The Blacklight Run is a 5K designed for everyone. During my experience, I even saw 9-year-olds running the race in their glow in the dark tutus. The event is for all ages, both young and old. It was awesome seeing families running together during the race.

Let me begin with this one line… It is a 5K that has no pressure to run at all. Even on their website it tells you “Blacklight Run™ is all about a Glow crazy night with friends and family. You can run or walk, however you would like!” Also if you don’t want to get powder on yourself you can speed walk or jog past or even around the glow stations. Ninety-eight percent of the time they will not throw powder at you unless you stop in front of them and make it obvious you want to “Get Dirty” as we were yelling the night of our event.

The event allows people to sign in as early as 5:30 p.m. if they didn’t attend the pre-event packet pickup the day before. Then there is a pre-race party starting at 7:30 p.m. During the parties, there are powder thrown in the air and glow sticks thrown at the crowd. They hire the best DJs and honestly, that opinion is coming from someone who usually dreads music from a DJ.

After the pre-party, the race begins around 8:30 p.m. They release everyone in waves of around 20-50 people. A few people run because they got pumped from the music but it is clear once the “race” starts that everyone is there for a good time, not competition. There are about four or five glow stations throughout the course and plenty of black lights to see yourself glow. The website gives off the vibe that there are going to be endless black lights everywhere, but that is not the case. That being said, it also isn't a problem either. Everyone still glows beautifully without wasting unnecessary power on extra lights. Even without 50 million black lights there are still a significant amount around the course. The second a black light comes within sight, you can physically see large groups of people run towards them for selfies and the awe of the glow.

Once you reach the glow stations, the real madness begins. Everyone sort of naturally runs towards the volunteers chest first to get a face full of powder and it's honestly awesome. Sometimes you’ll see the occasionally runner, sprint past the volunteers but swoop down to grab a handful of powder to cover their shirt in. Everyone is genuinely just having a great time at these events.

There is water available at the halfway point of the 5K but I still highly suggest bringing your own water. They provide free water at the event but in the rare event that they do run out, its better to bring your own than pass out from dehydration. So just bring your own bottle and stay hydrated! Also when you complete the race you get a free glow powder pack! The after party doesn’t begin until the first few people cross the finish line.

The after party was absolutely wicked! There were a bunch of local food trucks of various food types. For those attendants that are 21+, there is a beer garden available. Also if drinking bothers you, I only saw one singular person who had way too much to drink and that was out of like 500 people too. Everyone there is attending to have a good time and they all were really nice. Even when I was in the huge crowd in front of the DJ everyone had personal space and if you were bumped into they apologized. I couldn’t even make that up. I’ve been to tiny christian rock concerts with ruder attendants than the Black Light Run. The Blacklight Run is for everyone and anyone!

So now you’re probably wondering how to sign up for this awesome experience…

First, click here and look for a local event that fits with your schedule best. Seventy-five percent of the time it costs $25 to sign up, $20 for registration and then $5 of odds and ends. When it gets closer to race time, registration does increase to $50, so I highly suggest signing up the day you are definite you want to attend this wicked event. Also a portion of the registration is donated to charity, a majority of the races support Children’s Cancer Research but it also varies from race to race. You will want to attend the pre-event packet pickup the day before the race. If you don’t, there is a $5 charge on race day for registration. Also the cool glow stick toys they sell online when you’re signing up are also sold at the event. On race day, all you need to bring is your ID (for driving purposes), $10 for the parking fee, water, your packet your picked up the day before, and your cell phone. Personally, I kept my phone in a Ziploc bag so the powder didn’t get into the speaker or charging port. Also, if you plan on using a food truck or attending the beer garden, bring some extra cash. After that, all that is left is to have a wicked time!