This past weekend I completed my third Color Me Rad run in Surrey, BC. with my stepdaughter. This year’s race was a return to the Cloverdale Fair Grounds, rather than last years Holland Park location. Below is a review of this years event, if you participated I would love to hear your comments.
None of the previous races were a full 5km, this was the first year that the entertaining announcer made it clear that this run was strictly fun and encouraged people not to try too hard. He also made it clear the course had been shortened for safety reasons. Having completed this race twice before I was already aware of this but appreciate the announcement.
Despite the terrain being less than desirable I enjoy this location much better than the 2015 location because the event is contained to the fair grounds rather than the streets of Surrey.
I also thought this years event was more entertaining. Last years event the entertainment and stage were in the park removed from the starting line.
Parking
This year being on the fair grounds there was ample parking with appropriate signage and the website was clear with instructions. Last years race the website provided a map of neighborhoods , and didn’t warn of the road closures. If you weren’t familiar with the area parking would have been an issue, not to mention the park itself didn’t have nearly a big enough parking lot.
Color Amount
The 2015 race didn’t provide a course map, whereas the 2014 location provided a course map with color stations. This year I wasn’t able to find a color map but there was mention of new goo stations. There seemed to be more color stations over both the 2014 and 2015 race., plus there were goo stations. This year the color stations were scented, Pink was bubble gum, Yellow smelt like lemons, purple was grapes, green was lime, and orange is obvious. 😉
Swag
2014 we received a race bib, tattoo, glasses, and a T-shirt. The 2015 package included a race bib, T-shift and knee high socks. This year package included the race bib, a Rad sticker, a T-shirt, and a goo guard phone protector pouch. I was initially skeptical of this case, but was pleasantly surprised that I was able to use my Iphone through the pouch. Plus the pictures were not affect by the pouch.
Both 2014 and 2015 had photographers on hand capturing all the fun. This is year were no photographers and minimal props for photos however there weren’t the incredibly long lines for photos that the 2015 race had so I think not having photographers was actually better.
In my opinion this years race was better than the 2015 run, and equal to the 2014 run.
Overall I give this race a 4 out of 5. My suggestions for improvement would be better organization at package pickup, and reducing the entry fee for this even. Prices range from $25 – $60. The earlier you register the lower the price, however this is in American dollars making it an expensive family event for a fun run that isn’t really 5km.
If you have never done a Color Me Rad event I recommend you try one!
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