Would you rather have people Color Running, or not entering running events at all?

gregmacd wrote:

Flagpole wrote:

Rock 'N' Roll events are fine because they are still competitive...they just have bands there...big deal. Not really a fan of the mudders, but for anyone over age 11, the Color Runs are ridiculous and stupid. Limit the color runs to those under age 12 and maybe you snag a couple of runners who wouldn't have been, but anyone older than that getting and glee out of being painted while they run...that's just ridiculous...AND stupid.

Well said! My kids would love the Color Run, but everyone else looks like they have a screw loose. Could you imagine olympic athletes doing a color run?!

No, I cannot imagine most Olympic athletes doing a color run (although there are a few from the 1990s I could see embracing the spirit). But then again, I also cannot see myself as an Olympian regardless of the imaginary marathon PRs I set during the course of my morning run today before work.

I've been a lifelong runner. I can hit dry spells when work or life intervene and I don't run more than 5 miles in three months, and then cruise through 6-7 miles and frustrate my wife who doesn't understand why my body allows me to do that (and she's completed real triathlons that scare me - drowning risk here). I'm not naturally athletic and I'm not as fit as I used to be, but a lifetime of miles without injury means I'm privileged enough to be able to be active without pain, major discomfort, embarrassment, or frustration.

My co-workers aren't uniformly so lucky. Many have struggled with weight or disordered eating. And they're getting into the Warrior Dashes and the Color Runs. And they're getting into getting excited about them and training for them. And it doesn't matter that the guy who still sets pretend PRs on his training runs (me) thinks it's all sort of silly. Here is a group of adults getting genuinely excited about getting up super early in the morning to exercise and train for a group run where people throw paint at you. I think that's kind of awesome and I am really proud of my colleagues.

Nailed it

wineturtle wrote:

Am I a troll? wrote:

Two examples:

Sex: Having sex as fast as possible, or even as slow as possible, or at a certain heart rate, or anything like that is totally missing the point. Except maybe that you have to beat your competitors.

I think a tie is really the win here.

I did a color run recently. My wife picked that is her first race after several pregnancies kept breaking up her training. So in that way it served as a "gateway drug" as she wasn't pressed to be overly competitive.

The lead car stayed at around 22min pace. I stopped for a couple minutes in the first mile to wait for my wife to catch up, but then went ahead and finished it as a tempo run in the mid-19s (including the stop).

Even at that, I still won by at least 4 minutes.

People seemed to do it more for the prep and costuming. During the actual race, people did not even seem that happy doing it. But it got people out there; the few people we knew doing it did several of these types of runs because the teenagers could run it (they're not usual runners) and the parents could walk it together.

I hope I never have to do another, but I didn't spontaneously combust from doing it. I still think they are dumb but people can do what they want and at least they are active.

I know people who are starting to run so that they can do a color run. Must be a good thing.

gateway drug wrote:

Tell me about it.

We hear on this website all the time: "Woe is me! No one is doing anything to drum up any interest in my sport."

Then people come along and create a pretty closely adjacent activity, one whose participants have the potential to be converted into racing fans, and all of a sudden it's:

"Screw those guys! They're ruining the sport! That's not real running!"

I don't see why we aren't chomping at the bit at this...why we shouldn't be looking to convert some D3 field hockey players who decide to do a color run and accidentally get a little too competitive. Who's to say those girls won't go from color runners to real hobby joggers!?

You will never convince those stupid people who disagree with you that they are stupid.

Derderian wrote:

I am president of USATF-NE and am seeking to define competitive races in the mind of all running participants as separate from fun,fitness,charity events just as major league is separate from little league: Each as a distinct place.

Tom

What you meant to say is that you are pompous and arrogant. Please state it correctly next time.

gregmacd wrote:

Could you imagine olympic athletes doing a color run?!

No, but I also can't imagine an Olympian doing the joggerville 5k I ran last week. If running isn't your profession, who cares? Do the events you like and skip the ones you don't. No need to tell others what events they should PR shouldn't like.