This race was great fun! The course is hilly, but not impossibly so. I enjoyed the challenge, and the scenery and fall foliage along the route made it worth it. The after party was a lot of fun, even for this out-of-towner who didn't know many people there. Challenging race + great swag + super-fun party = a race I will definitely run again!

The GloRun is an 80's themed nighttime 5K with glow sticks. My son and I were given two free registrations for the Indianapolis event in exchange for reviewing the race. All opinions here are completely ours.

Registration & Pre-Race
Registration was really simple. The website is easy to navigate and loads quickly. The mobile version works well too. There are two options for registration: an untimed fun run for participants who want to take their time through the course, taking pictures and enjoying the glo zones; and a chip-timed race for runners who want the extra challenge. Both options come with a cute t-shirt and three glow sticks. Timed racers also receive a finisher's medal and a small flashlight. There is extra gear for purchase - light-up headbands, extra glow sticks, upgraded shirts, sunglasses for teams of 5, etc.

Pre-race communications were good. We received several e-mails reminding us of packet pickup times and locations, event schedule, and just hyping the fun. Packet pickup was conveniently located at a local running store from 11am to 6pm the day before the race. It was well organized and we didn't have to wait at all. There were also options for event day pickup, or having your packet mailed to you ahead of time for a small extra charge.

This is a nationally touring event that partners with a local charity in each city. Here in Indy, they raised funds for Easter Seals. The race started and ended in White River State Park downtown. We had no trouble finding parking and got to the park about 30 minutes before start time. We didn't see any long lines for event day packet pickup. Everything appeared to be well organized and spread out so it was easy to find. There was a station where people could get glow-in-the-dark body paint if they wanted, and a DJ playing music and making announcements.

The race this year has a 1980s theme, and there was a costume contest before the race. My son didn't participate in the contest, but I did. I love dressing up! And I really love races where everyone is encouraged to dress up. Costumes aren't just for Halloween!

I had so much fun planning out my costume. I received a lot of compliments on it, too. The DJ called the contestants up and explained to us how the contest would work (judging based on audience cheers), then called us out to face off two by two. There were a lot of fun outfits. A lot of day-glo colors, spandex, side ponytails, leg warmers, headbands.... I didn't win, so I joined my son in the audience to cheer for my next favorite.

After the costume contest, it was race time. Chip-timed racers had white bibs, while fun run participants had black bibs. They called white bib racers only to head to the starting corral, and they actually had volunteers checking to make sure only racers with white bibs were lining up to start. That was much appreciated. I am all for anything that gets people to be active, but I am glad they gave runners the chance to start first so we wouldn't get stuck behind large groups of walkers. The course was very narrow in some parts.

The course ran across the pedestrian bridge, north along the West Side of the White River Trail to 10th Street, east across 10th Street (where we had both the sidewalk and one lane of the street), then south along the East Side of the White River Trail, back to the park. I didn't wear my headphones for this race, because I didn't really need them. There were "Glo Zones" set up along the course - black lights, bubbles, inflatables, tunnels - each blasting 80s songs, so I could hear music all along the way. The course was well marked and there were plenty of volunteers along the way. There was one water station at slightly over halfway, and there were enough volunteers handing out cups of water that we were able to run through smoothly without having to stop or wait.

After we finished, we headed over to the Finisher's Tent to collect our medals and a snack (they had fruit snacks and granola bars), and then hit the dance area for a while. The DJ was playing some fun dance songs from all eras, not just the 80s. There was a good-sized crowd out there dancing, and I had a great time.

We both agreed we had a really great time. The race was well organized, the course is a nice route to run with really beautiful views of Indy at night, and the Glo Zones and the 80s theme made it a lot of fun. Everyone we saw and all the people I overheard while running seemed to be having a good time as well. I've talked to several friends who also ran and enjoyed it. I definitely recommend this race if it comes to your city, and if I am still in Indy when it comes here next year I will run it again.

I really enjoyed this race! I was looking forward to the challenge of running some hills, and it didn't disappoint. There was one kind of boring stretch in the middle of the race, and a few minor issues with water stations but I saw volunteers and staff working hard to address those issues and make sure everyone was ok. So overall, a very good experience and a race I would run again.

First up, the expo was very good. Small but well organized, with a good variety of vendors (running stores, other races, products, food samples). Packet pickup was quick and easy, at the host hotel. I was also picking up for my sister and her husband and had no issues there. They would have had a hard time making it to the expo before 6, though, since they both had to work.

The race swag was pretty awesome! Everything came in a clear drawstring backpack-bag with the race artwork logo, which will definitely get plenty of use. The t-shirt design is really pretty, and the shirts were gender specific and sized correctly. We also got a matching buff. There were also several product samples in our bags.

Race morning we arrived downtown and had no trouble parking in a nearby parking garage for only $5. They were still setting up all the finish line/post-race stuff, but we did think it odd we didn't see any port-o-lets. It wasn't an issue for us since we had a friend who worked nearby letting us in her office, but there was a very long line for the one public toilet. Later when we made our way the couple of blocks over to the actual start, we did see the port-o-lets. The line was really long there too.

