Some of you may have been (or could be at some point in the future) as confused about this as I was, so I'm trying to set the record straight here...
The Rocky Mountain State Games will be hosting two 5Ks this summer. What's confusing about that is that they're both in downtown Colorado Springs and both late in the day on Friday, July 26. If I may exercise the temerity to say so, one 5K is a race and one is, well,... an event. They are aimed at two very different clienteles. It would appear they're also aimed at two different pocketbooks.
If you want to enter the 5K race, you should register for that event and be at America the Beautiful Park in time to race at 5 PM. That will cost you $20 (adult advance price, day of race registration is $30) or $12 (16 and under).
If you want to enter the event, you show up at the Pikes Peak Center in time for an extravaganza at 5:30 PM. The event will set you back $50, but the Rocky Mountain State Games web site has a coupon code that reportedly saves you 40% (or $20) off the list price. Get your discounts while they last. There seems to be no special youth pricing for this one.
The "event" is the Color in Motion 5K.
Color runs are more or less to females what mud runs are to males. In the final analysis, they are merely different ways of getting dirty. Yes, some females do mud runs and consume unhealthy amounts of beer and turkey legs following the race. And some males enter color runs wearing white shorts and t-shirts and end up all smiles, dusted in multiple hues, at the end of the day. But let's not kid ourselves--mud runs would never survive without male entries, and color runs would never survive without female entries. If a few members of the opposite gender happen to slide in, that's good for the bottom line, but they're not really the race's target demographic.
I don't know how to say it more diplomatically than that.
Last year's Colorado Springs (area) color run was held at the Pikes Peak International Speedway, about midway between Colorado Springs and Pueblo. Since the venue is hardly ever used for automobile racing, it must have made sense to someone to hold a color run there.
Personally, I don't know what it would take to make me enjoy a 5K around the one-mile oval at the Pikes Peak International Speedway, but I'm pretty sure that inhaling airborne paint particles for 20 minutes wouldn't do the trick. Nevertheless, I think about half of my girls cross country team went down and did it--and then posted enthusiastically about their experiences on Facebook. And the photos were as colorful as you might have expected. As you also might have expected, nobody seemed especially concerned about times. In fact, I never saw a single report of a race time. I can only surmise that "5K" had significance only in that it meant you got to trek around the airborne paint particle circuit a little more than three times.
This year, it would appear, the color run folks have gone in league with the Rocky Mountain State Games. Both sides must believe the arrangement is at least potentially mutually beneficial. More power to them if it is. It is not difficult to think of a few advantages of moving the color run out of PPIR into a place where people are normally spotted. Downtown Colorado Springs definitely accomplishes that.
So, the Rocky Mountain State Games is giving you the opportunity to choose which 5K you want. Or, if you're fast enough, you could probably do both, but you would likely end up missing the post-race awards for the race. And, if you're that fast, missing the awards could mean actually missing something.
Nevertheless, there's potential for a lot of confusion here, so make certain you've entered the right 5K and that you show up at the right place. If you're hoping for a sub-16, you probably won't be much appreciated at the color run, and, on the assumption that the course will involve multiple circuits of a single loop, there will definitely be some traffic to work through. Or, you might get a few awkward looks if you show up at the race in a plain white cotton t-shirt and white shorts. Just trying to look out for your personal welfare here....
If the Color in Motion 5K posts race times, I'll post them--or possibly a link to them--on this site. I'm guessing the 5 PM 5K will have results, and I will do all in my power to get those posted here as well. And maybe next year there will be a mud run 5K at the Rocky Mountain State Games!