85258 Life Magazine – May 2013
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A Run to Brighten the Mood

Salt River Fields to host a unique concept that turns a night race into a fun party,complete with flourescent colors, black lights and raising money for Camp Kesem.
by Jim Brophy
Editor

When this race is over, the faces of the runners are sure to have a glow about them. And not just their faces. The rest of their bodies will probably glow, too.

That’s the point of the Neon Splash Dash that will wind through Salt River Fields at Talking Stick Resort on Saturday, May 11. It’s a night race for fun and charity where runners get splashed at intervals with a custom water-based mixture that glows vividly under professional-grade ultraviolet lights.

“It’s a new concept we came up with, and it’s just really exploded,” said Brian Dowdy, race director for Neon Splash Dash. “We get a lot of people who come out and bring their kids. It’s just a fun, family event.”

Music will be pumping at every checkpoint to add to the energy as participants run, walk or dance over the 5K course. Dowdy said they tried the concept last year in Chandler and it was a success, with about 4,000 entrants.

This year the event has expanded to 15 cities, including Scottsdale.

A recent Splash Dash in Houston was expected to have about 9,000 entrants, and their goal for Scottsdale is around

8,000, he said. Organizers hope to expand to about 40 cities next year.

Each race has a designated charity. The Scottsdale race beneficiary is Camp Kesem, which sends kids who have a

parent with cancer to a weeklong camp just to have fun. The camp is run through Arizona State University.

Dowdy would not say how much money they expect to raise but added it would be significant, in the thousands of

dollars.

“They are such a wonderful organization,” he said of Camp Kesem. “They have a small operating budget, so it’s a

really cool thing.”

There are night races that are run as raves, but Neon Splash Dash is a family event and young kids are welcome, said

Dowdy, who added he doesn’t worry about bringing his 4-year-old daughter to the race.

Runners are all ages and skill levels, he said, from serious runners who come out to have some fun to newer runners

trying a 5K for the first time.

Even the volunteers, many of whom are high school and college students, enjoy the event. The gates open at 5:30

p.m. and the race starts at 7:30 p.m., and there is an “after glow party” at 8:15 p.m. The cost to register ranges from $40 for early birds to $55 for late registration (after May 1).

Below are some answers to a few frequently asked questions about the event, courtesy of neonsplashdash.com:

Do I have to be a great runner?

You can choose to run/walk or even just walk the entire thing if you’d like. Most people slow way down and walk

thru the glow zones anyways, so you have plenty of time to dance and catch your breath.

What should I wear?

All runners must wear a solid white T-shirt. We encourage all runners to wear outfits or costumes consisting of:

glow-in-the-dark or LED items (bracelets, necklaces, flashers, etc), long socks, fluorescent colors, accessories, etc. Feel free to throw on some fluorescent body paint for added fun! Remember, we have a costume contest where the prize awarded is an Apple iPad!

Do I need a change of clothes?

You may want to have some handy if you’re worried about it. However, the Glow Water dries quickly, and you

should be completely dry by the time you make it back to your car.

What is the Glow Water?

The Glow Water is our own specially formulated mixture that is almost completely water. It is safe, nontoxic,

biodegradable and gluten free. It probably won’t taste great, but it won’t hurt you or your eyes.

Is this a timed run?

No. This is a fun run style event, so no there’s no need to try to compete for times.

ASU’S Camp Kesem
A WORTHY BENEFIT

This year’s Neon Splash Dash in Scottsdale will benefit Camp Kesem, run by Arizona State University students. Camp Kesem is a summer camp for kids with a parent who has (or has had) cancer that offers one-week sleep-away camps. It’s a chance for children ages 6-16 to have a fun-filled week and just be kids. Camp Kesem’s main goal of giving campers the most fun week possible, while providing the extra support and attention they need. Kesem means “magic” in Hebrew, and the camp’s founders chose the name because their goal was to bring magic to families coping with cancer. Kesem is a secular camp and that is open to student volunteers and campers of all backgrounds. The stay at the camp is offered

to families for free because of the financial burdens they have faced, although families are invited to make donations. — campkesem.org/asu

Contact: Brian Dowdy                                               FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Email: info@neonsplashdash

Phone: (480)696-4759

ILLUMINATING 5K MAKES A SPLASH IN HOUSTON

Houston, TX (February 7^th, 2013) – Houston  residents are invited to come out March 23rd to participate in the Neon Splash Dash at Reliant Park. The Neon Splash Dash is a night time fun run in which participants are doused with neon fluorescent glow water under professional-strength black lights.

Brian Dowdy, a spokesman for the run, says, “We wanted a race designed specifically to be a lot of fun, so that it would be accessible to everyone. People of all ages and conditions can easily complete this course, and have a blast while doing it.” New runners will find it an exciting welcome to the world of 5ks. For experienced runners, it’s a unique change of pace. Families are encouraged to participate, and a discounted registration fee is offered to those signing up as a team of four or more.

A portion of the proceeds from the event will benefit Team RWB Houston, a local chapter of a national organization whose efforts are “transforming the way that America supports its veterans when they return from combat.”

Along with the race will be a Costume Contest and After Glow Party, featuring DJs, as well as dancers and other performers. Races in other cities across the country are already scheduled for 2013.

More information, as well as how to register, can be found at www.neonsplashdash.com

# # #

We now are offering Vinyl Car Decals in our online store! Throw it on your car and brag to all your friends about the BEST 5k you’ve ever ran! Check it out!

We’re a full month into the New Year. It’s crazy, right? It started out with such hope and resolution. This was the year that we were going to lose weight, get back into shape, and be a better person. That was what we said four weeks ago. We were getting up early and going for a run before work. We were on Pinterest, getting excited about all these new ideas for healthy meals. But four weeks later, that determination is starting to waver.  We’re hitting the snooze button in the morning because trading a warm bed for running in the cold doesn’t seem as appealing as it once did. We’ve discovered it’s easier to pin recipes for quinoa so it looks like we’re eating healthy than it is to actually do it.

So if we’re going to keep those New Year’s Resolutions, we need a motivator. Something that’s going to get us through the difficult stretch between the initial excitement and the point where these practices become habits. What better way to keep that motivation than training for the Neon Splash Dash? For one thing it’s attainable; at 5k, it’s a fairly short fun-run so even inexperienced runners can prepare for it with a decent regimen. While most of us would love to be able to fulfill our weight loss goals in a month, it’s often just not realistic. Training for a 5k is a reasonable goal for most people, with a focus toward a definite, measurable result. And if you sign up as a team, you have friends and workout partners to train with and help keep you on track.

The other great thing about prepping for the Neon Splash Dash is how much fun you’ll have once you reach your goal. Not only do you get the satisfaction of completing a New Year’s resolution, you’ll also have an unforgettable experience while running it. Plus, all that training will make sure you can finish the race with enough energy to dance at the After-Glow Party. And you’ll have some cool new pictures to pin online next to your quinoa recipes.

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