I ran the 10K and had a fun time. It was a well organized event, and I especially liked that they…read moreeither e-mailed or texted the runners their finish time right after crossing the finish line! I thought it was going to be a pretty small race, but there were a lot more runners than I expected. The race starts near Fish Plaza and you basically run down Memorial Drive and back. You run one loop for the 5K and two for the 10K. Not the most fun route, but it seems to be a common race route for a lot of smaller Houston races for road closure logistics, etc. There is just a slight bit of incline running over the bridge, but it's a flat course otherwise (as is expected in Houston). Post-race party runs true to the name -- plenty to chocolate to go around! It was my first time actually seeing a chocolate fountain in person, and I will shamelessly admit that I was pretty giddy about it ;).

Had a great time!!! Things started on time and were very organized. Looking forward to more!read more

I was told about this run from a fellow yelper Zain R, and I was able to convince couple of other…read moreyelpies to join us, thus forming the team "Agony of De Feet". Mike M and Catheryn S were the other team members. We met at Zain's place and took an uber lift to the med center where the run was taking place. It had sprinkled in the morning, and so the roads were still damp and grass was wet. It was also somewhat of a cold morning too. We did a quick 5 min stretch, participated in the national anthem, and started the run. Since this was a nice sized crowd, we started at the back end of the crowd, giving all others to start before us. The lane was very narrow and being a wet ground, I wanted to avoid any slips/fall/injury. The first couple of minutes, I kept pace with my fellow team members, and then took my long strides and disappeared with the crowd. There was plenty of law officers directing traffic and ensuring safety of the runners. I was dashing on the side curb, avoiding running on the lane and bypassing people. There were volunteers passing out water through out the course and also at the finish line. Once I got to the finish line, it was about 15 extra minutes before the rest of my team members showed up. We all got water and took a few selfies together. We then went next door to the tents where there was some snacks to nibble on and replenish your energy. I plan on running next year at this event.

This is a 2015 update from my below post (be sure to read that for all the details. I don't want to…read morerepeat). I downgraded one star (from four stars to three stars) this year based upon some changes in the race organization. In particular, packet pick up required before the race. For those of us that live out of town, it is near impossible (and certainly not desirable) to trek downtown on a weekday to pick up a race packet. This after paying $30 or more to run. I highly recommend expanding the volunteer workforce on the morning of the race OR even offering mailed packets. I would pay $5 to not spend 2 hours driving in and out of town, finding parking, etc. This year I was on vacation during packet pick up and despite stating there were no race day pickup (and no exceptions), they were able to pass them out (and I was appreciative, but this was still a hassle). If you read my review last year, there were issues with race day pickup, but this wasn't a good fix. Also disappointed that Live Oak brewery wasn't out, instead they had some beer, but a one 8 oz can limit per runner. I know sponsorships are a two way street so this had no bearing on my star rating, but not as good. Also, change in parking, they used to offer free parking in a nearby garage, now you have to pay to park on race day (as a regular visitor to the hospital). We were early and found some free street parking, but this is another step back this year. Also a bit of a downer, no team competition this year. Neutral things: The route changed from previous year, but was more or less the same roads. Awards for age groups were not announced at the event and will be mailed, again, since I didn't win, this wasn't a big deal, might be for some. Overall Men's and Women's, overall and Masters Top 3 were announced with awards passed out. On the positive side, the pre-race tents and post-race party were MUCH better location (right near the start/finish). It was also on pavement instead of grass, leading to much less mud due to rains and lack of evaporation prevalent this time of year. Also YELP HAD A TENT THERE!!!! Thanks to Rosa and Christine for coming out with lots of SWAG. I hope they consider tents in future years, I saw a lot of people stopping by and checking in to the event due to their presence. GOOD MOVE YELP!!!! I may or may not do the race next year, depends on the packet pick up situation.

