The Neon Run – Race Recap

I never thought I would live to see the day where I looked at a 5K race as a fun and viable option for “girl’s night out” and yet there I was Saturday evening at the Neon Run with 3 of my closest girlfriends (and a few of their friends) all geeked out about running a 5K.  We were decked out in our finest tutus, costumes and head to toe glow-jewelry ready to git-r-done.

Let’s be honest, the Neon Run (or it’s less fun step sister, the Color Run) isn’t about the running, it is about having a great time while running or walking with your family or friends.  The energy is high, the music is loud and the DJ is there to get you pumped up.  I was amazed to hear that there were over 2,200 participants at this race, especially considering the absurdity of the course.  

I was impressed with the overall vibe of the race, as more and more participants arrived to the event-plex the energy was pumping.  I felt like people were bouncing off the walls just to get the
race started (I know I was… the sooner I got through the race the sooner I could hit up that beer tent). They ended up delaying the start of the race until sundown so that we could appreciate the full effect of the black lights – while that delayed the onset of my beer-buzz by about 15 minutes, it definitely made the first glow station so much more fun. 

The starting Line: (Courtesy of the Frederick News Post)

My PIC Melinda and I pulled ahead of the group about a quarter mile into the race, but we made a pact that we would at least stick together throughout the course.  I know that Melinda was slumming it for me but I appreciated it nonetheless (I probably thanked her about 20 times throughout the duration of our run!)

My PIC Melinda and I before the mayhem (she's the tall, leggy one)

Despite the course being an obnoxious maze (in attempt to squeeze the entire 5K on the fairgrounds property) I never felt confused as to where I was going, the course was well marked. However, the mixture of grass, gravel and pavement running was less than ideal especially considering how much of the course ended up being unlit and the surfaces uneven. At the last mile we walked a good stretch of the course, mainly because of the busted up pavement, we were honestly concerned about rolling an ankle or tripping. But by the time we made it to the last quarter mile it was an all-out dash to the finish line.

Once our friends finished the race we hit up every photo op station and FINALLY made it to the beer tent…. I don’t know that a ShockTop has ever tasted so good!

Charlie's Angels Photo Op! 

While I always knew that this was going to be a race focused on having fun, I was unprepared for how proud and excited I would be for my friends as they basked in the successful completion of their first 5K. I have a feeling that races like the Neon or Color Run are the first introduction to running for a lot of people, which is why I think it is important for fun runs like this to exist, to take away the intimidation factor for novice runners. I for one am 100% in when the next themed 5K fun-run comes to town! 

As for my puppy Stella Blue, her favorite part of the post-race festivities was running around with my sweat-soaked sports bra at lightening speed for 15 minutes straight (frankly, I let her do it... I was too tired to chase her down!)