Thanks to my friend Andrea I was able to participate in the Flavor Run 5k here in Orlando. I was looking forward to the event since I hadn’t had a chance to try out a race of this type before. Unfortunately by the time the event rolled around the weather forecast didn’t look to go. Cold, wind, and rain were on tap for the morning of the race. Bummer.
I woke up early and found out they were delaying the race by 30 minutes in hopes of avoiding the rain. I went back to sleep for a little while and then got up and got ready for the race. When I showed up at the race site it was still overcast, cold, and raining on and off. About 10 minutes before the “new start time” we got out of the warm car and headed towards the start line. Around the time the race was supposed to start, they delayed it again. We waited another 10 minutes and then made our way to the corral. Unfortunately this is when the rain decided to start up again. It didn’t last long but it was just long enough to get us wet and colder. By the time the race finally started the sun started peaking out and we crossed our fingers it would stay that way.
The course wound through Bill Frederick park and was just shy of 3.1 miles. We ran through 5 flavor stations where volunteers covered us in flavored colored powder. Did it actually taste good? Yup! It kinda tasted like Gatorade powder or Kool-Aid.
I do wish I had brought my sunglasses though because when we headed through the flavor stations I kept closing my eyes because I didn’t want the powder to get in them. I left them on the counter at home since when I left the house it was overcast and rainy – i’ll know better for next time!
The race ended with a bright and shiny strawberry medal! After the race is an awesome Post-Run Flavor Festival that includes everything from fresh fruit, to healthy vendors, live entertainment, and children’s activities. Unfortunately due to being cold for most of the morning, I wasn’t really in the mood to hang out much longer.
They have a big Flavor Flash once everyone is finished which I’m bummed that I missed. Along with your medal they give you a big packet of flavor powder and then all at once everyone throws their powder up in the air. I wish I could have seen that.
We saw a lot of people there with their kids and it was definitely a family friendly event. Tickets start as low as $20 and gradually increase the closer you get to race day. If you form a team of 2 or more people, each person on your team saves $5. Also, kids 6 years old and under are FREE! Your ticket gets you admission to the event (and the pre and post parties), a shirt, tattoos, and a medal when you finish. My shirt was WAY too small and I was kinda bummed about it since it was cute and super soft. Thankfully they are more than willing to let you exchange your shirt after the race if they have the size you need available. So not only was I able to get the correct size, I was also able to change to a mens shirt which also happened to be my favorite color – orange!
It was a fun event and I’m glad that I was able to participate. Now I can check “running through flavored colored powder” off my running bucket list.
I have done a couple of color runs, but the Flavor Run definitely tastes the best! Sunglasses are an absolute must (I even wore them for a glow run, because the idea of colored powder on my contact lenses is not pleasant). And I love that they give a medal for an untimed fun run.
I’m skipping our local one this year – It was great but I am a little burned out on color runs in general – but I’ll probably give it another go in 2016.