Hi everyone! It’s time for another Friday Five with Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia! This week’s topic is 5 races to run in 2015. Honestly, I’m not really sure what races I’ll be running in this year yet! So far I’m signed up for the Zion Half in March and the Her Tern Half in July (REDEMPTION WILL BE MINE!), but otherwise I’m still scouting out races and trying to figure out what I can handle. We do have a lot of races in the Anchorage area and I’m trying to figure out if we can take weekend trips to visit new places in Alaska where I can run some races too! Last year I ran 14 races and most of them were awesome! For this post, I chose some of my favorites that everyone should try to run at some point in 2015. If I was on the east coast I’d probably be running these again!
1. The Disney Princess Half: For runners who love dressing up like their favorite childhood characters and running through Cinderella’s castle. Pros: super fun race, great for newbies. Cons: SO HOT AND HUMID, super early start time, really boring course when you’re not in the parks. I just wrote all about this race on Wednesday so check it out if you’re on the fence about this one!
2. The Love Run Half Marathon: For Philly runners who want both city and riverside views while running. Pros: awesome course, great spring weather, the best post-race food like pretzels and Tastykakes. Cons: not a ton of crowds once you leave center city, the potholes are pretty intense.
3. Beat The Blerch Half Marathon: This is the race for all of you runners who have a blerch and aren’t afraid to have it chase you on the course while tempting you with sofas and Nutella. That literally happens in the race. Pros: the opportunity to meet and run with The Oatmeal, pretty forest views, tons of like-minded runners who are just there for the fun (and the cake). Cons: pretty far outside Seattle, really hard to get into.
4. Hershey 10k: For runners who run to eat chocolate and are really into roller coasters! Pros: you get to run through Hersheypark, the crowd support is awesome, the post race food comes in a lunchbox and includes Hershey’s chocolate, and Chocolate World is open as soon as the race ends which means CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER MILKSHAKES! Cons: early race start and some hills in the park.
5. Cooper Norcross Run The Bridge 10k: For runners who want to cross two states off their list and run in a place where pedestrians usually can’t go. Pros: getting to run on the closed-down Ben Franklin Bridge, awesome views of Philly, a great charity gets the money. Cons: it’s in Camden (AKA super sketchy and you have to pay to get back into PA), there’s definitely an incline as you cross the bridge twice
Bonus race! The Runner’s World Half and Festival: I ran the 10k in 2013 but my goal is to run the half and/or the Hat Trick someday! Pros: awesome crowds, tons of celeb-run seminars, fellow race runners who are famous. Cons: hilly…and that might be it!
Tuns out that I don’t just have 5 must-run races! I hope you all get to run at least one of these races in 2015.
What’s on your must-run race list? Have you run any of these races?
Mom in the Mtns 
Ooooh, that Hershey 10K looks amazing!
It is! It’s probably my favorite race. I’ve run it twice!
The TastyKakes were the best part of the Love Run. And I definitely want to do a Hershey race!!!!
You should! They have a half with a chocolate aid station. I’m definitely intrigued by that!
Awesome list! I had no idea that Hershey has a 10K, that sounds fun and delicious 🙂
They have a half marathon too! I’ve never run that one before but it’s on my list!
I would definitely like to do the Runner’s World Festival one someday! As well at the Philly one, I’m pretty close to there so no excuse not to get up there!
Runner’s World was so awesome! I highly recommend it.
Runner’s World Festival and the Love Run are both on my bucket list. The problem is that there are so many races that I want to run and not enough time to run them all in!
So true! There are so many awesome races on the east coast to choose from. Luckily the Love Run is in spring and the Runner’s World one is in the fall so you can probably fit one in sometime soon.
I may do the Runners World Boston this year, but I would love to run it in Bethlehem. I will be running the LOVE Run again 🙂 Hopefully in sunshine!
That’s awesome! And yes, I hope you get some sun this time! I almost froze to death last year because I was so wet!
Ill be participating in the Glass Slipper Challenge this weekend at Disney so ill be running the half! I’ve never heard of the Runners World Half and Festival, I will definitely be making note of this 🙂
Ahhh so jealous! Hope you have an awesome time! And the Runner’s World one is in PA in the fall. It’s definitely a fun race!
