Palawan Beach saw a burst of vibrant neon colours and sick beats on 28th October at the Skechers Blacklight Run, and participants gathered at the pre-party grounds from as early as 4.30pm, bobbing along to the latest party tracks courtesy of resident FClub DJ Momo.
Even before the run officially started, some runners were already pimping their running outfits with various LED accessories. A handful of participants even had accessories resembling fairy lights snaking up their calves. They were indeed ready for the ‘gram’.
Runners gathered at the starting line at approximately 7.30pm, decked out in their Blacklight Run T-shirts, accessorised with their LED shutter shades, glow bracelets and glow shoelaces, all of which were provided in the race packs.
The emcee did a fantastic job of hyping up the crowd by throwing out neon glow sticks to the runners. She was accompanied by local heartthrob Joshua Tan of the Ah Boys to Men cast, who was seen interacting with the crowd, flashing his charming thousand-megawatt smile. The participants, most of whom were aged 14-18, were clever to not let a Snapchat or Instastory moment slip past their fingers.
Participants were flagged off in batches, the majority adopting a leisurely pace, breaking into a short sprint or skip every now and then. There were multiple Blacklight Zones along the race course, which saw volunteers hurling handfuls of Glow Powder at the runners. Most of the runners were more than happy to have their white shirts decorated with spots of neon green, pink and orange which glowed brightly under the high beam blacklights during the after-party.
Upon completion of the 5km run, we were rewarded with a glow pack and an exclusive finisher’s medal – something that really set the Skechers Blacklight Run apart from other fun runs. It is certainly not everyday that you get rewarded for running (or strolling, for that matter) 5kms. You could even customise your medal with your name for a fee of $30.
Participants were all smiles at the finish line as they made their way to the after-party, and many had opened their glow packs and were merrily throwing the Glow Powder at their friends and even strangers — all done in good fun.
There were also designated spots for photo-taking, which saw many runners snapping boomerangs, pictures and videos while showing off their medals, which no doubt would make it onto their social media pages that night.
DJs Ladypunch and Hypeembeats, hailing from Thailand and Kuala Lumpur respectively, kept the crowd’s hearts racing long after the run had ended. The electronic dance music remixes had the runners thrusting their glow batons in the air, jumping and gyrating to the beat. Glow powder flew in all directions as the beat dropped, like a colourful outdoor music festival.
Overall, the Skechers Blacklight Run 2017 was a worthwhile experience. If you missed this year’s edition, there is always next year. Keep your eyes peeled for their Early Bird promotions!
by Natalie Kwan
