In January of this year I had the crazy idea of running the Color Run in Orlando. I had such a blast that i decided to try the Color Me Rad 5k on April 13th 2013. I figured it had to be the same and I would have a blast.
I don't know if I was just spoiled by the experience of the Color Run, but this one left a little to be desired.
To start off the race was at the Central Florida Fairgrounds, but packet pick up was at a hotel on Kirkman Rd by Universal Studios. It just seemed a little out of the way to me, but that could just be me.
Traffic getting into the fair grounds on race day was crazy & annoying. I am usually a pretty easy going. laid back kind of person, but by the time I has parked my car I was a little stressed out. I arrived about 2 hours before and so didn't everyone else it seemed. It took me 40 minutes to get from 1 traffic light (1/4 mile from fairgrounds) to the parking area. People were going up the left lane and cutting in front of those in the right lane waiting to enter, and once you got in, there was no one directing cars where to park so they were parking all over the place at weird angles and with space enough to two cars in some spots because they parked so far apart. It was crazy.
The stressed soon melted away once I was parked and started meeting up with my fellow MRTT members. This group of ladies really know how to make things fun. I love that so many are really being a part of the group and getting together to run.
Race start was a little like herding the cattle. There really wasn't much structure to the start line and I don't know why they bothered with wave times, everyone pretty much just went when ever where ever. There were many not a couple, but MANY people on the course that did not have bibs on. This was NOT monitored at all. I overheard one group saying that next year they were not even going to pay to register since it was so easy to just walk on the course.
The course was also disappointing. I knew that some of it was in the field, but not over half of it. you pretty much ran the whole thing in the grass or dirt or very torn up road area. Uneven hills and large pot holes made it hard on the knees and ankles. The course was not marked out very well, and there was one point where it was very hard to tell which way to go because you either went between these two buildings on a sidewalk, or follow a large crowd down a road (which was the wrong way, they were going to their cars).
It was extremely hot out, and they only has one water stop that was after the 3k mark. To the credit of the race though they did give out those cute little shorty water bottles instead of just a half cup of water. At this point you really needed it.
I also wasn't prepared for the water soakers. Instead of just the cornstarch powder being thrown, every other location had a water based color that they sprayed at you with one of those pump sprayers the lawn guy uses. Not really a bad idea, but someone forgot to tell the volunteers not to spray people in the face. One lady in fron of me got it right in her eye. Not good. I'm sure that burned a little.
I really didn't want this to come across as being the worst race ever, it's just my opinion of how the race went. I still had a great time because my fellow MRTT friends really made this a ton of fun. Not a race I will pay for to do again anytime in the future.
Run for Fun, Run for You, Run4Life
Angi
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