ROC Race Charlotte

I had a BLAST and cannot wait for the race to come back to Charlotte next year. For those who don't know, this is a 5K but think Wipeout or Double Dare - all the obstacles are more fun rather than challenging. I love a 5K that lets you pick up your registration packet early - big help here to avoid massive lines on site. The weather was perfect for today and the course was easily mapped out so you always knew your way. There were 12 obstacles which really broke up the running. I had several favorites although really, all the obstacles were fun! The wrecking ball is hilarious just to sit back and watch. For this you had to run across a tube and make it to the platform as two giant swinging dodgeball looking balls were hovering around you. Out of the 8 of us... 1 made it across haha. But it felt good falling into the water below. And the emcees/DJs were hilarious! Very active, keeping the energy up and throwing out funny commentary - the guy at the wrecking ball event was only in shades and a 'tuxspeedo' - love it!!Other events included "gorilla bars" over the foam pit, tightrope, two separate slip n slide obstacles, a giant moon bounce and more. Best part is finishing by climbing up a 40 feet high slide (it looked 40 feet... I may be off by a bit) and launching yourself down. Great race to run with friends and I am IN for next year! Great job, ROC Race!

It was good. I'm not going to go overboard and say it was great and blew away my expectations, but it was still fun.Packet pickup: Easy. They had a bunch of teenagers and some adults doing pickup and they had it down pat. Way to go. 5/5Bag check: Easy and well run. 5/5Pre-starting line activities: There was a foam machine you could play around with and take pictures. Other than that, not much else. 3.5/5Start line: They had music and a DJ/emcee who was pretty good. We were the last group to go out at the 11:00 wave, so there weren't a lot of us. It was still fun, though. 4/5Obstacles (I can't remember the order, so these are out of order somewhat)Gorilla Bars: Basically just monkey bars on an inflatable. They're not too hard if you have good upper body strength. 3/5Sweeper: Someone got stuck on the inflatable part so there was a long delay. Otherwise very easy. Just walk across. 3/5Wrecking Balls: We were in the middle. Time it right and you're across pretty easily. Time it wrong...you're in the drink. They had a good emcee for this one. 4/5Jump Balls: Basically really small Wipeout balls that don't have water. Still funny to watch your friends faceplant on, though. 3.5/5Cool Runnings: Lots of fun. It's a water slide with an inner tube. You get very wet on this one. My dad lost his glasses at the end and the volunteers were great with helping to find them. They also let us do it multiple times (we did it three times). 5/5Moon Bounce: Pretty standard moon bounce. Big, but standard. 3.5/5Tarzan Swing: I wish this ended in water or foam. Just hold on for a second or two and you're across. 3/5Foam of Fury: A huge slip-n-slide with foam. Lots of fun and you end up soaked in foam. 4.5/5The Drop: A big non-water slide. Fun but not the best. 4/5Get it Up (And Over): Climb over a wall and end up on a platform. They have different sized walls depending on the challenge you want. I picked the middle size and it was really easy. 3/5Tire Mile: Really? They basically just took tires and put them down. No creativity. Boring. 2/5Worlds Largest Waterslide: Fun and wet! I'm not complaining about a huge slide! 5/5The volunteers were excellent and the race was well done. It could have used some more music on the course though. I'm looking at the Foam 5K for a bit more of a challenge next year, but ROC was fun and I'd do it again.

It was nice. I went with a friend, and we did have fun, but I think I set my expectations a little high.We were the 8am wave, so we got there early. The staff at the packet pick up and bag check were courteous and friendly, and really had it all under control. That I definitely appreciated.Before the race? Meh. Typical merchandise booth, which was a little pricey in my opinion but not completely over the top. And again, the staff was great. Other than that, there was a foam area where you could take pictures. And... that was it.Before the race there was an emcee who was very upbeat and enthusiastic. The obstacles were... fun. Think of it as a bunch of oversized kid bouncy houses with a bit more complexity to them. Some you actually had to climb up, which as it's an inflatable and you have to keep your balance to make it up can be challenging. The first one, after the 'monkey bars', was pretty much just a bouncy house. The climbs, slides, foam, and wrecking ball were the best obstacles. The tire mile? Really? Queue eye roll. But overall I'd say it was all pretty much what I expected it to be. After the race was a major disappointment. Usually when you run a 5k, and keep in mind that while this 5k is broken up with obstacles most people are still exerting quite a bit of energy, you'll find some fruit and water at the end. Possibly some power bars. There was none of this. And supposedly there were supposed to be concessions, and we didn't even see those. We stepped over to the foam pit that we saw before we raced, got some fun pictures taken, and left. The ROC Race was OK. Fun, but for the $$ amount (on top of travel + hotel) I won't be doing it again unless it's in the same city I live in. I will say, though, that if they tweek a few things, this would probably be pretty great ;)note: I am NOT a marathon runner, and fun obstacle 5k races like this are right up my alley.

Great theme, great workers and volunteers, great setup. It's a must do next year. Don't miss out. You can run a 5k every Saturday. ROC is a fun, non competitive way to spend some time with family and friends. Get wet, have fun, laugh, take photos and just do it.

I had a lot go fun doing this race! I am training for a 10K currently, and even though the race was only a 5K, it was still challenging for me because of the obstacles! My friends and I were able to get a great workout in and have lots of fun because of the obstacles! Be ready to get wet because there are lots of water-based obstacles in this one! The only thing I didn't like was the semi-lack of direction when first getting to the course. There were signs, but I would have liked to have some people there telling us where to go, when to line up, etc. But, all in all, I am definitely going to do this ROC race again!

Lots of fun! ROC race crew did a great job putting on a fun event. The price is a little steep for what it is, ( I mean c'mon you couldn't even put the date or city on the shirt for $70?) But proceeds go to good causes so feels good to think I'm helping out the less fortunate by running through a bunch of obstacles, drinking beer, and having a blast with friends...'Merica!! Anyways they also do a good job running everyone in waves so there are no waiting lines at the obstacles. Word to the wise not for "uber competitive runner guy." no timing system or medals for top finishers, just prizes for the funniest costumes and funniest people... go to enjoy the good times, take in the sights and laughs and enjoy good company. Would recommend going in a big group like I was fortunate enough to be apart of. I think it would be much less enjoyable to run alone, like I said this is NOT a spartan race or serious obstacle run.PS be warned beer garden is actually just a beer/soda tent selling $5 InBEV products.

As a spectator this race I wanted to get me family on video attempting these obstacles. With the amount of real estate soooo close to stands, the obstacles could have been laid out better too allow family to enjoy the race too. Very disappointed.

All around it was a great event, very organized. My only disappointment was with the online support. Would be better to have more photos or videos available.

I had a blast last year at the ROC race! I wish I could do it this year! Hopefully next year the even will be on a Sunday so our group will be able to participate! The obstacles are awesome! I was skeptical about being able to do the obstacles but they were a lot of fun! Great job!!

This race was a blast. Fun obstacles, some challenging, some easy. 5k run/walk. Packet pickup and registration were super easy. It all ran very smoothly, volunteers were great! Emcee at beg of race was really good. Wish there was more music, but the places that had it was great! Can't wait for next year!!