‘Color Me Rad’ Articles at Sweetnicks

The kids and I, and a friend, did the Run or Dye 5K the day before we left on Spring Break. My mom thought I was crazy, loading up our time right before we left for vacation, and she might have been right. Except for the fact that that was the only thing we had to do that day, along with dropping off the dogs at their assorted caregivers for their own “vacation.”

And so it was.

This event was located right at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, with the 3.2 mile course laid out in the parking lot. Our wave was at 9 am, so luckily between the proximity to our house, and the later start time, we didn’t have to get up at the crack of dawn.

#smallblessings

Almost at the crack of dawn, but not quite.

This was our first 5K to kick off the season this year. The kids and I usually do three or four a year, and it’s definitely a firm signal to Spring weather. The temps were in the mid-60s that day, which was pretty perfect. We’re signed up for one in July, and I’m betting I won’t be saying the same thing about “pretty perfect” weather.

Since the advent of the originator The Color Run, tons of different similarly themed races have been cropping up ever since. Like last year’s Color Me Rad, and this Run or Dye, they’re all basically operating under the same premise. You go through various color stations and have colored powder thrown at you by volunteers.

Tons of fun.

All of the races give a portion of the proceeds to a local charity, which I love, and it makes for awesome photo opps, natch, and generally a great way to kick off your day. Although a good boost of steps for my Fitbit, with its 3.2 miles, the distance is really no big deal. I mean, Madeline has been doing them since she was three.

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I do believe that doing a color-based 5k might be the most amount of fun that anyone can possibly have. Last year, I did my first Color Run, and did it with a group of girlfriends.

Aside from the snail’s pace trek through Chinatown on the way home, it was a blast and a half.

Since I didn’t have the kids that weekend, they weren’t able to do it with me, but I promised them we would find another one and do it together.

And we did.

This weekend’s 5K was the Color Me Rad, which is pretty similar to the Color Run. A portion of the proceeds from this particular 5K are donated to the Ronald McDonald House, which, of course, is awesome.

A few days before the race, we headed down to the appointed check-in spot to pick up our registration packages and swag.

Because when there is color and neon involved, how could you miss the fun swag? Our registration came with a pair of sunglasses, a tattoo, and a blue t-shirt (not meant for the actual day of the event, since you’re supposed to wear a white t). As soon as the kids saw the fun swag tent and the volunteers in their neon and tutu and anything goes attitude, they got a serious peek at the fun that was in store.

I was dreading the early morning wake up call on Sunday, and managed to only eek out 4 hours of sleep the night before. I quickly got ready, woke up the kids, and we started applying tattoos.

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Do: Run or Dye 5K {Get Fit}

Do: Color Me Rad 5K {Summer Bucket List}