I've run this half marathon just about every year since I moved to Houston, and it's a great race…read more The race occurs every year on the Sunday before Halloween and provides a great warm up option for the Chevron/Aramaco race that occurs in mid-January, known to be the largest sporting event in Houston. The course is pretty flat, making a short loop around downtown before heading out along Allen Parkway and through Memorial Park and back, with only the few rolling hills near Buffalo Bayou park to slow you down. Half marathon runners get the chance to pass through the new Memorial Park tunnels which is a lot of fun. The race also offers a 10K option but these runners turn around at the end of Allen Parkway, missing Memorial Park and the tunnels. This race is also nice as the price is fairly low and includes free race day photos. Score! Having done the race several times, I will say that personally, I feel like I like it a little less since UTHealth has taken over as sponsor. The packet pickup now occurs at their Bellaire clinic and promotes a number of their health screening services. Don't get me wrong, I am all about preventive screening and public health, however I really enjoy packet pick ups as an avenue to check out running vendors to score some fun apparel and accessories. This is no longer offered with UTHealth. It feels very much like an advertising event for their health services. This year too their race day website went down for several hours the night before the race, when everyone wants to review the participant guide. They also promote live tracking, which I signed up to receive notification alerts at significant milestones, however there were no time clocks displayed on the course itself. Most runners have a sports watch or tracking app, however this was a little disappointing. Overall, I'm definitely going to continue to run this race but am a little disappointed with the new race sponsor.

One of my favorite runs in town! It's a different distance than you're used to. Most of the runs…read morein town are 5Ks, ~3.1 miles, and then you have your 10Ks which are ~6.2 miles, but somtimes you want something in between. Well now you have the 4 the park run which is 4 miles. The course is very well designed and the after part is even better! There was so much food and drinks! One of my favorite runs and all for a great cause.

Logging another 4 beautiful miles on foot, such a great feeling…read more This event was stellar, not only the surroundings, but overall it was beyond well organized, in fact from comments I overheard it's like that every year, and that's enough to say every year I hope to be a participant. Parking was not an issue; I mean who doesn't want parking right near the finish line. At first we thought man should have parked at the starting line, but as hindsight goes, we had prime parking in the end. The after party was, well let's put it this way, I've never been so pampered after a race. The vendors were friendly and very generous in all aspects. Frozen Strawberry Margaritas, Bloody Mary's, Mimosas, Beer, Muscle Milk, Squeezed - fruit infused water/juices, Breakfast burritos, pasta, crepes, cliff bars, sausage/chili, massages, stretching, shoes, and swag up the wazoo. Cannot thank the vendors enough & YELP for giving me such a great opportunity to enjoy/explore the community I now call home!

What better way to build up an appetite for thanksgiving day feast? This is a great fun and…read moreexciting run. I am shocked at how crowded this thing gets! But people wake up early, dress up and run a 5K. The sponsors usually come packed and it makes it a sight to see thousands of runners with turkey heads in the streets near the galleria.

2014 was my first year running in the Turkey Trot near the Galleria, and it was quite an…read moreexperience! They offer both a 5k and 10k race option, so depending on your level of experience you can race whatever works best. There are also wheelchair and kids specific races happening, so bring out the whole family! The course wound through the Galleria area, and the weather was perfect for running. As a first timer, I thought the instructions were a bit vague and I wish there had been a little more structure to the begining/pre-race activities. There were lots of people running in a group dressed in costumes, so if you have a couple of crazy friends grab them, get creative with the costumes, and have some fun running before stuffing yourself full of turkey later that day. Post-race activities include a few snacks for runners, photo opportunities, games and inflatable slides/obsticle courses, and a lot of great vendors to visit and get free swag. Yelp was one of hte race sponsors, and they had a booth where you could get yelp branded merch as well. Fun!

I was a bit skeptical about this race because of all the bad reviews from last year but it actually…read moreturned out well. The race course went through different areas which kept the views interesting and the medals this year were cute. However, I would caution those who have a bad ankle because part of the course is a bit hilly which can cause injury. They took out a water station in the middle so they were just on either end which meant that there was only water every 1.75ish miles. There was plenty of water and the volunteers were very sweet. What was a bit annoying, even though it wasn't their fault, was that the portable restrooms were delivered late and only 5 of them were delivered. This caused a long line and made the race delay by 20 mins so everyone had time to use them. The other ones came after the race started. There was plenty of snacks but they ran out of hot chocolate. This race had 1000+ participants I am taking one star away since they didn't give out tshirt as until the day of and because specifics of bib pick up weren't told until 2 weeks before the race.

A very well executed and organized race this year! The sponsors were well organized and friendly,…read morethe race administrators made sure everyone was staged in time for the gun. I was a bit surprised that they started the 6kers after the 12k, so that the whole race was a game of dodge-the-slow-12kers. However it was effective in getting everyone finished in a limited amount of time. And best of all, medals for all! And snacks for all!

This is Houston's version of the amazing race! It's a lot of fun as you get to travel through…read moredowntown in search of clues. Along the way there are challenges you must accomplish to take your required pictures. The clues teach you about Houston and you get to see areas of downtown you might not normally visited. Teams are encouraged to dress in costume and it's a blast to see all these people running around the streets of downtown.