There were no corrals, but the pre-race announcements were asking everyone to line up by pace, and it seemed most people did. The race started right on time; there was also a 10K that was starting 15 minutes later.

The first 6 miles of the race were really fun. Up and down hills, winding around the streets of downtown Asheville. Very interesting to run, and made the miles fly by. The next 4 miles were down by the French Broad River - all flat and straight, with not much to look at. You could make some good time here, but this part of the course was kind of boring. Mile 11 was all up hill, as the course climbs up Overlook Road. The views got pretty again, and then Mile 12 took us downhill and then winding through the A-B Tech campus before we ran back through downtown to the finish. I don't know how it was for the front of the pack, but by the time I got here they had us running on the sidewalk, which was kind of strange. I was also disappointed there wasn't a little more crowd support. I like when people come out to watch and cheer us on, especially at the end.

At the finish, we got our finisher's medals and a bottle of water. There were some people cheering and music playing right at the finish line, which did give me a boost at the end. The post-race party was good. A free beer from Sierra Nevada, and lots of snacks from Earth Fare. I did hear there were some mixups about the overall winners and age group winners, but no one in my group was affected, so I don't know how that all got sorted out.

As I mentioned earlier, there were some issues with the water stations early in the race. It was an incredibly hot and humid day, but we did have that forecast so it wasn't a surprise. Water was supposed to be every 2 miles. The first water station at mile 2 was unmanned when I got there, and all but 1 cooler was empty (there were cups & a line of people trying to fill cups). As I left that water station, carts pulled up with the volunteers bringing more water. They also began driving along the course handing out water bottles and making sure everyone had water. Miles 4 and 5 both had water stations, and then there wasn't another one until mile 8, so the spacing was a little off. But again, carts were driving along the course with water bottles, gels and Kind bars for anyone who wanted them. One big plus: all but 1 water station had COLD water. A lot of the time, us back-of-the-pack runners get warm water, so I really appreciated that this water was kept cold for us.

I really appreciated that race staff and volunteers were constantly driving the course, checking on the runners and making sure everyone had water. They were very responsive addressing the issues, and I would expect that next year they will be even more prepared. Overall this was a really fun race to run. The hills were challenging but do-able, and I would like to run this race again.

This race was a lot of fun! It's part of a series of 3.17 mile races around Indy (317 is the area code here). All the races are on Thursday evenings, all in different neighborhoods and all benefiting different local charities. I registered for the entire series, which comes with a half-zip tech pullover. You can also get the pullover if you do a mini-series of any 3 of the races, but you don't get it with an individual race.

Packet pickup for this race was at a local running store the night before, and was very quick with no lines. There's a lot of swag for these races: this one had a wine glass, bumper sticker, coupon for a free Penn Station sub, and 2 beer tickets attached to your race bib.

Pre-race communications were frequent and were very useful. Emails and posts on social media let us know about packet pick-up, suggestions on parking, told us about the different vendors that would be at the race,and reminded us to bring our IDs if we wanted those free beers.

Race day parking was pretty easy The Circle is in the very center of downtown, so there are lots of nearby parking garages and surface lots, as well as metered parking on the street. There were ID check stations set up pre-race so you could get your wristband in advance for no waiting post-race. Vendors, games, and a DJ were all set up well before the race start time and lots of people were hanging out. It was already a party atmosphere. The race had additional t-shirts, sweatshirts and hats available for purchase as well.

The race course was really flat and ran south to Lucas Oil Stadium then back north by Circle Centre Mall and under the Arts Garden. It was fun running through downtown with all the people out shopping, dining, or just walking around. We had people cheering us on the whole way! There was one aid station with plenty of cold water. Post race results were available immediately by scanning the QR code on our race bibs, which is pretty cool.

The post race party is one of the best parts of these Run(317) events. Besides the 2 free beers - which are good beers from a local brewer - there is a DJ, plenty of food trucks, and the area stays closed to traffic for a good long while to allow us to just hang out. The race is in a part of town with lots of good local restaurants and bars as well if you want more to eat and drink. I definitely would recommend this and all the Run(317) races.

This is one of my favorite local races every year. It's a small race, but it's growing. Proceeds go to support rental assistance funds for local residents, and affordable housing is something I very much believe in. The race runs through the neighborhood it is benefiting, so there is always lots of local support. The roads aren't closed to traffic, but one lane is blocked with cones and there are lots of volunteers and officers along the way so runners always feel safe.

The race starts and ends at Englewood Commonwealth, where there is plenty of free parking. Pre- and post-race activities are inside the gym so runners don't have to stand around out in the cold. SWAG comes in boxes hand-decorated by kids who attend the local daycare, and the boxes include snacks like oranges and homemade granola bars, along with the recipe if you want to make them yourself. The shirts are long-sleeved tech shirts too, which is pretty awesome for a race that only costs $20. Bonus: this year the shirts were dark purple. I don't have any other purple shirts, so I really like this one.

There was one aid station with both Gatorade and water, and there is plenty of food at the end of the race, including hot coffee and cocoa. There are a lot of local businesses that donate gift cards for participants as well. No finishers medals, but age group winners usually receive something cool & homemade, and some prizes are raffled off so everyone has a chance to go home with something fun.