Sole of the City 10k

I’ve run every Sole of the City since the race started in 2012 and have enjoyed all of them. The race is extremely well organized and the premium has always been a very nice sweatshirt or running jersey. For the first couple of years the second half of the course was quite hilly, but now that it extends through Fells Point it feels like its flatter.
My only real gripe with the Sole of the City is that getting to and from the race can be a bit of a hassle. Parking is limited, and getting out of Federal Hill after the race is often a traffic-​clogged mess unless you take the Fort McHenry Tunnel.

I always forgot to sign up for the Sole of the City 10k on time, but this year I made sure to sign up before the race sold out. 5ks are fun and half-​marathons are good, too, but sometimes you want to run a distance in between the two and a 10k is good for that. It’s not an easy distance to find a race for though.
Anyway, the race was extremely organized (as all Charm City Run events are!) and my favorite part was the race premium! Under Armour hoodies for both men and women. I LOVE my hoodie and it’s so much better than the technical tees you usually get for running a race. And the price of $ 75 includes the race and the hoodie which is awesome. Packet pickup was held throughout the week at various Charm City Run stores, which is just so convenient. There was also packet pick up on the morning of the race. I actually picked up my packet earlier in the week, but then the morning of my race I realize I had lost my bib somewhere at the house. Thanks to the packet pickup on the morning of the race, I was able to get a replacement bib with a chip timer. I panicked the whole ride there, but luckily it was solved by the great race staff/​volunteers.
The course was great. It started near the Charm City Run store in Federal Hill on McHenry Row. There was plenty of parking and port-​a-​potties, which is a huge plus. The course went around the harbor, starting in Fed Hill and then by the aquarium, through Canton and back to Fed Hill, ending at McHenry Row. The race was enjoyable, with a 9 am start time (however, I would not complain about an earlier start time, but 9 am is good) and the energy from the other runners was great.
Post-​race included fresh fruit and sandwiches as well as beer and music for an after-​party. I definitely look forward to running this race again next year!