Color Run 2012!

What a fun concept - run a 5k while getting blasted by several different colors. Start with a white tshirt, end covered head to toe in tie dye. Loved it!

I ran it with my boss, Jo, and one of my Leasing Consultants, Heather. It was Heather's very first 5k - what a fun first!! It was held at National Habor which was a beautiful location and it was a perfect morning as it was 64 degrees for the first time since spring.

So here's how it worked - there were several "color" stations with volunteers armed with bottles of colored powder. As you ran by, they'd spray you... everywhere! From all over your perfectly white tshirt to your face, ears, and shoes it looked like they enjoyed blasting people all morning long.

To make sure they were able to fairly spray each person, they needed to let us out in several smaller groups, so they were holding people back while letting out waves of about 100-200 at a time.

Because we were late, we were the very last heat. But it was fun to listen to all the pumped up starters. They also gave us these fun handkerchiefs in case you wanted to cover your mouth and nose, or look like a terrorist. 

Shortly after this picture my phone shut down, I'm guessing because it overheated. It was frustrating because it was the only camera source we had and the only way to time ourselves since the race was not timed. So we didn't get any during the race pictures, but ran back to the car to get Heather's phone to snap an after picture.

The pictures don't quite do it justice to just how covered we were. I love how splattered my shoes ended up! I think it's officially time to retire this pair...

 When I came home, it took a while to convince Nate to even let me in the house :)

Looking dorky awesome, but wanted to show my splattered face and this was after wiping quite a bit off during lunch.

For a better idea of what goes on during the run, check out this video from Vegas!

Probably the most fun 5k I have done and will ever do, hands down! If there's one in your area, sign up but don't delay - the DC one sold out in minutes! Since the run is not timed, it's prefect for children to participate in too. Most people walked, which is slightly annoying to anyone running, but would have been fine if there was a larger course (and people followed the rule of runners on the left, walkers on the right). Also, you should definitely have at least sunglasses on - not cool if you get the powder in your eye!

In review of the National Harbor location - I thought it was a beautiful setting and had a perfect spot for a finish line with a large area for the after party, but other than that I don't think it should be held there again. There were a few big complications:

• Getting there. National Harbor is infamous for their one road in, one road out problem and it's only amplified when there's an event. It took us over an hour to get from the exit ramp to parking (approximately a half mile stretch).
• Parking. There's plenty of it at National Harbor but they directed event traffic in the worst, most ridiculous loop possible. We were sent straight past the first parking ramp, looped around all of the half-full overflow parking lots in the back, back down to just before the main strip (Fleet St.) and then back to the right to the first parking ramp that we could've quickly turned right when we first came in and saved about 20 minutes. Once in the ramp, we were not allowed to park in the MANY open spaces and instead forced to go to the very bottom of the ramp, in a search for an open parking spot. Needless to say, by the time we got out of the car frustration doesn't begin to explain how we felt and this is NOT how you want your participants to feel!
• Start line. It was completely understandable that they needed to start us in waves of smaller groups. However, when we're told to get to the start line by 8:30am but the last heat didn't take off until 10:30am - you've got some grumpy people. In preparation for a 5k, you typically eat a light breakfast really early. But if you're not starting your run until 10:30am, you would've planned differently. This possibility should've been shared on their website so we had a better understanding. 
• Narrow course. We almost weren't able to run the entire course because it was too narrow and congested with walkers. No offense to the walkers - they have every right to walk so this is not against them, but the course was not appropriate for both walkers and runners.

I hope next year they host this 5k in DC (a loop near the mall) where there is plenty of room for runners and walkers to enjoy the course and plenty of routes to get there, lessening the congestion. Even with the negative aspects of this event, it was amazingly fun so don't let that discourage you from participating! If you're local and they host it at National Harbor again, just keep these things in mind - I will still participate next year!