The No-Brainer 5K organizer Ed Adkins and his daughter, Paige, practice their zombie runs.
Different annual fun run 5K races, like Color Me Rad and the No-Brainer, hit the streets in Reno Story & Photos by
Ashley Hennefer
16 | RN&R |
OCTOBER 24, 2013
O
n Sept. 22, the University of Nevada, Reno campus was awash with color and activity during the Color Me Rad 5K race. Through clouds of colored powder, runners of all ages emerged, bibs barely visible beneath splatters of neon blues and pinks. But unlike other races, laughter and chatter drowned out the sounds of heavy breathing and feet on the pavement. Color Me Rad is not a typical 5 kilometer race. It’s one of many local annual themed 5K races, also known as “fun runs,” that have run through Reno in the past few years. This particular event—which benefits, in part, Special Olympics of Nevada—involves throwing packets of colored powder on runners as they pass through the race. To an outsider, the event resembles Holi, the spring Hindu festival in
which participants also douse one another with colors from head to toe. Other races, such as the Color Run, Run or Dye, Color in Motion, and the Graffiti Run, use the same technique. “I never thought I’d see so many different types of people at a race,” said Color Me Rad participant Matt Rosen, a Truckee resident and long-time athlete. The fun runs are open to people of all ages and training levels, which means that a typical themed 5K features a range of experienced runners to families pushing children in strollers around the track. “I don’t think these types of races necessarily encourage competition or rigor, but it’s cool to have another time on your record,” he says. “And I think there are worse ways to get people excited about exercise.”
If anything, fun runs have shown that allowing people to get messy or dress up in silly costumes is the key for popular community fitness events. Fun runs are social and typically non-competitive, although runners are still timed and often rewarded for good performance. Local artist Lisa Kurt signed up for Color Me Rad when she found herself in need of a new challenge. “I wanted to motivate myself to exercise more and give myself an achievable goal, but also have fun with it,” she says. Kurt trained for the race with a friend, who was at a similar fitness level. “We jogged about three days a week,” she says. “I also went for solo jogs and walks another day or two as needed.”
Kurt says she doesn’t identify as a runner—“maybe in the future”—but does plan to run in more 5K races. “I definitely think the themes make 5Ks more fun and take the pressure off,” she says. “Some people sign up and walk the whole way, or you see families with little kids participate. You tend to see all ages and levels of runners with the themed races so it creates a more fun atmosphere. You can’t take yourself too seriously if you’re running around in a costume or with color being launched at you.”
A gOOd run Running as the exercise of choice is at an all-time high. The biggest draw? It’s free. Almost anyone can
