As mentioned before, we love a good race. 5K, 10K, or the occasional half marathon - whatever the case may be - between the two of us we have completed all these distances. We like to try out new races, especially ones that have a unique aspect - or awesome swag…yeah, we like the goodies too. Don’t get us wrong, the physical accomplishment of completing these races is also a major plus. Getting a personal record is amazing and always gives us a goal to work towards, but a well designed race shirt or a fun medal is really what gets us to spend our money. Does that make us serious runners? Maybe not, but hey - we’re out there doing it and that’s all that matters!
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| Team Agent P excitedly waiting for the 2012 Cars Land Rally 5K to begin. |
The first race we ever completed was the 2012 Cars Land Rally 5K at Disneyland and we have not stopped running since. In 2013, (which we dubbed the year of the 5K) we completed at least one 5K every month - not the cheapest of hobbies, but that’s neither here nor there. One of our favorite races is the Hot Chocolate 15K/5K held in San Francisco every January, in the beautiful Golden Gate Park. This race is becoming a yearly tradition of ours.
Each time we’ve participated in this race we have come away feeling the same way and bestowing the highest possible compliment we can give: it feels like Disney hosted the event. Well organized and executed, the Hot Chocolate race is great for beginners and seasoned pros. The one aspect of the race we have not quite mastered (which is our bad and not the race organizers’) is our timing for arriving at the event. The first year we were too early and this year we barely made it by the skin of our teeth - hopefully we will find the middle ground with next year’s race.
Highlights include: a scenic course, chocolate chip stops in addition to the water stops, a chocolate fondue finishers cup, and a fantastic jacket to wear with pride. Even with all the chocolate around, the runaway hit of the day was Tina’s hat - seriously, everyone was taken with it. The idea for this hat sparked from one of our daily chats and the result was adorable. In keeping with the chocolate theme and the craft marshmallows she had laying around (because who doesn't have these laying around?), Tina transformed a brown beanie into a cup of hot chocolate. Because of her hat, she was named the marshmallow lady by several passersby who recognized her from the course. This hat is what we try to bring to the races we run - just a little added whimsy.
Maybe we will see you out there on the course sporting your own marshmallow beanie. ‘Till then we raise a cup of hot chocolate to you!
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| Enjoy the sights of the Hot Chocolate Race. Fact: bottom left picture was taken seconds after we decided to start a blog. |
