Hot Chocolate 15k and 5k

Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes the reason is I was stupid and made some bad «cool» decisions. I did the same fun mistake twice, two years in a row. I saw the the magic word «Hot Chocolate», And I was immediately hypnotized. I registered, and DIDN’T TRAIN. I kept hurting my self and now I can’t run at all. My knee and hip keep screaming: you are old for this $$$. Look out or back out, missy.
So I’m sharing this, from a professional point of view (haha), as the best way to do the Hot Chocolate Run:
Step 1:
Register in advance, and try to look for promo codes for the free stuff with registration. In 2014 I got a free travel mug, & in 2015 I got a running hat.
Step 2:
Pickup your awesome goodie bag, which includes your bib and your non typical race T-​shirt. In 2014, It was fleece-​lined material cozy hoodie, & in 2015 it was runner’s performance fleece.
Step 3:
Run, walk, crawl, or scramble toward that chocolate at the end of the race. The way I see it, a 6 min/​mile is as good as 12 min/​mile, just a bit longer, and there is absolutely no need to rush. At the end, everyone will have chocolate. Too much of enthusiasm I suppose (hahah).
Step 4:
Reward for those who have crossed the finish line, and earned the ultimate indulgence. Isn’t one of the goals was the CHOCOLATE at the end of the race?! A commemorative finisher’s mug, filled with a melt dark chocolate fondue (duh!), many dip-​able treats and a cup of hot cocoa.
How to cross that finish line?
1. 6 min/​mile? Possible? In theory. Yes. Aim for 12min/​mile.
2. Slow down.
3. Umm, at this point, you can re-​use a jumpstart.
4. Who cares if you were 1^st, or last. All what you want is: CHOCOLATE.
5. Ok chocolate is the saver. Go get it.
A bonus tip, if you are really sad, you have two choices: Either running or chocolate. Personally, and for this type of emotion, I prefer CHOCOLATE!
Why? You ask. Simply Because I don’t run, and if you see me running, you should run as well, because something is probably chasing me.
Five Unilocal

This was, without a doubt, one of the most fun and well organized race events I have ever participated in. I’m already pumped for 2016 registration!
The packet pick-​up was held at the PA convention center a few days before the race. Everything went very smoothly and you even had the opportunity to try on the jacket and exchange it out for a different size. There were tons of vendors selling really cool running gadgets and gear. The volunteers were very friendly and helpful as well. Oh, and did I mention the free chocolate-​dipped marshmallows?
The race itself was amazing. The route was scenic and flat nearly the entire way. The fuel stations passed out lemonade, water, and marshmallows (to keep up with the theme). There was plenty of space to run without feeling too obstructed, unlike some other large races.
Still, the best part was the post-​race party. I loved the finisher mug filled with chocolate fondue and other delicious goodies. The finisher medal, new in 2015 for the 15K, was adorable and high-​quality. I am still working out a way to display it.
I highly recommend participation in this run in the future. You will be very glad you took part.

They replaced clean drinking water with hot chocolate. Who the hell wakes up at 5 in the morning to run a 5k? People who need new facebook pictures, thats who.

