Maybe it’s just because I have no sense of humor, but I’ve never worn a costume to run a road race. There will be the occasional over-achiever that shows up to a 10K or half marathon wearing a tutu or seasonal costume, but there are nearly always at least a handful of runners who show up to a 5k wearing a tutu and bobbly headband. These are the folks who take the term “fun run” literally, so I guess that makes sense.
I’ve worn a green shirt to a St. Patrick’s day 5k, and a blue tank a running skirt for a July 4th races, but that’s probably the closest I’ve ever come to wearing a costume for a race. Some races hand out prizes for costumes, so if you’re super competitive, that could certainly motivate you to dig through your closet to pull together some festive representation of the race’s theme.
It’s not that I’m a complete killjoy. It’s just that for me– a 5k is a lot of work. It’s 3.1 miles of sweating, grunting my way up hills, wiping sweat from my brow, willing myself to not slow to a walk. When I cross the finish line, it’s not with hands raised and a smile on my face, like I had just taken a quick trot around the block. This is a competition– I’m racing against my last race time, and there’s no time for fun.
From a practical standpoint, costumes can be cumbersome. Last year I ran a relay race that had a prize for costumes. There were the usual tutus and hair with colored spray. And then there was Papa Surf and the Smurfettes. Full-on costumes with hats, and Papa Surf was even wearing a fake beard and blue face paint– running 3.5 miles! Aside from being uncomfortable, I can’t imagine how hot they must have been running in that get-up.
Wearing green and bling for a St. Patrick’s Day 5K. That’s about as much of a costume as you’ll see me wear.
The costume fun seems to work better in groups, and I almost always run races alone. A few times I’ve joined a friend for a race, and every year I do one relay race with three ladies from church. But we’re not costume people. We’re beating-last-year’s-time people. It’s fun to see the costumes, to see whether the tule and glitter make it across the finish line in one piece, but I can’t imagine wearing one. Maybe when, and if, a 5K race becomes less of a challenge.
But like everything else in this sport– you have to make it what works for you. There’s no right way or wrong way to run a race– as long as you run.
Cheering for you!
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