Battle of the Bean 5K
Kansas City, MO
- 5K, Kids Run
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Who doesn’t love a cup of coffee or hot chocolate on a cold winter’s day? Pick your team, Team Coffee or Team Cocoa and come be a part of the annual Battle of the Bean 5K! Participants will receive a finishers medal and will compete for age group and overall … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Jan 17):
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| H (°F) | 24 | 51 | 34 | 47 | 43 |
| L (°F) | 10 | 37 | 10 | 33 | 27 |
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Aww, the beginning to a wonderful start
It's winter. It is going to be cold. There is no "I hope it's sunny" or "Should I wear short-sleeve or long-sleeve?" Battle of the Bean could also be called … MORE
It’s winter. It is going to be cold. There is no “I hope it’s sunny” or “Should I wear short-sleeve or long-sleeve?” Battle of the Bean could also be called Battle of the Frigid, because with a start line nestled between two ends of the strip mall, a straight wind will remind you that “yes, you paid to run in the middle of winter”.
Yet, BOTB is the unofficial first race of the year. With nearly 500 participants, runners come out of hibernation for a ‘quick’, cold 5k and warm coffee at the local coffee shop. (The prior two races had 200-276 runners.) Most participants show up to knock out the first 5k of the year (and in reality, it is only one of two 5ks in the area for January), but I mark it as the runniversary of jkelling and I pushing each other to be better and test each other’s limits.
I mention all the above, because BOTB is more of an emotional race. The strip mall start and residential slight inclines form a lollipop, but don’t account for new and old runners kicking off the new year on the right foot. Old runners welcome new runners for a coffee afterwards, as long as their headphones are off, and willingly share new goals and races. This race will always be cold, with most participants waiting in their cars until start time, but everyone always seems happy to welcome in the new year with friends and fitness.
I opted out of the long-sleeve cotton shirt, but envied those wearing it. I did opt for the coffee mug and love using it. The medal mistakenly has Team Cocoa ahead of Team Coffee, but that’s probably only because Team Coffee is waiting to run ahead (Go Team Coffee Go!). It’s very cute and I love how the cocoa mug and coffee cup are racing. With a finish line treat of hot cocoa or coffee, it hits the spot and warms the body for a few seconds.
JKelling and my goal was to beat last year’s time (and me beat him by 10 seconds, since he beat me by 5 seconds last year). Well, those summer miles continue to pay off because we shave off more than 4 minutes off our time. I will continue to make unattractive faces during the summer and try to get out of long training runs, but yes, the proof is in the pudding.
BOTB will continue to be on my race list. It’s fun, well-planned out and a constant reminder of what I am capable of. So, if someone invites you to coffee, take out the headphones, accept the invite and enjoy the beginning of a wonderful race, and more.
Neighborhood run on nitro
This course is almost entirely in some neighborhood around some nice streets and nice houses. I know that's practically worthless as a description of the course, but there's not any … MORE
This course is almost entirely in some neighborhood around some nice streets and nice houses. I know that’s practically worthless as a description of the course, but there’s not any particular landmark other than the shopping center you start and finish up. It’s a lollipop course and by the time you’re back on the stick you can see the finish line for a largely downhill sprint to the end. This is actually a really well-designed course, despite my lackluster selling of it. Just the right amount of hills to keep it interesting without slowing you down. What goes up, must hurry back to the free coffee and hot chocolate at the end.
This race also marks the official one-year runniversary of when my running partner and I started our journey. Go ccruiz03! (one day I’m going to beat you on a 5k!) so it has a special place in my heart, but beyond that, it’s a race where people in the run community show up in force, as the unofficial start to the running season for quite a few people. There’s a very good family/party atmosphere to the race and you’ll easily make new friends on the course or after. As cold as it is, there’s always a remarkable amount of people outside, past the race, sharing stories of their hibernation or continued training, and large groups of people mill about or go get coffee afterwards.
The swag was a great heavy long-sleeved tshirt and mug. Prior years have had beanies, but the quality has always been top notch. The medal was a great design and a heavy 5k medal that honestly would fit in just fine with the 10k offerings I have.
I love this race. I love this course. I love the opportunity to interact with the other racers I may not have seen in a while because they (mistakenly) believe that when the mileage exceeds the temperature it’s NOT a good day to go running, but they are mistaken (Those are the best days!).f
The best (and worst) of (cold) times
Great course with barely rolling hills. Honestly for anybody who has run KC area this was nothing, but it wasn't boringly flat. The parking lot was iced over at the … MORE
Great course with barely rolling hills. Honestly for anybody who has run KC area this was nothing, but it wasn’t boringly flat. The parking lot was iced over at the start, and despite the salt thrown out there was still a lot there due to the 10″ snow dump we’re still recovering from and the morning temps hovering just below 20F (7 degree F windchill). Set a new PR with my buddy despite ankle problems and saying I was just going to check the box, because it was such a nicely laid out course (and the sooner I finished the sooner I warmed up). Hot cocoa and coffee available at the end was a nice touch. Course was clearly marked and course monitors were motivated despite the cold. Great race with a final stretch slightly downhill into the finish helped make up for the times we had to steer around ice on the roads and lost some speed. This course should be used more often. No tshirt with this one but a nice knit hat (two styles, one for each team — Coffee vs Cocoa) and a nice medal with some translucent epoxy inset. I represented team Coffee this year, but I think Team Cocoa may convert me for 2026 when I go back.