I won an entry to this race through Unilocal,which was a nice surprise, being as I forgot I had even entered the contest. I opted for the 15K, as did my brother-​in-​law. With Half Marathon looming the following week, and the race being further than my BIL had run in quite some time, we opted to take it as an easy, training run.
Packet pickup at the Convention Center was a breeze. When you went to pick up your bib, instead of being directed to a specific counter by name or bib number, you could go to any worker, who scanned your confirmation, picked up a blank bib, and printed a label with your name and number on it. This was the first time I had ever seen this method of bib pickup in a race, and it was very efficient. In most big races, certain counters are usually backed up, while others have few people going to them. The zip up hoodie we received is really quite nice — I’ve been wearing it every day to the gym. I also liked that after you picked up your hoodie, which was wrapped in plastic, they had sample hoodies off to the side that you could try on, in case you had to trade sizes, without having to open the plastic. The expo itself was small, and pretty much what I expected from a race such as this. A few vendors handing out samples and selling some sports gear. Nothing major.
Now to race day itself. Parking wasn’t the easiest, but we ended up just going into the Franklin Institute garage, a short walk to the race area. It was a cold and WINDY day, so we walked around as long as we could before taking off the extra layers, checking our bags, and getting into our coral.
After what seemed much longer than it probably was (due to the cold/​wind), we were finally off. After running a mile loop in the direction of Center City and back, the rest of the course was a simple out-​and-​back along MLK Drive. Once we got moving, we warmed up quite nicely, and could enjoy the scenery along the river. There were plenty of water stations appropriately spaced out. Normally I hate out-​and-​back courses, because I hate seeing all the people ahead of me who have already turned back, but since this race was just for fun, I actually enjoyed it this time. I especially love being able to see the leaders coming in. Aside from the leaders, it didn’t seem anyone was in a really competitive mood. Everyone cheered for the leaders and took time to high-​5 their friends passing the opposite way. The course finished up with a short but somewhat steep hill towards the art museum, finishing right in front of the museum steps. 15K finishers received a pretty hefty finishers medal.
Following the finish you head over to the refreshments tent for what is the entire point of the race — the chocolate! All finishers were given a large, plastic «mug» filled with chocolate fondue, various snacks, and a cup of hot chocolate. Now, unfortunately for me, I was unable to eat any of the snacks aside from the banana and pretzels, but I can imagine the hot chocolate would have been most welcomed on that cold windy day.
I have two criticisms of the race: One, they should start the 15K BEFORE the 5K. I could see no reason why it should have started the other way around, but perhaps there are logistical issues of which I am not aware. Secondly, and this was admittedly probably a fluke, but it took the bag check volunteers almost 20 minutes to find my bag, due to them placing it in the wrong numbered box.
Overall, this was a fun race. I will admit, however, I would never have done it if I had to pay for it. As with most fad/​themed races, the entry fee was way overpriced. If I had to pay, the 15K would have cost me $ 74! That’s Half Marathon pricing. Also, for that price and not being able to even enjoy the main attraction, the chocolate, it just would not have been worth it. All that being said, if Unilocal should find itself holding another contest for this race next year, I’ll definitely enter and try to score another entry.

I ran the 5k in 2015 for the first time. It was a great, huge race though it got off to a bit of a rough start given how many people were running, at least that helped me pace myself throughout. I thought it was well organized, there were plenty of bathrooms, bag check and finisher’s mug pick up ran pretty smoothly. The course was exactly what you expect a 5k in Philly to be – out and back on West River Drive. It would be great if some 5k organizer could come in and do a more creative or different course. I’ll be running exactly the same race about four more times this season.
The goodie bag at this race is awesome – I got a very nice fleece-​like hooded sweatshirt. Also, by using a promo code, I got a nice breathable baseball cap that I wore during the race.
My one criticism is that for a race this big, I thought the exhibit hall was pretty empty. I would like to see more vendors in there when I go to pick up my packet. It’s always fun to check out new running stuff all in one place, and there were not a lot of options.
Another criticism, dear god I look horrible in the action shots. There is clearly something wrong with the cameras ;)!

I ran this race in Atlanta and loved it so much, I flew up to run the Philly race with my sister. We stayed at the Four Seasons (Mom’s treat) which was an easy walking distance to the starting line. The 15k started at 8am and we left the hotel around 7:15 to walk over.
The 15k course started at the Philadelphia Art Museum which made for lots of great photo ops pre– and post-​race. The course was FLAT, which I appreciated after the hills of Atlanta. The bulk of the course ran along Boathouse Row and the river, which was beautiful– especially on the way back with views of the city.
For the cost, the swag is unbeatable. Great quality hoodie, awesome medal and a finisher mug packed with post-​race treats. The volunteers were fantastic at every aid station. I preferred the marshmallow stations to the chocolate stations– the chocolate just made me super thirsty, but the marshmallows gave me a little sugar-​fueled energy boost. Bonus– I could stuff a couple in my pockets without worrying about them melting.
At the finish, it took no time at all to get my finisher mug. It’s plastic and has segments, so it’s not really a mug you can use as a mug, but it’s a fun novelty. I beat my previous Hot Chocolate 15k time by 7 minutes and I spent those extra 7 minutes stuffing myself with chocolate. This is a race that everyone wins.
Highly recommend. I’d like to see more races in the Northeast. I’m relocating soon and will definitely do Philly next year, but race in the NYC area would be perfect!

