Race Review - Neon Splash Dash

You may have heard of the Neon Splash Dash, as it's an extremely popular race. "The Most Magical 5k on Earth" as they like to call it, is a pretty straightforward 3.1 mile run with a glow-in-the-dark twist.

We arrived at the venue just as a thunderstorm was breaking, forcing them to shut down registration and herd us all into the stadium while the storm passed. Which was unfortunate, because there was a ton of people, including ourselves, checking in. In fact, probably the longest check in line I've ever seen and it became clear why they implored people to do early packet pick-up and why they had the early pick-up on 2 consecutive days.

The storm went away in about 20 minutes or so and when they reopened registration, it dawned on me how big this event was as the crowd poured over the hill. We had anticipated the mad rush and had wandered back over towards the registration tent when the storm lightened up, so we missed the long line and had time to head back to the car before the 8:00pm start time.

People piling out of the stadium after the storm.

This event is more of a fun run type thing, rather than a race, so there were no timing chips or the like in the participant bag. Amongst the swag was a blow up, lighted bam-bam, a sort of inflatable billy club with a blinking light inside that you were encouraged to carry. But we opted to wear a little colored blinking light, that we just happened to get at the Holy COW Trail Stampede earlier that day, instead.

Bibbed and lit up, we started back to the festival area and the starting gate. The festival area had a band playing, with some dancers getting down on a raised stage. Also, a very popular booth full of shirtless, super buff, firefighters were there, taking pictures with people and they were all smiles. We slipped in about 15 yards from the start gate a little before 8:00pm. A couple things I noticed right off the bat: There was a sea of people behind us. There was a lady with a baby stroller just to our right... with a sea of people behind her. Seriously lady, WTF?

About 20 minutes before the start. 

The race started about a half hour late, but we figured that was either due to the rain delay, or they were just waiting for dusk. We got through the gate right at sunset and very quickly had to push and dodge our way through the crowd to try and break out.  There were already people walking in the first 100 yards as we entered a choke point going into the stadium. As we rounded the upper deck of the field, it began to thin out and the narrow exit from the stadium was no problem. When we passed back by the start line, about a quarter mile or so in, people were still piling through the starting gates with no end in sight.

Go time.

The course was flat, fast and well marked. The thing that makes the Neon Splash Dash neon and splashy is their signature "glow zones", 4 of them scattered at regular intervals throughout the run. These zones consist of walled, wooden platforms with barrels on the side, and people who use, what looks like, giant syringes to hose you down with ultraviolet glow goop. Now I'm not sure what this "Super Intense UV Glow Water", as they call it, is made of, but it's thick, sticky, salty and they assure me it's non-toxic. If you're unfortunate enough to go through with just your friend, or by yourself, you will get a face full of it. Insert your own joke here.

At the finish, there are some sections set up with a bunch of black lights so you can revel in your glowtastic spatter. The glow water comes in a variety of colors and the red/pink is a real clothing stainer, so be sure to wear something you don't care about, or wear the provided event shirt. We were super tired afterwards, with this being our fourth race of the day, so unfortunately we didn't stick around for the after party, which looked to be hopping. In fact, when we were walking back to the parking lot, after snapping a few pictures, we crossed the course at about the halfway point and there were still a ton of people out there running.

Glowiest glowers that ever went to Glowtown.

The folks running the Neon Splash Dash were super generous, friendly and helpful. The event was well organized and attracted a huge crowd. I would like to try it again, when I'm fresh, as the cool night August air made for great running weather, and also when I can spend a little time afterward to party down. This is a great event for any level of competitor, whether you want to clock fast times, or stroll your way through a nice night jaunt, you'll find plenty of peers at the Neon Splash Dash.