted Kelly from Running Kellometers.  We had a nice chat for a few minutes and also got a picture:


Alas, we were the only running bloggers to make it after the race, but at least we were able to connect! Then my neighbors and I went over to Gage across the street on Michigan Ave. There we had a couple of Bloody Marys to really get the day started!

Race Summary: 
Pros:
  1. I have a soft spot for these massive Loop races. They are just awe-inspiring when you see how many people are involved.
  2. Easy transportation to the race. The "El" was running extra trains and if you drove, you could essentially park right underneath the race.
  3. Weather was picture perfect.
  4. I got a 15k p.r., but how many 15k races are there?
Cons:
  1. Race packet controversy. This may be hard for the race to live down.
  2. The course is relatively uninteresting, was allegedly better last year.
  3. Expensive. $70+. Also, why do they charge a transaction fee when they are the ones accepting the payments? What a ripoff!
  4. Running on Lake Shore Drive against car traffic going 45 mph!
  5. Corral assignments are based on unverified times.
  6. For those who don't like crowds this thing is Massive.
I may be back next year, but may decide based on the course layout.

30 comments:

  1. Great job/speedy pace! Way to go!!! I had a blast, regardless of wait times and crowds. I love running in the city!!

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    1. Yes, I love running in the city as well. If they can fix a couple of things on my "cons" list, I may do it again.

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  2. So, the secret to making the Hot Chocolate race enjoyable: 1) make someone else pick up your packet and deal with the expo fiasco, and 2) start in the very first corral. NOTED!

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    1. Yes. I admit I was lucky that someone else picked up my packet and I was in the first corral, thus avoiding the big headaches a lot of HC participants had. If they get those things figured out, they could make it even more enjoyable, the course needs to get better. Surely with 40k runners they can get some awesome permits to run in the Loop.

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  3. I hate those tunnels under McCormick Place. That is all. Glad you survived, LOL.

    I'm 90% sure that the chocolate fondue gave me food poisoning last year, so I won't be back for this one. Ever.

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    1. Yes, those tunnels seem to be a recurring theme in my races this year. I am always afraid of tripping on potholes that I can't see in the dark tunnels. Luckily, they did not have bad fondue this year!

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  4. Awesome race!! well run, packet pick up no prob Saturday morning, doing again next year!!

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    1. Here's hoping that next year there are no problems at packet pickup on Friday or Saturday. Hey, maybe they should add Thursday as an extra pickup day?

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  5. I was one of those people who had not started by the time you had finished!!! :) Because of that, I also wasn't finished in time for the post race meet up. Its just too crowded of a race for me. I spent so much energy dodging walkers and slower runners in the first 2 miles that it was very frustrating. The corral start was supposed to help, but didn't because it wasn't enforced and times weren't verified. I watched probably hundreds of people just walk right next to the volunteers under the rope and into the corrals ahead. Awesome job with the race!

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    1. Sorry to hear about your problems dodging walkers. There should never be walkers in front of runners in any race! Thanks.

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  6. Wow that was a speedy race! Congratulations!

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  7. The course was suuuuper boring. And I don't really like running on Lake Shore Drive next to traffic. If one car swerves, people could die. It was nice to finally meet you!

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    1. Yes, boring course and on LSD I kept watching the on-coming cars nervously, hoping to spot any cars driving erratically so I could jump out of the way in time! Nice finally meeting you too!

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  8. Last year's course was way more interesting compared to what you described. I am happy I did not spend $70 on that :)
    Congrats on the PR! Are you doing the Chicago Perfect 10 next weekend?

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    1. Yes, I think when I signed up for the Hot Chocolate, I was hoping the course ran through the Loop. No, I am taking next weekend off. But if you are running Chicago Perfect 10, good luck!

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  9. That is scary that you ran against traffic on LSD! What were they thinking? Congrats on your super speedy 15k time :). I opted not to do the hot chocolate because I didnt want to spend 70 dollars on a 15k plus I am spending the 70 dollars on my first half so I think its better that way :).

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    1. Yes, it was scary! Thanks. $70 is a better price for a half, not a 9.3 miler!

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  10. SOO speedy. I could not agree with you more about the pros and cons of this race. I live in the Loop, so it was pretty exciting to do a race through streets I walk on every day. I also saw some questionable characters in my corral and I could not figure out how they did the corral assignments. My former PR for a 15K was 1:21:11 and I was assigned corral E. I had it changed at the expo and was in "B" with Kelly. Runner in backpacks (or purses!) are pretty questionable for "A" status.

    The tunnels were really dark, which I found dangerous.

    Sorry we didn't get to meet up, I was freezing and just walked home after the race. Next time!

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    1. I agree, the corral system has to change now that the race has 40 thousand runners. It may be okay to be lax about corrals when there are only a few hundred. Yes, those tunnels need temporary lighting or something. Seems like every other race runs through those tunnels. Yes, we'll try to meetup next time!

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  11. Congrats on your PR speedy :) That sucks that the course was so boring. And all the tunnels. WTH?!

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    1. Thanks. Yes, it's hard to imagine that a course that runs 9.3 miles downtown could be so boring! Those tunnels seem to be a recurring theme in my racing this year.

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  12. I can see how your experience wasnt as bad as others... You totally avoided the chaos of the bag pickup, and started at the front of the herd. Im guessing thats the way to do it for this race in the future LOL. The course sounds like it incorporated all the worst parts of the loop imaginable. You definitely didnt sell me on this one. I also have a soft spot for the loop races and am surprised I havent ran it yet. Congrats on the 15K PR. Now, you can go to Tampa, FL in Early march for the Gasparilla 15K to try to better your PR. :)

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    1. Yes, I did get lucky in not having to go to packet pickup and would definitely not enjoyed standing in line for 3 hours! I usually go to Tampa every other year. Maybe someday I'll go down there in March for the Gasparilla!

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  13. Congrats on a PR! I've always wanted to give this race a try, but for the past three years, I've been either working our out of town. Can't believe how many people did it! I'm signed up for Boston 2013 as well. Are you doing any marathons before then?

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    1. Thanks. Yes, the number of people running the HC was unbelievable. No marathons until Boston. I think I am still recovering from Chicago! Congrats on the Boston entry. Maybe I will see you there.

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  14. congrats!! I am consistently guilty of placing myself one corral closer than i really deserve. Maybe it's just hopeless optimism?? I have yet to ever dream so big as the A corral though - you have to admire their tenacity, i suppose?

    I am seeing more and more 15k races, so i think they are gaining popularity? I personally love that distance!

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    1. Thanks, and welcome back! I don't blame you for placing yourself one corral ahead, but apparently there are lots of people who are not ashamed to place themselves 10 corrals ahead! I am thinking that there will be even more corral jumpers next year because some people had to wait over an hour in the cold just to cross the starting line (due to the wave starts). I guess I have to keep an eye out for more 15ks. I like the distance as well, because it is like a 10 miler except you are finished .7 miles sooner!

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  15. CONGRATULATIONS on yet another amazing race!!!

    I was very tempted to sign up for this race but had heard so many bad reviews. I am really glad that for the most part you were spared the brunt of the logistical problems!

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    1. Thanks. Yeah, the logistical problems need to definitely get worked out and I was lucky to avoid most of them!

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