The Hot Chocolate Run was my first 5k so I can’t compare it to anything else, but strictly review my experience.
My experience as a whole was pretty good. Here’s the good:
1) The packet pick up was easy. I spent a little time at the expo, but I could have been in and out of there within minutes. The staff was fully prepared and ready to get everyone moving. It was easy enough for me to stop at the expo the Thursday or Friday before the race, but I could understand the inconvenience for out of towners.
2) The swag was great. I would have been happy just paying for that hoodie with my registration fee, let alone the hat, bag and chocolate goodies I got. Oh and the race itself.
3) The scenery for the race was top notch. All of my pictures either had the skyline or Art Museum in the background. The second half of the running coming back to the city had breathtaking views of Philadelphia.
4) Everyone’s run was timed and shared electronically. As a newbie to running, I’m not sure if that’s standard procedure or not, but I liked that I could view my results right away.
There’s also some not so good.
1) I didn’t know pace at the time of signing up so I got stuck back in a later corral. We were allowed to leave about 15 minutes after the race started so that added some extra time for nerves to kick in.
2) My corral had a bunch of walkers. While I’m not fast, I found it hard to dodge them. It also seemed like people were starting and stopping at any given point on any given side of the road. You’d think there’d be rules for that.
3) The hot chocolate mug was a little messy and hard to eat. A few high top tables for people to eat on would be helpful. As would napkins.
4) Parts of MLK just flat-​out stunk. This isn’t anything that could be controlled by the Hot Chocolate Run organizers, but it was hard to breathe accordingly with such a retched odor in the air. The road was in awful shape from the winter. Some of the larger potholes were marked, but I had to really watch myself.
Overall, I had a blast and would definitely sign up again next year.

This race is awesome for either 5k or 15k and highly recommend for fun time with friends and family. Great spring race to get the legs warmed up for race season. Nice flat scenic course of the city and the 5k is walkers friendly.
Thanks to Simone and RAM racing for this awesome event. Sign me up again next year!

After months of attempting to get my girlfriend to run a 5K, we decided on this one. Chocolate is the key to every girl’s heart, lads.
You have no idea how much she hates running. from the physical pains to the mental challenges, it was an interesting training experience. The event suggested we arrive at or before 6:15 am for our 7:15 start, but that turned out to be unnecessary. We could have arrived at 7 and been on time for the race.
The actual run itself was flat, and the people were encouraging. There were enough water/​Gatorade stands throughout the run to keep everyone hydrated. Thanks to the superfluous amount of volunteering, the event was very organized. To conclude the race, we were given a bowl of assorted snacks and chocolate to dip.
Thanks to this run, my girlfriend is now eager to run her next 5K. Though I already knew this would happen… running is a lifestyle ;)

Really fun event! Check-​in went smoothly and the expo was nice. The course was pretty flat. Their lemonade sports drink was delicious! Everything was well-​organized and ran smoothly. Nice goodies for the cheap registration fee. Family — friendly. Runners had good sportsmanship. All of the volunteers and staff were cool too.

I run a lot of races, ranging from local 5Ks to large marathons, and I was definitely impressed by this event (I did the 15K). The swag alone makes it worth the price of entry — they give you a tech hoodie, a cute draw-​string bag, and a plastic mug at the end with little compartments for chocolate fondue, hot chocolate and various things to dip in it. For 2015, 15K finishers also get a medal, so I’m looking forward to that when I run this time!
As a race, this was nicely organized with a flat course, plenty of port-​a-​potties, and sufficient water and gatorade.
The parking situation is the only major area in need of improvement, from my perspective. It’s a Philly race, so it’s always a challenge… Not really sure if there’s any way the organizers could make this better, but that’s what would get this event up to 5 stars from me.

I randomly applied to be ambassador for this race and got selected, so I was hoping for the best since I never run a Hot Chocolate Run before and I was promoting the run. The run itself was great super well organized lots of email update (unlike the ambassador program which could used more regular communication but I’m not rating that) easy to find information although it could of been posted a little sooner.
The hoodie was awesome love the thumb holes, it could of used a little stretch but after looking at friends mine might of been mismarked size wise since it seemed a little smaller than hers. Its fits so I didn’t bother to try and trade it in but it was awesome they had a trade in option at the race. It so hard to order the right size when everything seems to be cut differently.
I had to register way back in September so I signed up for the 15K and figured I could down grade to the 5k if needed. Due to the horrible winter and my hate for the treadmill my lack of training had me leaning towards the 5 but the day of I sucked it up and went for the 15. The course was relatively flat which I am a fan of. I liked the option for chocolate in the middle although I had no intention of eating any my pants had packets and I stashed it for after the race.
The finisher mug was more than enough food I had seen it empty but it was much bigger full. I couldn’t eat everything saved some stuff for later. Bag check was easy and there wasn’t a horrible line either time I went. Over all a great race. Might try for ambassador again next year so look out for a promo code I’ll be sure to post it to Unilocal like I did this year.

