Color Run 2016: A blacklight to remember
The Color Run Manila stage illuminates the event grounds on Saturday night, May 28, at Filinvest, Alabang.
For millennials—or anyone living in this fast-paced world—regular fun runs just don’t cut it anymore. The idea of waking up at an ungodly hour to exercise seems like something we’d run away from, rather than actually look forward to. But then in comes modern and social media-friendly events like Color Manila Run, which took place on Saturday, May 28 at Filinvest Alabang, introducing this year’s theme: Blacklight.
Eccentric grounds
From the moment you enter the event grounds, the barrage of runners with their neon T-shirts, monopods, and selfie-ready smartphones make it apparent that this isn’t your average run-of-the-mill fun run. It’s clear that people are here to have fun and do not care too much about how much weight they’re planning to lose or if they’re going to finish the race first.
The event grounds with its wide-open grassy space is reminiscent of the festivals plaguing the music scene. Food trucks and merchandise booths are scattered around the area to give runners the freedom to explore the space and—whether they admit it or not—find the perfect spot for an Instagram-worthy photo. Runners are given the chance to limber up, wait in line for the photobooth, eat, or even just sit on the grass and take everything in before the 8 PM starter’s pistol.
Rave or run
The races divided by the distance of 10 kilometers, 5 kilometers, and 3 kilometers gave different runners on various speeds the chance to enjoy the experience by being with fellow runners with the same capabilities. Staying true to the fun run’s Blacklight theme, blue light headlamps were given to the runners to highlight their neon T-shirts and give the experience the familiar rave vibe of bouncing lights and upbeat music.
Throughout the leg of the run, fire trucks cooling down tired runners, inflatable kiddie pools filled to the brim with replenishments, and volunteers throwing neon-colored powder at the runners, refusing to leave a single person unscathed, make for the entire experience of Color Manila Run. The runners barely noticed their exhaustion mainly because there’s a surprise at every corner, something to take a photo of and take a photo with, as most runners had their phones and GoPros—all tightly sealed in a waterproof case, of course—with them. At the final leg of the run, most runners had already thrown aside the idea of running, sat down, and token pictures on the colorful powder-covered floor, no doubt to post on social media.
Tired runners were free to sit on the event grounds after the run and participate in various on-stage games prepared by Color Manila Run and their sponsors. With giant inflatable beach balls being thrown around by the crowd and blaring music spun by the DJ, it’s hard to convince yourself that you’ve just lost your breath running and even harder not to join in on the night’s grand festivities.
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One small run for man, one giant leap of fun runs. Color Manila Run gave the classic idea of running for a healthy lifestyle the modern and much-needed twist of Instagram-friendly festivities and a non-pressured run for everyone to take part in—leaving everyone colorful, dirty, and downright elated.
