Six fun facts about the Hot Chocolate race series

Six weeks until my second All State Hot Chocolate 15K, I am looking forward to the race which mixes fun, a good race experience and — of course — chocolate.

Disclaimer: I received a free entry to the Hot Chocolate Indianapolis race on March 24 as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro ambassador, and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

The Hot Chocolate series will turn 10 years old in 2018. In its decade-long existence, more than 200,000 runners have discovered the enjoyable combination of running and chocolate. Without further delay, here are a half-dozen facts you should know about the Hot Chocolate 15K/5K race series and why you should consider running one this year.

Location, location, location. The race series has events from coast to coast, including cities such as San Diego, Minneapolis, Denver, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Atlanta and Dallas. Find a location near you — or one you want to visit as a racecation.

Charity partner. The Make-A-Wish Foundation is the official race charity of the the Hot Chocolate race series. Make-A-Wish® creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.

Race perks. Starting out with the expo, which is very well organized, runners are treated to all the chocolate they could want. In addition to the chocolate, there are other cool swag items including a warm technical pullover suitable for running in cool weather.

Fun but competitive. When I did the Hot Chocolate 15K in St. Louis, I did have a goal time in mind and treated it as a training run. Meanwhile, there were competitive runners who were pushing hard and others who were there to simply have fun. It really is a race for everyone at every ability.

Legacy Experience program. Runners who do the 5K or 15K in the same city for three consecutive years, receive special perks and swag from the race series. Additional perks are given out for legacy runners when they hit the five-year and 10-year streaks.

All the chocolate. After all, the race is focused around chocolate. At the expo, there are all sorts of chocolates to greet runners. Post-race, finishers receive a plastic container with hot chocolate and chocolate for dipping in a banana or other treats.

Of course, those are only a half-dozen reasons to run at least one of the Hot Chocolate series races. There’s still time to join me in Indianapolis. Sign up here and use my special code to receive a free bonus hat. Use code: "BibRaveHCIndy18."