This was a super organized and fun race. Everyone was excited and had loads of fun. It was an easy run for me, and my husband now wants to volunteer to help out next year. :-)

This was my first race and I absolutely loved it. It was a well thought out race and had so many details that were well executed.
I did the 5k, but I signed up for the fast corral because I have been training. It was the perfect corral because I ran the entire time and I didn’t have to run around too many people walking.
When I was feeling thirsty the water and Gatorade stations were at the perfect place. They definitely kept me hydrated.
During the race I was hungry and the hot chocolate mug was perfect at the end. The large mug was more like a plate that came with hot chocolate, plenty of chocolate fondue and snacks to dip with. Since it was a chilly day it was a perfect snack. They also had stations with tissues and wipes because the hot chocolate fondue can get messy.
As an added bonus they gave us a swag bag when we picked up our race bibs prior to the race. My favorite swag item had to be the ½ zip jacket/​pullover. It came with a hood, thumb holes and zip up pocket. I was not expecting such a good jacket/​pullover and I will wear it a lot in the future.

Fantastic run! Super family friendly. It’s one of the best planned and well organized runs I’ve been to. Can’t wait to do it again.

Loved this race! It was mellow and well organized, and the chocolate was delicious! I will definitely do it again next year! (Like almost every race I’ve run, I would prefer that the water people take up less space on the course, particularly at the end where people are sprinting, but this is an issue on every course.)

This was my very first race ever, and I think it was an awesome one to start with. It was plenty organized, with staggered start times that meant you weren’t staring off too packed in and could break away from the crowd easily. The announcer was enjoyable to listen to while we waited for our turn, and the music was fun. There were plenty of hydration stations along the way, and when I actually looked up to check my surroundings, I discovered that it was an awesome looking route. When I crossed the finish, I grabbed a Gatorade and a bottle of water and headed to get my hot chocolate and fondue cup. At that moment, I decided that if there is one thing worth running for, it’s chocolate, not self improvement.

Fun time with friends. The event was run perfectly.

This was a great race. Everyone was fantastic. I am 68 years old and finished chemo for cancer so was slower than I wanted to be but the race officials were great. They cheered me on and they didn’t know about my cancer. Thank you for being so supportive.

«The Amazing Race»
Literally one of the best races I have ever run… and I do not mean the best time (surely not — these old bones were lucky to cross the finish line). I mean that it was incredibly organized, so much fun, great scenery, so well-​organized, family-​friendly, and so well-​organized. Did I mention it was well-​organized? I have run A LOT of races, and I was truly impressed. They thought of *everything*. Packet pick-​up was so smooth, gear check-​in and pick-​up was smooth, start and finish areas were well-​placed, volunteers were awesome, and color maps (double-​sided) to help family and friends know where to stand/​park/​cheer you on. Nice.
I am not one to use porta-​potties (sorry to my dear bladder), but I was desperate this time and never did I see anyone waiting to use one. You would think there was a day long city parade with the number of porta-​potties they had — but I’m not complaining. I have attended two inaugurations on The Capitol Mall, and I did not see this many porta-​potties in one place. Impressive. With so many available, this meant that they were all essentially spotless (I use that term loosely…) and toilet paper was plentiful. Nice.
I had to wait for my sister (since I did the 5K and she did the 15K) so all I could do was wait around. But they thought of that too — there was plenty to do – browse the merchandise tent, play with the kids on the moonbounce, take pix in front of the Philly Art Museum, and dance at Club Hot Chocolate. The DJ was crankin’!!! I never knew I was a 18 year old girl trapped in a [*cough*]-year old body, but I was jammin’ with the best of them. The music felt like it was 1am at a club, but it was really 830am in the middle of Philadelphia city streets. Nice.
So finally met up with my sister. We joined the Finisher’s Mug line together — oh whoops — what line?! No line. The thing was so well-​organized there was no wait. Excellent. Stuffed our faces with chocolate fondue and hot chocolate, putting on all the calories that we burned off. Who cares? We have a lovely fitted hoodie that makes us look good despite the extra calories. Nice.
I would run this race again in a heartbeat. I can’t imaging how much it costs to put on, but if they can maintain it along with awesome goodies while still being able to give to Ronald McDonald charities, I will continue to participate. I do not live near Philadelphia, but the drive was well worth it.
Oh! The announcer was great, by the way.
I don’t care if you end up telling me he does this once a week 50 weeks a year or something — he was funny and genuine and had some great one-​liners.
It really kept the crowd and runners hyped in the 40 degree weather