The Color Run Malaysia 2017

Are you a fan of colors? If you are, then I hope you managed to attend The Color Run last Sunday (13 August) at Padang Merbok, Kuala Lumpur.

If you’ve never heard of The Color Run, it’s a run where fist-full of colors would be thrown at you throughout the whole 5 kilometres. It first began in Phoenix, Arizona five years ago and slowly expanded across the globe.

The race kit was collected at eCurve, Mutiara Damansara the week before. Needless to say, they were pretty cool. The white t-shirt was a soft cotton fabric, unlike most of the other t-shirts I own. There were a few other things too, including a goodie bag and a headband with the words “THE COLOR RUN” printed in bright yellow.

Race kit – a white t-shirt for colors to be thrown at and a goodie bag containing facial products, sticker tattoos, and a headband.

On the event day, I got up at 5:40 a.m. and made my way (with my uncle) to the designated location. The sky was still dark, and the roads were exceptionally empty. Without the usual heavy traffic present during the day, it took a short 30 minutes to get there.

Upon arriving the field (Padang Merbok means Merbok Field, so the event was set up on a field), we were astonished to see the wave of people in identical white t-shirts. There were at least 500 people warming up, lead by the event hosts who were already onstage with two unicorns dancing about.

Took a bite of a giant doughnut before the run.

After a few stretches here and there, we were lead into a pathway towards the starting line like a massive herd of sheep plus we were all wearing white, so we were all human sheep. There were at least three drones flying high up above our heads, recording the whole thing.

Participants were released in waves, each one starting off with a sprinkle of color over their heads. We were the lucky enough to be at the second wave, which started a little after 7:15 a.m. Participants who started later had to run under the eight to nine o’clock sun.

It was a cool and lovely run, thanks to the ample shade the tall trees provided for us. It was like running in a forest. At first, we thought there would be color stations every kilometre, which should add up to five stations. To our surprise, the distance between the first station and the second was less than a kilometre, probably as short as 500 metres.

The first station threw yellow, green, and purple at us. I was lucky my aunt advised us to bring a scarf or a cloth to cover our faces while running through the stations beforehand. The colors were made of powder, in which the event crew threw fist-full of colored powder at us. Since they were made of powder, it caused irritation to the eyes and the mouth. There were a few times where we ran past families, their young children complaining of the powder in their eyes or their color powdered shoes.

After running blindly through stations of blue, orange, neon green, and red, we reached the finish line at 8:30 a.m., our clothes and hair stained with color. At the finishing line, we were given a packet of colored powder each, including a bottle of water and a can of energy drink.

Thoroughly stained with color.

Nashata Sweatpants splattered with paint.

My uncle’s red mane after the run.

Overall, it was a fantastic event. Though it wasn’t your typical run-and-go marathon, it was definitely a fun run. Not recommended for children 10 and below because they may not be able to handle the irritation. If you’re in Rhode Island or Portland (and many more places in the United States and around the world), you still have a chance to participate in the fun. Who knows, maybe you’ll join the run next year.

– Nukey

The Weekend Runner: Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2015

Lately, most parts of Peninsular Malaysia has been blanketed by haze. After giving up hope that it will rain on the day before the race, I decided that it is best not to run at all for this year’s Standard Chartered KL Marathon. As much as I would like to make my full marathon debut in this event, the Air Pollution Index (API) showed unhealthy levels of air quality, and visibility was poor. Exposure to the polluted air can lead to devastating consequences in the long term, not to mention lack of oxygen absorbed into the body, itchy eyes, and dizziness or headache. Luckily, the event organizers were on the same boat as I am, so they decided to cancel the event at the very last minute.

12074936_1020289538002021_4792959815078213638_nJust in case if you are wondering, no, this is not Instagram-filtered. The haze was THIS bad!(Picture courtesy of the organizer’s Facebook page.)

 

However, the organizers allowed all participants to collect their finisher t-shirts (for full marathon) and finisher medals on the day of the event. API kept worsening, but it did not dampen the runners’ spirits, as the venue was buzzing with activity. Armed with masks or face towels, everyone collected their entitlements and took plenty of pictures.

 

IMG_1057 At the starting line: On your marks, get set, COLLECT!

 

Overall, there was a hint of disappointment from the crowd. Many travelled from other states or overseas just for this event. But they accepted that this is for the best – it’s better to miss one event than not being able to run in the future because of respiratory or other health problems. As I spoke to other runners, the collection venue was slowly turning into a networking event. Everyone took the opportunity to meet runners from other groups or countries. We might speak different languages, come from different backgrounds, but our common interest have bonded us together into this international family of running.

IMG_1053 Obligatory ‘finisher’ photo with medal and finisher tee.

 

IMG_1069Runners not running.

 

11063768_10207592466079561_4212637369368883586_n Oh hello, cute Japanese runner!

 

12074748_10205796472045128_7043026021782382454_n 12118712_10205796472845148_8656779571434365007_n Bros from Brunei

 

In conclusion, everyone agreed that not running sucks, but falling sick would suck even more. Let us all hope that the weather condition improves so there will be no more event cancellation. For the mean time, minimize your outdoor activity, drink plenty of water, and stay healthy. See you again next year, Standard Chartered KL Marathon!

 

Until next week,

The Weekend Runner.