Chili Bowl Classic 5K Review

This was my 1st time running the Chili Bowl Classic 5K in Cleveland. 

I signed up hoping to bring home a 5K PR, but realized quickly that this was going to be challenging given the road conditions. I parked in a garage within a 3-5ish min walk from the Hofbräuhaus. I had no trouble picking up my packet on race day morning and it was a bonus that packet pickup was located inside the restaurant (since it was cold). I did a brief 2 mile warmup, assessed the road situation and returned to the Hofbräuhaus with wet socks, cold toes and a little anxiety.

THE RACE

The race started on Chester Avenue just past E. 18th and finished on Chester Avenue. I headed to the start line with hopes that the snow and slush weren’t going to be as bad on the marked course as they were during my warm up miles. They were. There were some dry stretches/patches, but it took some maneuvering to navigate them. I did a lot of slowing down on the icy stuff and then speeding up when I hit a clear spot. This took a lot of extra energy and wasn’t ideal, but I got it done.

All in all, conditions weren’t ideal and even though I didn’t bring home a 5K PR, I did manage to bring home a pretty cool wooden spoon with the race logo burned into it. These were awarded to all runners receiving first in their age group. I also snagged a 3rd place overall female finish, which equally just as cool. 
 
POST RACE

After the race, runners were invited back inside the Hofbräuhaus and treated to a free chili cook off provided by local police and fire stations. There was also had a fun polka band playing in the background and an optional beer stein holding contest. 
 

SWAG

• Long sleeve race t-shirts 
• Chili Mug 
• Free delicious chili samples
• Wooden spoons to first place age group finishers 

MY TAKEAWAY

The race has been around for a long time. It was was well organized and had a pretty laid back vibe. I would definitely recommend this race and I’m planning on giving it another shot next year.