Glo Run Recap

Photos by OHventures

First came mud runs, then came dog runs, and soon after came zombie runs. But now, a whole new kind of 5K walk/run has arrived: glow-in-the-dark! Like many novelty races, there are many different names for the same kind of event: the Glow Run (Columbus), Electric Run (Columbus & Cincinnati), and Glo Run (Columbus) are all examples, and many are taking their turns in various Ohio cities. On April 6, 2013, the Glo Run Columbus 5K walk/run was held and OHventures was there to try it out firsthand!

When I told my mom about a 5K walk/run that included glow sticks, laser shows, black lights, and fluorescent clothing, all she could do is laugh and say "sign me up!" My mom is not a runner, for the record, but she wanted to be a part of one the zany races that me and my brother were always taking part in! So, I signed up my mom, dad and aunt to do the Glo Run (although they joked and called it the "Slo Run" for them) when they came down to visit me in Columbus.

The "swag" for the Glo Run was pretty fun - we got neon shirts (either pink or yellow), race bibs (even though it was not a timed race), and glow-in-the-dark necklaces and "glasses" (which made us look like Wall-E). At many races, people do not wear the t-shirt until AFTER they completed the race and therefore "earned" the shirt. But, for this race, it was different. Everyone wore their pink or yellow neon t-shirts, since they themselves were part of what made the event stand out from the rest! The "Glo Run" text on the shirts in fact was "glow-in-the-dark"!

Also joining me in the race were my pals Beth (who ran the Jingle Bell Run with me in December), and Kristen (who recently participated in the Fight For Air Climb with me), The race began at 8:30 PM (you know, in order for it to get dark and all) and began/ended at Genoa Park, by COSI and the Scioto River in downtown Columbus. A DJ was spinning some jams for us to make it seem more like a techno rave than a 5K run! It was definitely a sight to see! Many people elaborated with their outfits: we saw a group of folks with neon green light-up afro wigs and another person with an outfit made entirely out of glow sticks! It was pretty bizarre if you took a step back and looked at what we were doing! But, we were having fun!

All of us agreed to walk the first half mile with my parents and aunt, as they are not runners. The first part of the course took us east on Broad Street, North on Marconi, and West on Spring. From there, Beth, Kristen and I took off running. As much as I wanted to stay with my family, it is just too hard for a runner like myself to not try my hardest! Unfortunately, it was very difficult for any "true runner" to truly run this whole race! That is because most of the rest of the course took place on the nearby bike path, and therefore was very narrow. This caused a massive bottleneck, given that there were so many participants.

Videos by OHventures

This just made us realize more that the Glo Run was definitely one to take lightly. We jogged our way through some pretty awesome tunnels where people blew bubbles, laser light shows bounced off the ceilings, and strobe lights flashed about. Another tunnel had black lights shining, which made for a pretty cool effect! Because of these fun additions and the slow moving crowd, Beth and I managed to finish in approximately 31 minutes. We grabbed some free snacks and water and waited at the "after party" for my parents, who came "sprinting" in at exactly 50 minutes. 

I have to say, I was very proud of my family for comleting the walk in such good time and good spirit! They said that they occasionally had spurts of energy and ran for a short while, but said they did not enjoy the hilly course. All in all, it was a pretty fun time. But we were definitely excited to go have our OWN after party having drinks at a nearby bar!