Why $10 Ruined the Hot Chocolate 5K For Me

OK, so I was pretty excited about running the Hot Chocolate 5K this weekend. After doing the half a few weeks ago, a 5K seems like a piece of cake. Yummy chocolate cake that comes with a really cool running jacket instead of another ugly race t-shirt I won't wear (I'm looking at you Hotcake Hustle. Brown? Ugh, that goes with nothing.) The race jacket is cool, so I didn't mind paying a little more than the usual 5K registration fee. Packet pickup is today and tomorrow, and that's where the trouble started.

To get that fabulous jacket and your race info, you have to go to their Expo at Fair Park. No race day pick up, no pick up at Run On, no mailing it to you. You have to go to the Expo. That sounds like no big deal and Fair Park is pretty, but then they make you pay $10 for parking. Really? It's not about the $10, it's the damn principle of the thing. I paid $45 already, and now an extra $10. Boooooo! But I tell myself that it's an Expo, so it's going to be awesome and I'll get cool stuff that will totally make up for the $10 I just paid to park. WRONG! Ugh, sure, they had some shoes and stuff on sale and a kids play area, but I don't need shoes and I don't have kids. Not even a 5 hour energy drink knock off freebie table for me to snag a couple for the Sig-O (crap, now I need a Valentine's idea.) It was pretty much a sad excuse of an expo.

Oh, wait, Back On My Feet was there and they are one of the coolest nonprofits around. They're all about promoting self-sufficiency for people experiencing homelessness by engaging them in running as a means to build confidence, strength and self-esteem. They're even selling cool BOMF gear and sandals for only $5 that benefit BOMF and help raise money for their amazing member Matthew, who is helping raise $$$ for them by running the Big D Marathon. You should learn more about him and give to this awesome effort. I'm not kidding, click that link already. If you didn't have to go to the Expo, so you have an extra $10, give it to his fundraising effort.

So long story short, the Expo took $10 from me and if it didn't take it from you, you should be charitable. And that's your PSA for the day.

P.S. - If they charge me another $10 for race day parking, that will be very, very uncool.