Hot Chocolate Run 5k

Let it be known that one of my favorite things in the world is joining a friend for their first race! On Sunday, it was time to join Nick for his first 5k...and he's already talking about what comes next!

Running, addictive? Who knew.

This whole race was Nick's idea. We're both on our own fitness journeys, and I assume that's what piqued his interest about running a 5k. Of course I immediately agreed to join him. I've seen the Hot Chocolate Run advertised for years and have always wanted to run it, but never have. This was a perfect way to finally partake in this deliciously themed race.

On Saturday, Nick and I met at the expo. It was smaller than I anticipated, and we definitely beat the rush. Bib pickup was incredibly smooth; I scanned my QR code, and an attendant affixed my sticker to a blank bib. It took all of 15 seconds. 

We grabbed our goodie bags, checked out the merch, and got a quick picture. I was a little underwhelmed; I'd expected a lot of free chocolate floating around!

The staging area was in the park behind the Space Needle.

After we left the expo, we walked to the staging area, where the start and finish lines were already set up. I got a look at the corrals and the porta-potties, and we talked race-day strategy. We agreed to stick together through the race, including walk breaks. I provided some insight into how race starts tend to be (crowded and slow) and we nailed down matching outfits. 

Nick was feeling excited, and already talking about the possibility of running a 10k after this, although like most people new to their running addiction, he is still in denial that he is a "runner" and secretly likes it.

Race Day

I slept like shit, which seems to be the norm before races these days. I was up nearly every hour, and by the time my alarm went off at 5:30am, I was already awake. I made myself an espresso and checked the weather. I had anticipated mid 40s and cloudy, but my app was showing low 40s, so I opted for tights. But, in a moment of pure espresso-fueled genius, I packed a pair of shorts just in case.

Pre-dawn views of the Space Needle.

By 6:10, I got to the garage where we'd agree to park and balked at the $45 event pricing. Luckily, street parking was ample and free on the same road as the garage, and Nick and I were able to park right next to each other. I decided it felt fairly warm out (the car thermometer said 47°) and changed into my shorts.

Twinning!

We hit the porta-potties, then found our corral. When we signed up for this race, Nick had no concept of how fast he could run a 5k, and I intended to keep pace with him, so we were in corral G. Of course over the last few weeks of training, Nick became aware of what he's capable of, and we knew we'd outpace most others in our corral, but our game-plan was to take the beginning easy and not stress the inevitably slow start.

Finally our turn!

The gun went off at 7am, but we didn't cross the start line until about 7:15. As anticipated, we had a lot of dodging and weaving to do, but pretty quickly found some open space to set into a good pace. We'd be weaving around people the whole time, but the route opened up early on.

About a quarter mile in.

It was really fun to run in the city Center! The route took us through Belltown to Downtown and back; it wasn't the prettiest race, but it was cool to pass some Seattle landmarks. We climbed an easy uphill slope on 4th Avenue in the middle of mile 2 just before we hit the turnaround.

I'm pretty much hidden behind people in every photo on the course. It wasn't my day for a photo-op! Seriously, look at this one:

This man really didn't want me to get my photo taken.

At that point, I checked my watch. Nick asked what our pace was; I hadn't looked, and told him I was only checking the distance. He told me not to tell him what it was, and I let him know we were more than halfway done.

Around mile 2.8 I asked Nick how he was feeling. He said he still had some left in him; I asked, "You got 4 more minutes in you?" By then we were in the shadow of the Space Needle again.

The finish line was unexpected. We turned onto the pedestrian road that goes to MOPOP and there was the race clock! Nick was like, "Wow, that's it?!" because we hadn't expected the finish to just appear to us so suddenly.

I said, "Ready?" and started to sprint; he quickly caught on and we crossed the finish line together.

At least I got a couple good photos where it counts!

There is something unbelievably special about running someone's first race with them. Maybe I'm just sentimental, but I love being there for such a big moment, and I was thrilled that we'd had such a successful race!

(I asked Nick if he got emotional crossing the finish line and he said no, so maybe this is just a me thing.)

His first medal!

We got our medals and treats, then sat down to rehash the race. I could tell Nick was feeling pretty proud of our performance, and I was too. Anytime I manage a 5k without walking, I'm pleased. We both agreed if we had thought about it, we could have pushed the pace in mile 3 and come in under 30 minutes, but starting in a slower corral and having so many people ahead of us to overtake set us up for a slower race, and that's okay.

Such pretty negative splits!

The chocolate treats at the end were worth the hype.

Plus, this was Nick's first 5k! He didn't know what he was made of until we crossed that finish line!

Yes.

But I know he's got the running bug now. After brunch (during which he regaled Steve with all the details) and a long nap, I sent him an option for a June 10k and five minutes later we were both signed up, so I think it's safe to say he's hooked.

A note on this race in particular: I'd always assumed this one would be a little gimmicky, as highly-themed race franchises sometimes are, but its popularity is earned. There was chocolate at the water stations and the goodies at the end were scrumptious. I don't love the jacket we got because brown isn't really my color, but it's good quality and very soft. If you've been considering running this race in your city, I can now say I do recommend it!

Ali