Nutrabolt Oktoberfest offers super swag, helps children’s charities

There are just too many interesting races to fit on one’s race calendar, especially in the fall. For most runners, even those who frequently race, it’s challenging to arrange to check off all the items from the bucket list.

This year, I’m excited about doing the Chicago Marathon on Oct. 7, and then switching to trail running for a 50K and 50-miler to round out my race season.

That didn’t leave room for the Nutrabolt Oktoberfest Half Marathon and 10K, which takes place Oct. 21 in College Station, Texas. It definitely sounds like a race to add to my ever-growing list.

Check out the Nutrabolt Oktoberfest for yourself. And, if you have the opportunity to add it to your race calendar, use my discount code NBRAVE2018 for 15 percent off.

The well-known BCS Marathon and Half Marathon also produces the Nutrabolt Oktoberfest race. The BCS Marathon is highly acclaimed in its own right, including the half marathon being named to the inaugural BibRave top 100 races.

The Nutrabolt Oktoberfest, which finishes inside Texas A&M’s football stadium, has a lot to offer. Here are the top five reasons to consider this race:

1. Runners collect some cool swag. Check this out: half marathon and 10K finishers receive a finisher’s medal, sweet race shirt and a beer stein at the finish line. And you will need that beer stein because …

1. The post-race festival offers choices of up to 10 different craft beers. And, of course, there will be plenty of food to help you recover from the race.

2. Race organizers are experienced endurance runners and understand what runners want from a race.

3. Although the timing doesn’t work out for me, either the half marathon or 10K distance might be perfect for other runners competing in fall races. For earlier races like Chicago, the timing is good for runners who are in marathon shape and looking to use that fitness to PR in a shorter distance. Conversely it’s also good timing for those gearing up for an early November marathon — the Indianapolis Monumental, New York City Marathon or the Philadelphia Marathon, for example. The Nutrabolt Oktoberfest half or 10K would work in that time frame for a last test of speed prior to race day.

4. Perhaps my personal favorite of this list is the charities that receive support from the race. In fact, 100 percent of proceeds from the Nutrabolt Oktoberfest benefit two children's charities. The first is FIT360, a charity benefiting underprivileged children around Bryan, Texas. The second beneficiary is the Mercy Project, which helps set children free who were enslaved in Ghana, Africa.

If your fall calendar has some flexibility, definitely check out the Nutrabolt Oktoberfest. If you participate in it, let me know how it goes. After all, I have a 2019 fall racing schedule to fill out.