Santa Hustle 5K

I am not a runner, but was willing to try with this event. Wow was it fun!
If you are self-​conscious about running in public, like I was, this was the perfect event — you can hide behind the complimentary beard and hat while wearing the really cool red pullover they give you at registration.
Registration is easy and to avoid the crowds, they had a couple of times you could pick up your stuff inside the mall at the Bön-​Ton entrance.
The varying ages and fitness types made this race fun and just inspired me to keep running. There is music and people cheering you along the way, including my husband :)
It is a relatively flat course, which made it pretty easy.
Toward the end they have an m&m station and a water station and a cookie station. As much fun as it seems to have treats along the way, if you are trying to run the course… stay away. I have a hard time saying no to candy, but next year (yes next year :)) I will stay clear.
Other great features… there were reindeer at the starting line and a ton of port-​a-​potties. They take your photo at the finish line! It is available for purchase, but even if you don’t want to buy it, it is still pretty cool to see it.
I didn’t stay for my free beer, but perhaps I will next year.
It was a fun race all around for walkers and runners. If you can finish 5K in under 2 hours… you will be fine. Try it, especially if this is your first race.

The 2015 Santa Hustle New England Charity is Easter Seals. THIS IS AWESOME and near and dear to me. They also had Toys for Tots boxes for donating toys. Even cooler!
They offered two 8 hour windows for early pick-​up times at Bön-​Ton for shirt, beard, hat, and bib. This was helpful since I had to drive 40 minutes to get there the morning of and didn’t want to try to factor in wait time for my stuff.
The location was conveniently located right off the interstate at the Mall and even though parking was intense, but well managed and plentiful. The race starting & finish line was large blow-​up arches that was hard to miss. There was a large blow-​up Santa and snowman, along with real reindeer’s, and hanging frames to get pics behind for all your viewing, group shot, and selfie taking pleasures. There was also Christmas music at the start and finish. It really got us in the mood, along with the 300 Santa’s milling around.
The pre/​post race snacks were plentiful. There were tables loaded down with bottled waters, bananas, and granola bars. During the race there was also an M&M station and a cookie station to help get that sugar level back up. Yum!
Both half marathon and 5K started promptly at their stated times. They also had «corral» stations for different paces. I liked this because sometimes people think they are a lot faster or slower than the people around them, which quickly leads to Running of the Bulls. I have seen these races, it’s not fun.
I really enjoyed this race for what it stood for. Bravo!! I feel like it is a wonderful way to kick off the holiday season with giving to others, uniting as a very large group of well dressed Santas, and remembering to stay active.
What I hope to see in the future is more music along the way. The beginning and end were so jammed packed with Christmas music that the in-​between felt so quiet and separate. My thoughts were to have some «elves» stagger themselves throughout the race with the same Christmas music station playing on some portable device. If anything, at least at the cookie, water, and candy station.