Long time no talk! It’s been really weird to have such a long hiatus without posting, but I’m back!
I’m still riding the high of the Rock ‘N Roll DC Half Marathon from a couple of weekends ago. It went beyond my wildest expectations and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to sign up relatively at the last minute!
It’s Tuesday, so I’m linking up with Marcia, Erika, and Patty for Tuesdays on the Run! The theme this week is race shirts. When I go for my run today, I’ll finally get to wear my new race shirt from RNR DC that is too cute! But I thought I’d take this time to talk about the 5 best things about Rock ‘N Roll races!
[bctt tweet=”Have you ever run a @runrocknroll race? Here are 5 reasons why you should! #runchat #rocknblog #totr”]
5 Best Things About Rock N Roll Races
With the completion of the DC half marathon, I have now completed 4 Rock ‘N Roll races. My very first half marathon was the Rock ‘N Roll Philly Half Marathon in 2011, which remains to be my best race ever!
In 2014, after some tough challenges with injuries, Rock ‘N Roll Philly marked my triumphant return to running. I ran the 5K and half marathon that same weekend, the first time I completed such a feat (and probably the last!).
Since then, I’ve been so happy and blessed to be injury-free and create more memories while running more races. There’s something about the Rock N Roll races apparently that give me a little bit of good luck – and I realized that the DC half was my 7th half marathon!
I’m so excited to have the opportunity to rock ‘n roll in even more cities this year! Want to join me? Here’s my list of the 5 best things about Rock N Roll races!
1- They Show You The Best of a City
I really love the spirit and high energy of Rock ‘N Roll races. They really take over the city! Living in Philadelphia, sometimes I take the beauty of my city for granted. But when I ran the half marathon in 2014, I loved running down the Ben Franklin Parkway and seeing so many people out there cheering us on.
In DC, the half marathon course was one of my favorite things about the race! I loved being able to see parts of the city that I’ve never explored, and every corner that we turned had so many people in the streets giving their support! Not only did we run past the monuments, we were able to go through some really cool neighborhoods and have great scenery the entire way.
2 – They Are Extremely Well Organized
The Rock ‘N Roll brand puts on a really great race and you can rely on its consistency from location to location. I have to be honest – I’ve run many races over the years that were frustrating because of the lack of attention to detail: the mile markers weren’t accurate, the water stations were poorly stocked, bib pickup was stressful.
But RNR is extremely organized! They sent several emails full of important details leading up to the race. Everything that you needed to know was on their race website and easy to print out to take with you. When you run a race in a new city, these types of details really matter!
And it was almost instant when we received our race results and photos after the race. I couldn’t believe they were ready so quickly! I really didn’t have to worry about a thing, and I appreciated it.
3 – The Medals are Gorgeous
I really love all of the finisher medals that I’ve been able to receive from Rock ‘N Roll over the years. The latest from DC has to be one of my favorite medals of all time!
So if you’re all about bling, Rock ‘N Roll was made for you! Not only do they have gorgeous finisher’s medals, they have Remix medals, Limited Edition Medals, and Heavy Medals that you earn for running multiple races within the same weekend, the same region, or around the world!
4 – You Get High-Quality Race Shirts
Of course, I have to talk about their shirts! I really love the Brooks brand T-shirts that Rock ‘N Roll races provide. While they may run a little small sometimes, the quality is top-notch and I know that I’ll be able to wear them for years and years. For me, race shirts are a memory. They remind me of my running accomplishments and they fill me with pride every time I wear them. If you run a Rock ‘N Roll Race, you know that your shirt will last for a long time!
5 – You Can Save Lots of Money With Discount Codes!
One of my favorite things about races is finding a great discount, because who likes paying full price?! As a BibRave Pro Ambassador, I’m so excited to be able to promote and participate in several Rock ‘N Roll races this year and provide you with a discount code!
If you’d like to join in the fun this year, you can use the code BIBRAVE15 to get $15 off your Rock ‘N Roll marathon or half marathon registration!n Check my race discounts page for the most updated list! You can also catch special savings on races by signing up for Rock ‘N Roll’s email list or by following them on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
If you’re looking fo a run race that’s well-organized and a ton of fun, I highly recommend checking out Rock ‘N Roll this year! Running a Rock ‘N Roll race is a great way to have a racecation! If you have any questions, please let me know!
Have you ever run a Rock ‘N Roll race? Which one was your favorite?
Rock n roll races do have the best medals(Disney too). My favorite one is the Virginia Beach race w the ocean front finish and concert on the beach!
Virginia Beach sounds amazing…I’m still trying to figure out if I’ll be going down this year!
Yes to all of these! I love the Rock ‘n’ Roll races. You get so much value for your entry fee and they are so much fun.
I really love the fun aspect of Rock ‘N Roll!
Do the shirts come in a women’s cut? I’ve seen pictures of various RnR shirts, but it only shows the unisex cut.
Yes they do come in a Women’s cut! When I ran the 5K in Philly that shirt was unisex though.
Great post and I agree with all your reasons to run a Rock n Roll Race. They just know races and how to give you the best experience ever! I hope to join you on the Rock n Blog team next year, well I’m trying at least!!
