Color Me Bad 5K

chercee
chercee Posts: 120 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Has anyone done this? It's coming to my city at the end of June, and I'm really interested!! I'd love to hear about people's experiences. (I'd also love to know - are there rest stops along the way? lol)

ETA: I can't seem to stop typing "Color Me Bad," no matter how much I try. Sorry! I mean Color Me Rad! Like dealing with American spelling isn't bad enough. :grumble: :bigsmile:

Replies

  • LoosingMyLast15
    LoosingMyLast15 Posts: 1,457 Member
    i ran color me rad last year. it is a LOT of fun and you come out covered in the cornstarch (the powder is cornstarch). it takes several showers to get it all off and it seeps through your clothes to your skin. you can rest anytime you want the race is not timed. they have water stations. it's a fun race and a great way to get started with running/racing.
  • chercee
    chercee Posts: 120 Member
    It sounds like such a blast! A friend is interested, so we're talking seriously about it. I'm glad it's not timed - I'm not ready for that yet! Because I have a bladder the size of pea (pardon the pun), I'm wondering if there are porta-potties along the way?
  • LoosingMyLast15
    LoosingMyLast15 Posts: 1,457 Member
    i didn't notice any alone the race route but i also wasn't looking for them. depending upon the course there could be trees. :)

    if it will be your first time in a race then color me rad is the one to do. make sure you either bring a change of clothes or cover your car seats with plastic.
  • alpine1994
    alpine1994 Posts: 1,915 Member
    I did it last summer. It's a fun idea but I don't think I'll do it again. A few tips:

    1. It isn't timed. I didn't really know this until I showed up and was kinda disappointed.
    2. My course was VERY narrow. Like I couldn't get past 3 people who were walking next to each other. There seemed to be more walkers than runners.
    3. Keep your mouth CLOSED when going through color bombing stations!!! I was crossing the finish line and this kid threw a handful of the red cornstarch INTO my mouth. Like his hand touched my mouth. I choked on it, and it created this red gravy in my throat and made me throw up. I'm sure everyone loved watching me puke up red gravy.
    4. Bring towels to put on your car seats afterwards.
    5. You will get made fun of at work for a week because the dye won't come out of your hair and skin.
  • tehzephyrsong
    tehzephyrsong Posts: 435 Member
    I did Color Me Rad in February of this year. It was tons of fun! I highly recommend running with a buddy or a group, though. I did it alone, and I enjoyed myself and met some nice pace buddies along the way, but I would've had more fun if I had brought along some friends, I think.

    If by "rest stops" you mean along the lines of bathrooms, there are no official CMR port-a-potties along the route, no, not in my experience. There will be some set up in the waiting area, though. Go before the race, lol. If your MC is anything like the guy they had running things at mine, you'll have at least ten to fifteen minutes between being told to go to the starting line and actually being allowed to start. Chercee, the excitement and the adrenaline should help suppress your need to use the bathroom during the race; just make a beeline for the port-a-potties after you cross the finish line, lol!

    They will have a water station at about the halfway point, though, if that's what you mean by "rest stop." They'll hand you a little half-pint water bottle as you go by. It's not timed, like someone else said, so stop wherever you need to; if you need more water, you can stick around by the table and take another bottle.

    Definitely cover your car seats in advance; you will be covered head-to-toe in cornstarch, and it gets EVERYWHERE. Washing it all off takes a while, but it's not too bad. If you have to travel to participate (i.e., get a hotel room), bring a gallon-size zip-lock plastic baggie or two to put your race clothes in afterward.

Categories