Yellow Backpack Adventures

Spring has officially sprung, and with that comes the various colors of the newly blooming flowers. Well yesterday, a different kind of color was in the air.

I spent the morning running the Color Me Rad 5k with a group of my coworkers. For someone who used to run quite frequently, it felt great to be back on the racing scene. This was in no way a difficult race. It was actually a tad bit shorter than a 5k. There were so many families out to participate (which I love to see), and the race even hosted some Easter egg hunts on the course for the kids.

Before the race even began people were already dousing each other in the colorful powder (a simple mix of food dye and cornstarch). There’s nothing like being color-blasted by a complete stranger at 8:30 in the morning, right? There was entertainment and activities (such as hula hoops and corn hole) before the race started.

As we went to line up for the race we were surprised by the unsuspecting slime gun. I instantly got flashbacks to a certain TV channel that I’m sure a lot of us grew up watching. Even though the race had a couple of different waves and each wave sent out runners in different groups, there was A LOT of traffic on the course at the beginning.

This was a massive event with hundreds of runners of all fitness levels. The course was, for the most part, a trail run. It was a winding course throughout the woods that was clearly marked at all times. At various parts of the race there were checkpoints where you would be blasted with colored powder by the race volunteers.

The race ended back where we started and upon crossing the finish line we received our medal and a dye pack. Participants gathered once more around the stage and at the prompting of the emcee we threw our dye in the air, creating a rainbow effect.

Because I had to go to work right after the race I chose to wear a hoodie under my shirt to protect my hair. I saw others utilize bonnets and shower caps as well. Cleanup was pretty easy. I didn’t have to do too much scrubbing to remove the colored powder from my skin, and it washed right out of my clothes except for one pink spot on my shirt. You are encouraged to wear white and my team did have shirts specifically for this race, so that was perfectly fine. The race packet does give tips for preserving the color in your shirt if that is something you’re interested in.

Overall, my coworkers and I enjoyed the experience and we would definitely do it again! Check out www.colormerad.com for race dates near your city.

Race Details:
Length: 5k (2.8 miles actual distance)
Course Type: Trail
Difficulty: Easy

Notes:
-Family Friendly
-Team/Partner Encouraged
-1 Hydration Station available during the race
-Course clearly marked
-Pre/Post race entertainment
-Onsite food trucks available
-Bring your own eye protection to prevent powder from getting in your eyes (sunglasses will work)