Yes, you need to be a Rock ‘N Blogger for sure, Tricia!
I’ve never run a Rock n Roll race but they sound like a lot of fun! I’ve been looking for a half marathon to run as part of my marathon training in the fall, and I think the Philadelphia Rock n Roll half marathon might be on the perfect date!
Oh that would be awesome! I have such good memories of running that race, I highly recommend it!
That race shirt really is nice! I’m hoping to do my first RNR this year – got my eye on Brooklyn!
Brooklyn sounds great, hopefully you’ll get to run it!
So far I’ve run RnRChi x 3, RnRDen and of course RnRVegas. Loved them all and I’m hoping to add to my RnR list considerably this year. The post-race snack-o-rama is pretty epic too!
Ahh, all of those races sound amazing! I’ve still never visited Chicago or Denver! I was in too much of a haze to even get any snacks after DC, lol!
As a fellow RocknBlogger you know I agree with all of these 🙂 I’ll be running the RnR Philly half so hopefully we’ll finally get to meet!
I’m probably only going to do the 5K that weekend but YES, we have to make sure we get to meet this time!!
I haven’t done an RnR race since 2011-they do have some of the best medals out there! I’m thinking about one for 2017, but looking at all of the locations I’m going to have a hard time choosing just one!
Oh I know, it’s crazy how many races they have to choose from! I’d love to do New Orleans next year, I’ve been dying to get back there!
I’ve only ever run the Rock n’ Roll Philly Half but I’ve done it about 8 or 9 times out of the last 10. I agree they always put on a well-organized race with nice amenities. The post race party at the art museum is always a great time, and as for the course, I felt the course last fall was the best it’s ever been and hope they keep it like that.
Would love to branch out more in the future and try out their races in other cities!
Going to DC for the first time really made me realize how fun it is to Rock ‘N Roll in different cities! I totally agree with you about Philly. I really wish I ran on Halloween last year, I thought that was a much better course that I hope they keep!
I’ve been on the edge of signing up with some friends for the Rock N’ Roll here in Raleigh. And I deffinitly think when we move I could do the Philly one.
RNR Philly is great, I definitely recommend it! Raleigh sounds like a blast too!
Vegas, baby. I did it twice. I might even consider doing it again someday, so many bloggers doing it nowadays & my husband loves it.
I’m with you on the medals and the race shirts. But they have had some problems too — that first Vegas one had a lot of problems, but I still had a great time.
Oh, Rock ‘N Roll definitely isn’t perfect, and sometimes things don’t go to plan! But overall I think they do a fantastic job! I gotta find a way to Vegas, maybe next year?
I’ve done a few Rock n Roll races, and I agree they are usually really great! DC is always a good one although that one hill is so tough, it’s all I think about when I remember running that race!
Oh man that hill was a tough one! Thankfully there’s a lot of cheering and support there to help you get to the top!
I’ve never done a Rock N Roll race! I was supposed to last year but I got injured a month before RnR Brooklyn. Hoping to be able to tackle at least one of their races this year.
I think Brooklyn debuted last year? Hopefully you’ll be able to check it out this time around!
You can’t beat a well-organized race with an awesome medal, that’s for sure!
Exactly!
I really need to run one! The thing is, the Chicago race is in the middle of July, which is the hottest, stickiest time of year! Maybe I’ll jump in at the last minute if the weather looks good. We’ll see!
Oh man, I had some super hot and humid races in June, so I can’t even imagine how rough it would be in July! I have a family reunion that weekend otherwise I would have wanted to come to Chicago!
I totally agree! Choosing a race where you want to visit is an awesome idea! That’s what one of my friends does! She went to Italy last year to run a half marathon!
That’s awesome! I actually have a friend who went to Italy for a half marathon too. I’m just trying to get off the east coast, lol!
Great post! I hate bad quality race shirts. I rather not have one if it’s going to be a bad one!
I know, right?! I think sometimes if I see a race giving crappy T-shirts, I’m less likely to sign up! Sad but true, lol.
yep, me and wifey love our RnR bling and races! couple years back we ran RnR Portland, Seattle and the inaugural RnR Vancouver, BC and got a really cool collectible medal for the series…this year, I’m running the full at RnR Seattle and looking for that new finishers jacket!
Oh that sounds awesome! I forgot that marathoners actually get a finisher’s jacket…I’m totally jealous about that! I really want to go to Seattle in June, I just need to figure out the arrangements!
I ran my first Rock n Roll race in Vegas this past November. Running the strip at night was amazing and I highly recommend it! It may be my favorite race I’ve ever done but that could also be because my fiancé proposed to me at the finish line. 🙂
Oh my gosh that is sooo romantic and sweet, congratulations! Vegas looks like a lot of fun, it’s definitely on my bucket list!
I’ve only ever run San Diego Rock and Roll, though I’ve done it 6 times (including the very first of any R & R series back in 1998). This year I’m doing it again, plus Vegas, LA, and maybe Phoenix next January.
All of those destinations sound amazing…I have wanted to visit San Diego for years!