I like to think that I'm as fun as the next gal, but I was not about to trash my adored BOB jogging stroller for the sake of a fun run. So, we sprung for the all-weather BOB stroller protector with overnight shipping and decided he could ride out the event from within the confines of a plastic cocoon. With his asthma, the colored cornstarch powder flying through the air wouldn't have been the best idea anyway, so we get points for being health-conscious parents, too, right?
So, fast forward to race day. Everyone is up and ready on time, and we even had time to pose for this cute Daddy-and-Me photo:
We arrive downtown half an hour before The Color Run is scheduled to start, which is what I consider to be early enough to get ready to run without having to stand around and wait forever. We patted ourselves on the back for finding free metered parking on a nearby street while scoffing at the hoards of people paying upwards of $20 for parking in the closest lot. We walked towards the starting line and stopped to take the requisite "before" picture which shows off the nice, clean white t-shirt:
Then, we headed to the starting line and began the nightmare that was to be "waiting for the chance to get to start The Color Run." I should have known it was going to be awhile when the official race guide stated that the start WINDOW was from 9am to 10am. Because we had a jogging stroller and had not arrived hours before the race, we took our places towards the back of the crowd. We then proceeded to wait 45 minutes before we ever actually crossed the official starting line. Unbeknownst to us, the race is actually ran in "flights," which are staggered a few minutes apart. So, we had the pleasure of entertaining a toddler who's strapped inside a jogging stroller (that is not moving) and completely encompassed in clear plastic for 45 minutes. Those of you with children should be impressed. Those of you without children know nothing of the patience that's required for children to remain in that situation for more than 3 minutes. Why didn't you take off the plastic cover at least until you started running, you might be asking. Why? Because the thousands of people waiting in line around us were entertaining themselves by throwing their "post-race celebration" bags of colored powder up in the air, at each other, and occasionally at complete strangers. Here was our view for approximately one hour:
At exactly 9:45, we finally took off and began running. We didn't make it far until we quickly realized that 95% of the people participating had no intentions of ever going faster than a walk. Which is fine. Really. Except that 94% of those walkers did not follow the cardinal rule of fun run/walks: walkers to the right, runners/joggers to the left. So, we had to weave, dodge, cut across, stop, wait, restart, zig-zag, and painfully maneuver through the next 3.1 miles. And for those of you who aren't familiar with jogging strollers, contrary to popular belief--they don't have brakes! So, when you cut in front of a person who's running with a jogging stroller, or worse--when you cut in front of a person who's running with a jogging stroller and come to a complete stop--please be aware that the only thing keeping me from running into the back of you with the stroller is my ability to simultaneously stop running and to pull the jogging stroller back in time to avoid you. By the time we crossed the finish line, my final count was Me/Jogging Stroller: 5, oblivious Color Run walkers: 0.
The Color Run is set up to be a 5K course with "color stations" at every kilometer. Everyone starts out with a nice, clean white t-shirt. At each station, there are people waiting with squirt bottles full of brightly colored powder who will bombard you in the hair, face, body--or in our case, stroller. Here's a picture of the blue color station from a distance (from a distance, because apparently the powder will cause instant death to your smart phone if it gets inside, so ours were safely wrapped in plastic baggies in the zippered compartment of the jogging stroller):
Each station is a different color, so in theory, by the end of the race, you are covered in all different colors. My husband and I attempted to navigate each station in such a way as to get some color without going overboard. For the most part, we succeeded. Here are our obligatory "after" pictures:
The above picture is deceiving--the orange powder is only covering the outside of the clear protector--Forrest remained clean.
Despite the slow maneuvering throughout the course, we finished in around 32 minutes, which if I'm doing my math correctly, means our average pace was somewhere between a 10 and a 10 1/2 minute mile. Not too shabby for crowd-dodging while pushing a jogging stroller.
I was terrified by the thought of the colored powder semi-permanently dying my hair and skin neon shades of blue, pink, orange, and yellow, but thanks to my extensive Google searches of "Color Run Tips" before the race, we came prepared with old beach towels, trash bags, and baby wipes to get ourselves cleaned up enough to get home without turning the inside of our car into rainbow-land.
So in conclusion, kudos to the parents who ran with their children fully exposed to the colored powder. I'm sure they had fun. As for us, I think I can say with almost full certainty that it was to be our first and last Color Run as a family.
