Last Updated on April 29, 2021
I love doing fun runs. It keeps it a little more interesting than just putting one foot in front of the other with no element of “fun” between the starting line and finish line. Well, at least they are supposed to.
I was a little skeptical about the organization of the Foam Glow race when we were all sent in a goose chase to find out where we had to pick up our race day goodies. First, they sent us to the Cloverdale raceway, for us to arrive there to be sent to the big red Agriplex barn down the street, to find all the doors locked, leaving us to wander around to find where the tents were. There was one dinky little sign that was just handwritten that most people probably didn’t notice either, but even then, that one sign didn’t even direct you which way to go. The people working the table to hand out the race goodies said they even had a challenge figuring out where they had to go. It is also one of the only races, if not the only race, I have heard of that charges you to pick up your packet on race day. The packet only consists of a t-shirt, race bib, and small temporary tattoo. Sure, it is only $5 per person, but I was glad I picked mine up since it was just down the street from our house, so I knew I was good to go without further hassle. I also found it odd that they used the “register now before the price goes up” advertising tactic, yet never raised the price.
Prior to the beginning of the race start, we went into the “foam pits” where large cannon-like machines were spewing out colored foam. This was the best part of the run: the party. While the DJ spun some great tunes, we all jumped and danced around, having a great time.
I’ve done a few fun runs at the same location (Cloverdale Bill Reid Millennium Amphitheatre), and the courses were great, but this course was lacking. Maybe they had to have it at a certain start location because of all the foam, but it wasn’t set up well. I was even left questioning if the race was even 5K. They had you running back and forth, up and down in the barns, parking lots, etc. There was a lot of zig-zagging between cones, which is where they probably felt it made the run added up to 5K, but really it just made it boring. It was also poorly lit, especially for the uneven ground and tripping hazards. Staff were not even visible along the route.
There were only three foam stations, where you run through a wall of regular white (not coloured) foam, but the rest of the run was just bright different coloured lights to make you feel like you were neon coloured. I felt that the colour lacked. Standing under a regular black light, my white shirt lit up with hints of yellow, and that was about it.I expected to be more of a rainbow. At least it was easy to get clean after, when they didn’t use the foam that they advertised the entire event was based around.
The party was at least enjoyable:
I was super excited to see what they would come up with for a foam run, and I was disappointed at the end. Compared to the Color Run and Neon Runs, this fun run wasn’t up to standards. I would have been better off not paying to run the race and just attending the before and after party for free.
Tip: Don’t wear contacts. You will get foam in your eyes. It will sting. I don’t wear glasses, but my sister does and she was thankful that she didn’t put in contacts. Our eyes stung and felt dry the day after, without contacts in.
Overall, for a fun run, it sure was uninspiring. If you’re wanting to try a fun run, this is one I would skip.