Great list. I did the virtual blerch last year. Hope someday to run the in person. Love your princess running outfit. Also will have to add that half to my “go run Philly” list. I’m thinking of doing RW half this year. The full hat trick would be cool.
Do them all!
I need to run a Disney race just once!
Yes you do! It’s crazy expensive but a lot of fun.
I need to just decide to one and save up.
Thank you Thank you!! I’ve been looking for a good 10k around Berks County, and I think that one at Hershey sounds amazing! I love roller coasters and running…so that’s kinda perfect. Sooo… hopefully the date works out- keeping my fingers crossed!!
Yay! I think it’s in April? I’ve done it the last 2 years and really loved it. The crowd support from the employees inside Hersheypark is so awesome!
I know I won’t be getting to any “big” races this year, but a small local one for sure!
Yay I can’t wait to hear what you pick out! There are so many good ones around DC.
runners world is on my bucket list – it’s close to my birthday so it might be my 2016 birthday present to myself 🙂
Do it! It was so much fun!
That Hershey 10K sounds wonderful if for no other reason than the milkshake. Yum!
I want to run the Blerch this year. I live about an hour from the race site and had the opportunity to buy a bib last year (the race allows bib transfers), but I couldn’t run due to injury. It looks like a hoot. Plus, cake!
Hershey is an awesome place! The milkshakes don’t come with the race but you can’t leave Hershey without one. And Beat The Blerch was so awesome! He did such a good job bringing it to life.
I would love to run the Hershey 10k. I’m all about chocolate and roller coasters! And, chocolate peanut butter milkshakes sound awesome.
They are! Every time we go to Hershey we have to get one!
i was so hoping to make it to the love run this year, but it didn’t work with my schedule. princess is on my bucket list, too!
Boo! Maybe next year!
Beat the Blerch and the Hershey’s race are two that I would LOVE to run! They’re definitely going on the running bucket list. I ran the Runners World Half in Boston (the Heartbreak Hill Half) and it was incredible! Runners World knows how to put on a great race 🙂
Do it! Hershey has a half in the fall too. The Boston race sounded really fun!
RW festival is at the top of my bucket list. And Beat the Blerch just sounds like so much fun. And quite honestly, I would love to say “I beat the Blerch!”
Great list.
Haha yeah that was fun! They had people dressed up like Blerchs on the course chasing you (slowly) encouraging you to sit down and relax on the couches that they had at the aid stations! It was hilarious!
I would love to do one of the big city marathons – London, New York or Chicago. But I also like sleeping in my own bed so I’m happy to stick around Utah too!
Ooh I’m with you on that! I would love to do a big marathon someday.
I’d love to run the Runner’s World Festival! It’s one of the ones on my “hopefully soon” list!
And, I love the Ariel costume, those tights are fabulous! 😀
Thanks! Hope you get to run RW someday soon!
Hershey!!! Thanks for the reminder I want to run there 🙂
Do it! The 10k is in April I think, and they also have a half in the fall WITH A CHOCOLATE AID STATION! I need to be part of that someday!
Oh, man! I want to run all of these races! Definitely going to try for the Blerch virtual next time. I have got to work on my travel budget LOL!
My must do races are the Gate River Run and the Space Coast Half. Obviously there are lots of other ones I love, but these are the ones that stand out the most to me. So far.
Haha I hear you on the travel budget thing! I’m trying to run races in all 50 states and it’s rough on my wallet.
I did the Run the Bridge 10K last year and had a blast, despite the brutal weather!! I keep forgetting about the Runner’s World weekend, I’ve been wanting to run in Bethlehem for so long! And that Hershey’s milshake sound soo yummy!
You should definitely do Runner’s World! I think it was a week or two after Run the Bridge. You run over a bridge in that race too haha.
These look awesome especially the Hershey 10k! I have only done 5ks and am looking to step it up in the next couple months. Any advice for training for longer distances?
Yay for running new distances! I suggest following a training plan. It helped me push myself without feeling like I was doing too much too soon. I usually use Hal Higdon’s plans, he has one here: http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51122/10K-Novice-Training-Program
Thanks! Ill let you know how it goes!