Where is the beef... er, where is the chili? I'm not a huge fan of loop races but this group of organizers, Awesome Sauce, does them right. Lots of food, … MORE
Where is the beef… er, where is the chili? I’m not a huge fan of loop races but this group of organizers, Awesome Sauce, does them right. Lots of food, a real friendly group of runners, and they are small runs, so you don’t have to fight crowds. No need to bring your own water bottle or gel if you don’t like to carry that stuff. I brought mine anyway and ended up not using most of what I brought. They do give a medal at the end but the other swag was a choice between a pint glass, an awesome coffee mug, a knit beanie hat, and a couple of other things. I wanted them all! This is a great change from the 40 or 50 t-shirts I have in my drawer that mostly don’t get worn.
The downside is that this race series description seems to have a lot of the same cookie cutter stuff… but the race I didn’t have what the website described. From their website: “…and at the finish line you’ll find an all-you-can-eat buffet, with chili and soup and coffee and hot chocolate with unlimited marshmallows! Lucky for you, your medal is a giant coffee mug that can hold all of these things! Vegetarians, vegans, and gluten-free runners, no worries, we’ll have options for you!” So you can understand that when I went to bed the night before, knowing that it was going to be 22 degrees at race time I was seriously – no joking around – comforted by the thought of a bowl of vegetarian chili at the end of the race, and a cup of hot chocolate somewhere in the middle of the race. But none of that was anywhere to be seen. It was a good race even without that stuff, so I’d suggest the race directors either pony up and offer the hot foods and drinks or change the website. It’s not a dealbreaker, it’s still a fun race without all that hot food (and there is plenty of snacky stuff), but I was disappointed. I look for races with decent post-race food or meals. Aside from running for the views and to stay healthy, food is what moves me!
This is my second Awesome Sauce race and the first was like the second. And I’d do another of their races. I like the race production and although I don’t like loops the big aid station wouldn’t have been possible without the loop. But this loop was nice and it didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. You get a river view for the entire run, it’s on the Chattanooga Riverwalk. If you are local and looking for a January race, this is worth it. Parking was easy, swag was nice, course was pretty, and flat, race production and food was solid. No real downsides (other than the loop) and a lot of upsides.
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Where's the beef?!
Where is the beef... er, where is the chili? I'm not a huge fan of loop races but this group of organizers, Awesome Sauce, does them right. Lots of food, … MORE
Where is the beef… er, where is the chili? I’m not a huge fan of loop races but this group of organizers, Awesome Sauce, does them right. Lots of food, a real friendly group of runners, and they are small runs, so you don’t have to fight crowds. No need to bring your own water bottle or gel if you don’t like to carry that stuff. I brought mine anyway and ended up not using most of what I brought. They do give a medal at the end but the other swag was a choice between a pint glass, an awesome coffee mug, a knit beanie hat, and a couple of other things. I wanted them all! This is a great change from the 40 or 50 t-shirts I have in my drawer that mostly don’t get worn.
The downside is that this race series description seems to have a lot of the same cookie cutter stuff… but the race I didn’t have what the website described. From their website: “…and at the finish line you’ll find an all-you-can-eat buffet, with chili and soup and coffee and hot chocolate with unlimited marshmallows! Lucky for you, your medal is a giant coffee mug that can hold all of these things! Vegetarians, vegans, and gluten-free runners, no worries, we’ll have options for you!” So you can understand that when I went to bed the night before, knowing that it was going to be 22 degrees at race time I was seriously – no joking around – comforted by the thought of a bowl of vegetarian chili at the end of the race, and a cup of hot chocolate somewhere in the middle of the race. But none of that was anywhere to be seen. It was a good race even without that stuff, so I’d suggest the race directors either pony up and offer the hot foods and drinks or change the website. It’s not a dealbreaker, it’s still a fun race without all that hot food (and there is plenty of snacky stuff), but I was disappointed. I look for races with decent post-race food or meals. Aside from running for the views and to stay healthy, food is what moves me!
This is my second Awesome Sauce race and the first was like the second. And I’d do another of their races. I like the race production and although I don’t like loops the big aid station wouldn’t have been possible without the loop. But this loop was nice and it didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. You get a river view for the entire run, it’s on the Chattanooga Riverwalk. If you are local and looking for a January race, this is worth it. Parking was easy, swag was nice, course was pretty, and flat, race production and food was solid. No real downsides (other than the loop) and a lot of upsides.
Nice small race
Race starts at 9 am. More of just getting the miles than a race. Mostly on cement rail also a wooden bridge. Several out and backs with water/refreshments at center. … MORE
Race starts at 9 am. More of just getting the miles than a race. Mostly on cement rail also a wooden bridge. Several out and backs with water/refreshments at center. Event is in a park with real restrooms. Good refreshments afterwards. Shirts cost extra. Instead of medal get a nice bowl. See attached.