2012 Jingle Bell Run at the Hilton Anatole Hotel
This year I recruited some friends to dress up like Santa Claus and run a 5k with me. This was a local race that benefited My Possibilities. Each race entry included a Santa suit, complete with hat and beard.
I was super excited about this event. Especially after the Dallas Marathon got cancelled, I wanted to get out there and do an event even if it was just for fun. I chose not to run for time and just paced myself with my friends. There weren't any chip timers at the event.
Before the start, I was shocked at how many Santas were actually there. I was expecting a couple hundred, but there were easily over 1,000. And then this legit Santa came out in his Porsche to lead the race start.
Santa in a Porsche
Right at 9 am, we were off. It was a little crowded at the beginning and I forgot to start my Garmin on-time, but who cares, I was running in a Santa Suit!! How many people can say that? The race had a lot of up one side of the street, run around the median and come back down the other side of the street. Normally in a race, I don't like this type of course because the scenery gets a little boring. However, this made it easy to see all of the Santas which was entertaining.
Running around mile 2.5
The Santa suits were made out of felt, not the best material for running. Luckily, none of my friends had major wardrobe malfunctions, but we were looking out for one another. Finally we reached the finish line at the Dr. Pepper headquarters. There were a ton of great sponsor tents and even a live cover band. It was a pretty awesome post-race party with lots of activities for the kids that came to the event. Food selections came from La Madeline, Egg & I, and Dunkin' Donuts. All perfect post-race breakfasts. There was also lots of fruit and snack bars from Trader Joe's. Overall this was a great event and may become a holiday tradition for me.
The after-race picture
I'm glad you enjoyed the event!
ReplyDeleteAs for Santa, he is sure riding in style these days!