Hot Chocolate 15K - Epic Fail

Hot Chocolate 15k

No, not by me as a racer. This race went so badly, I couldn't even make it to the starting line! This was the first Hot Chocolate 15K/5K in the DC area and they chose to have it at the National Harbor. Now I know why National Harbor never hosts big races in this area. Race time for the 5K (Jennifer and Cassidy were doing that and I was to do the 15K that was supposed to start 30 mins later) was 7:30am and we left our house at 6:00am for the 15 mile drive. Long story short, we were still in the car on the highway near but not at the race site fully stuck in traffic at 8:30am. Yes, 2.5 hours of traffic snarl getting into a site that could not come close to handling 22,000 runners arriving by car. They delayed the start several times but we finally gave up when the police closed the exits off the highway and we had no way to get to within miles of the start area. It sounds like it was possibly worse for the people who made it there . The people who were ready to race got told "a couple of more minutes" for well over an hour while they stood around in 38 degree temps and then the course itself tried to squeeze all those runners down narrow sidewalks. Like the linked story below says, Epic Fail by the Hot Chocolate 15K organizers.

I eventually went home and did a 10 miler on my own but certainly nothing at the race effort I was geared up for today. I wish I had slept in a couple of more hours, saved $200 or so and just done that run. Here's a story about today's race organization debacle:

http://dcist.com/2011/12/hot_chocolate_15k_5k_race_called_ep.php

Rather than offering up excuses like delays due to a severe car accident or runners not parking in the correct area, the organizers should just swallow a healthy dose of humble pie and admit that this was horribly organized, offer refunds to those who couldn't get to the start, and promise to spend the next year coming up with a better organized race. Sorry you guys had such a crappy day. I hope you get your money back.

Yuck - that sounds awful. You will have to wait to rub it in my face how much faster you are than me until next time ...

Wow...no fun at all!

Man oh man oh man oh man oh man ... oh man!

I know of several folks who were really looking forward to this as their first race. What's not to love? -- a race on a cold December morning to a finish with hot chocolate, a chocolate fondue fountain and a spiffy jacket. Sounds lovely. And that sweet entre coaxed not a few to give it a try as their first road race. In that light, Ragnar did a massive disservice to the running community.

Think they'll make good? Don't hold your breath. But if they do attempt to repair the harm and hold another hot chocolate event, look for it to be in Washington DC proper, not in Oxon Hill MD. The Cherry Blossom organizers were also considering holding their expo in National Harbor, but quickly gave that up after listening to vulunteers and participants. Ragnar would have been wise to do the same. There's a good reason large events are not held at National Harbor -- you can't get there from here.

I hope you, Jennifer and Cassidy will run the Jingle All the Way 8K next week. No better way to get that bad taste out of your mouths.

A similar thing happened last year at the Atlanta Half Marathon where runners actually parked their cars on the highway and ran to the start, but not nearly to this degree. That totally blows, Chris.

KBFitz wrote:Man oh man oh man oh man oh man ... oh man!

I know of several folks who were really looking forward to this as their first race. What's not to love? -- a race on a cold December morning to a finish with hot chocolate, a chocolate fondue fountain and a spiffy jacket. Sounds lovely. And that sweet entre coaxed not a few to give it a try as their first road race. In that light, Ragnar did a massive disservice to the running community.

Think they'll make good? Don't hold your breath. But if they do attempt to repair the harm and hold another hot chocolate event, look for it to be in Washington DC proper, not in Oxon Hill MD. The Cherry Blossom organizers were also considering holding their expo in National Harbor, but quickly gave that up after listening to vulunteers and participants. Ragnar would have been wise to do the same. There's a good reason large events are not held at National Harbor -- you can't get there from here.

I hope you, Jennifer and Cassidy will run the Jingle All the Way 8K next week. No better way to get that bad taste out of your mouths.

Yup, I'm in for the 8K next weekend. So we'll meet up and remember I've got your jacket to return to you. That's a bit too far distance wise for Cassidy right now so they are targetting another 5K (Christmas Caper - 12/17 at Hains Point) later this month.

This group that put on the Hot Chocolate debacle? They are learning that pissing off runners is a particularly bad thing to do. It strikes me that as a group of consumers, runners are pretty demanding and act on anything that falls way short of expectations. More activist than an average consumer? I think so although I've got no stats backing that up. I've enjoyed watching the comments and action unfolding at this new Facebook site created yesterday to go after Ram Racing:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Epic-Fail-Hot-Chocolate-5k15k/204729599607902?sk=wall