beatricehamp74: Test-Driving Color Me Rad: Colorful Fun Run

Wednesday, 5 September 2012

Test-Driving Color Me Rad: Colorful Fun Run

You’d be forgiven if you confused this month’s race, Color Me Rad, with the Color Run I did in Philadelphia last month. Both have the same premise: an untimed 5K road run open to all ages with stations of colored powder, culminating in a festival of color at the end of which participants toss up packets of powder to get as, well, colorful as possible.

Which race series came out on top? Read on to find out.

What is Color Me Rad?

Like the Color Run, Color Me Rad is a series of 5K races held all over North America. There aren’t many rules or regulations: participants must wear a white shirt and collect their color packet upon crossing the finish line. Proceeds from this event went to the Deaf Community Services of San Diego.

The Color Me Rad event was staged in downtown San Diego. We met at the main parking lot adjacent to PETCO Park, and the course took us through a maze of blocked-off streets. All of the color stations were within what felt like the last half-mile of the race, which was kind of a bummer since it involved us running throughout a parking lot. I liked the Color Run setup better, with color stations at every 1K marker. I suspect the Color Me Rad organizers had trouble getting approval from the city of San Diego to stage the color stations in the city streets and had to improvise a solution.

The run was fun, but there are far more picturesque spots in the city to stage a 5K. How about Balboa Park, Liberty Station or some combo of Ocean Beach/Mission Beach/Pacific Beach?

Color Me Rad Tips

The bandana paid off. © Diana Weishar

Bring sunglasses and a bandana. The sunglasses are to shield your eyes from the vast majority of the color powder, while the bandana protects your nose, mouth and ears. You don’t need to run with the bandana pulled up; I left mine around my neck and pulled it up just before entering a color zone.

The race website upsells you by encouraging you to buy extra color packets. I purchased three beforehand while I bought my ticket to the race. This isn’t necessary. Color packets are available to buy at the venue on race day, and depending on how many “color throws” you participate in after the race, you may not need to buy any extra at all.

There is no bag check. I repeat, there is no bag check at Color Me Rad. There wasn’t one at the Color Run, either. That means you’ll have to leave everything in your car (or with a non-running friend) and run with your key (and cellphone, perhaps) on you. I tucked my key fob into the calf area of the knee-high socks I was wearing and enclosed my cellphone in a zip-close bag. This is a minor inconvenience; I suppose I’ve grown spoiled from the bag checks at mud runs and obstacle races.

There is no beer tent. If you’re the sort who likes to enjoy an alcoholic beverage before or after a fun run, plan accordingly.

How Was Color Me Rad?

Fun, yet fast. The run was over in under a half hour, and the festival went on for an hour or so, which meant that I was back home before most folks in my building wake up on a Saturday. I’ll probably do this race again, but not on a month where it is my only race.

Marissa’s Obstacle Race Calendar

Here’s the latest edition of my obstacle race calendar. Each time I write a recap, I seem to have picked up more events. Where appropriate, I’ve linked to my reviews.