Neon Dash 5K

Hello, hello! I can’t believe it’s already Monday. And it’s June too? Wow. This weekend was one of the busiest we’ve had in a long time! Even with it being well past lunch time, I’m still recovering from it.

Let’s catch you up to speed, shall we?

The weekend kicked off late Saturday morning with an appearance at Belle Isle. I accompanied Scott at the Detroit Grand Prix, which is always a fun (and extremely loud) racing event!

While the race car drivers are doing their thing on the track, the Pistons, along with a ton of other companies and tents entertained the fans with activities and celebrity appearances.

I got the lovely task of helping keep up with HOOPER, our high energy dare devil of a mascot, which is becoming quite the part-time summer job.

Hey, being busy is better than being bored in my book. And trust me when I say that there is never a boring moment surrounding this guy.

As much as we wanted to hang around, we assisted the horse back to his home at the arena and got on the road as soon as possible.

Our destination was Columbus, even if we were only going to be there for a few short hours. I know, we’re crazy.

I originally planned to make a day out of it with my friend Nichole, but she ended up having to stay back in Michigan. I was bummed, but grateful to have this nutty guy by my side to fill in.

The drive wasn’t horrible. We ended up making great time in under four hours and even had time to stop for a bunch of neon nonsense on the way.

Scott’s goal for our outfits was to become human highlighters, and I’m pretty confident we set and matched it. Ten times over.

Neon Dash 5K – Columbus, OH

We arrived in the city with just enough time to quickly change and get ready to check-in just after 8 p.m. Since this is a night time race series, we all had to patiently wait for the summer sun to go down (later than normal) before the first wave was released to start running.

Earlier this month, I shared that I would be running The Neon Dash, or the ultimate night 5K run, if you will.

We weren’t quite sure what to expect, but showed up ready for anything.

As soon as we pulled up to park, we recognized the area.

The race was set to be held at Geona Park, which is the same location we traveled to for the Drenched 5K last summer!

This time, however, I was excited to run around the water at night for a different view.

Unlike the majority of the participants, Scott and I chose to accent ourselves entirely in neon, rather than the more popular approach of wearing white only accented in neon flare.

My favorite part might be the sequin headbands I found in the little girl’s section at Wal-Mart. Apparently, my husband will wear anything. Proudly.

On a more serious note, you might also notice the writing on our tank tops.

Unfortunately, Nichole wasn’t able to join me in the race because of a sudden loss in her boyfriend’s family. I knew how much she wanted to be at the race with me, so our next goal (after being human highlighters) was to honor them with a message that just might make them smile.

It worked. And I’m so glad something that little made an incredible impact on them. We are thinking and praying for you guys and your families!

With our glow bracelets cracked and turned on, we headed towards the start line and inched our way up to our assigned wave.

It sure was crowded! The kick off time was supposed to be 9 p.m., but we had a bit of a delay waiting for the sun to set.

While we were waiting, the crowd took the opportunity to take photos and the DJ kept us entertained by throwing out prizes and getting us hyped up.

I love everything about the race environment! Even though this one is classified as a “fun” run that isn’t focused on time, there was plenty of adrenaline and excitement to go around.

Scott and I made our way to the front of the third wave and kicked things off at about 9:20. Runners lined up on the left, while walkers stayed to the right which made the run a lot easier for both types of participants.

The loop was the full 5K distance (3.1 miles), and there wasn’t any stop-and-go areas I sometimes expect on these types of runs. Instead, there were four areas with music pumping and volunteers waiting to splash us with neon paint and powder.

I decided to take my iPhone with me to be able to snap photos before and after, and didn’t plan on taking it out while I was running… but the worry wart inside of me kept having to check on it to make sure it was secure and safe from any paint. In doing so, I was at least able to capture some of the prettier views around the park.

(Kind of.)

Per usual, I kept up with Scott for about half of the race before he darted off while I kept my same pace. We ended up finishing first and second in our wave, so I guess I’ll take it.

As we approached the finish line, I could already tell we were in for a party!

This is the point in time where I was very thankful for Scott and I’s bright and obnoxious attire. He stood out like a sore thumb in his neon coral (<- he wanted me to make that clear, folks. Coral… not pink.) tank, and I was easily able to spot him in the after-party area.

The first thing we saw was a fun line of photo booths lit up with black lights, which we instantly flocked to.

I was a little disappointed that the amount of paint we had our our skin wasn’t very visible in the photos. After about twenty attempts to capture it, I finally called it quits and deemed this one the best.

After grabbing water, we made our way out to the dance party happening right by the water. There was a huge stage, lots of music, and even more paint being splashed around!

The post-race party was definitely the highlight of the entire event!

It was so fun to be dressed like weirdos while dancing around like fools to loud music outside by the water. We had a blast!

I’m pretty sure this is when “Selfie” came on. So I had to. Sorry.

We usually don’t hang around too long after a race is over, but this post-race party really was the best one I’ve been to.

I tried to capture a taste of it via Instagram video, and I seriously can’t stop watching it. Scott may have just won best video bomb ever.

Well, played Mr. Hesington.

Knowing we had to get back on the road and onto another four hour drive, we tore ourselves away before 11. Walking away from the park, we both agreed that we will duplicate this party some day.

(Dirty – neon – 30 next year, perhaps?)

It was a great event and proved to be worth the long haul we made over for it. Before leaving, Scott noticed this live bright wall and, of course, had to leave a foot print. Can you tell which marking is ours?

HWG in the house… what whattt!

And that was Saturday. Sunday was also just as epic (in a completely different way), so I’ll be back to recap it as soon as I round up some photos. Stay tuned!

Neon Dash 5K Discount

If this race looks like something you’d like to do, there’s still plenty of locations to choose from! If you decide to register for one, make sure to take advantage of the FitFluential discount. Simply use the promo code FIT to save $7 off any registration for any upcoming event.

Go on and get you’re glow on, ya’ll!

Question of the Day

• Have you ever participated in a fun run? What has been your favorite?

Even though we had plenty of color here, Scott and I would still like to do a color run. You know, where you wear white and run when the sun is out.

We’re still keeping the more hard core, obstacle Spartan races and Warrior Dashes on our radar, but are up for almost any fun theme thrown into a race in the Detroit area.

I’m hoping to participate in and share more of them this summer!

*Disclaimer: Although our two race entries were covered by The Neon Dash, I was not compensated for this post. I chose to recap the race out of excitement, and as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own!