This past Sunday, October 7, my friends and I ran the Allstate Hot Chocolate 15k and 5k in downtown Denver.
My friends from Hike with Purpose, the same hiking group that I went to Grand Teton with, told me a few months before that they were visiting Denver to run the race, and that I should join in on the fun.
Of course I said yes. 🙂
Termed “America’s Sweetest Race,” the Hot Chocolate Race Series began in 2008 in Chicago, and has since spread to other major cities. The event provides each participant with hot chocolate and other sugary goodies at the post race party. Even the aid stations, called “sweet stations,” provide M&Ms, marshmallows, and chocolate chips to snack on. Plus, you receive great swag with this race: a hoodie with the race logo, available in the size of your choice. Women’s hoodies this year were maroon, and men’s all black. Not going to lie, part of the reason I love to race is earning such goodies: race tees, jackets, “hardware” (finisher’s medal), etc.
My friends Jamie, Yoli, Trish, and Cate came over from the Western Slope the day before. Me, Jamie, and Yoli ran the 5k, while Cate, Trish, and her daughter, Kale, ran the 15k. For Denver, the race starts and finishes at Civic Park, situated directly between the Denver City and County Building and the Capitol Building.
The 5k started promptly at 7:00 am; it was brisk outside as we waited at the event grounds, plenty of people already milling about. With so many thousands of runners, both races have a “wave” or staggered start: you are grouped according to your expected pace/ finish time. As start time approached, the announcer began having racers line up in their respective corrals. I was in Corral A, the first group, Jamie and Yoli a few corrals back.
We wished each other good luck, and agreed to meet at the event tent to receive our hot chocolate. After waiting in the cold, everyone was eager to get moving. Wearing my Hot Chocolate hoodie like many others, I checked that my earbuds were in place, phone securely stowed away, and that all my pockets were zipped. As I have at several other races, I wore my trusty Ariat hat with the thunderbird logo.
The announcer called start for Corral A, and we were off. Like a river, all of us racers surged forward to cheers and encouragement from the spectators. The course immediately veered northwest onto 14th and 15th streets, and runners began to fan out. Running at a snappy pace, I didn’t bother with looking at my Fitbit. So when I saw they had a clock at mile marker 1 on 15th, I surprised myself in that I was running at a 7:22 pace. On training runs my splits range from 9-10 min; I never run that fast on my own (then again, I run a lot of hills; this course is very flat). But come race day, I want to keep pace with the competition.
The course verged briefly onto Wazee, before continuing on Walnut. At mile markers 2 and 3, my splits were several seconds longer than my first mile, but I was still maintaining a good pace. As the streets had been shut down for the run, the city felt surprisingly empty. Skyscrapers loomed above. I passed several “sweet stations” but felt no need to stop by. Soon they were very few runners around me as I continued to pass a few people. I was breathing hard but my legs felt good; it was my upper abs that began to burn from my efforts.
Course map from https://www.hotchocolate15k.com/denver/course
The course looped through 22nd and Arapaho before turning onto Broadway. I’ll admit I hadn’t really looked at the course map beforehand, so mid-race I was wondering what the homestretch was. I passed a few others, and was ready to let loose my half mile sprint to finish strong. Passing the stately Brown Palace to my right, I suddenly saw it: the finish line. Digging deep, I sprinted by one or two other runners.
I saw the clock ahead and immediately felt bummed that I had finished just over 23 minutes; BUT that was gun time, not chip time, I would only realize later. From my race pictures, you can say I have game face on:
And was I pleasantly surprised, and more than pleased, when I saw my results: 45th overall finisher of over 4500 runners, 9th female finisher, and… 1st place in my age division, females aged 25-29! This is the best 5k I have ever run, at a 7:23 pace, with a time of 22:55. I definitely had the “runner’s high” for the rest of the day. 🙂 I feel like my training is paying off, and I am more than excited for my upcoming marathon in November! Stay tuned for more updates about that… 🙂
Immediately after I finished, I walked for a bit to cool down. Still breathing hard, I didn’t feel nauseous but food did not sound appetizing at the moment. Wandering around, legs now burning, I went to the tent where racers received their mug of hot chocolate and goodies. A few minutes later, Jamie and Yoli rejoined me, having finished at 34:54 and 38:04, respectively: nice job ladies, proud of you! 😀
Feeling tired but triumphant, we camped out on the park sidewalk to savor our hot chocolate. Sitting in the middle of the blue mug, the drink was surrounded by several compartments, one filled with chocolate fondue, the others filled with pretzels, a banana, and chocolate straws.
Ad yes, that hot chocolate was delicious. The fondue was amazing too—except it solidified pretty quick in the cold weather.
After enjoying our post race goodies, I had to leave for work, so I was unable to stay for the rest of the event. Luckily, I saw Cate, Trish, and Kale right before the start of the 15k at 7:50 am, the course for this distance looping further north then east. I was able to wish them luck and have fun! The ladies had a great race, with Cate finishing in 1:43; the mother-daughter team of Trish and Kale finished at 1:48:56, putting them ahead of their goal of a 12 min. pace. Plus, it was Kale’s first race: quite impressive! Well done ladies, very proud of you! You all earned that awesome medal. (photo further below)
Mom and daughter did amazing! Photos courtesy of Trish W.
The Hot Chocolate Race Series is a truly fun—and tasty—event. Whether you’re an avid runner looking to PR, a newbie to running, or wanting to run with friends and family, I highly recommend this race. With two distances to choose from, you can push yourself. I am so happy and thankful to my wonderful friends for visiting and getting me involved in this run. I am also very impressed and pleased with your training and dedication: it paid off! But most important: we ladies all had fun. And, we got to have hot chocolate. You run AND are rewarded with hot chocolate? That’s a win in my book—or blog, rather. 😉
~LMC
*I would like to thank my friends Jamie, Yoli, Cate, and Trish for graciously contributing your photos to this post 😀
*Featured image courtesy of Jamie C.
