PLANNING WOULD ADD TO COLOUR

THERE is little that can rival the camaraderie among runners during a race.

On Saturday this was clear for all to see as thousands of people participated in the Cape Town leg of the annual Color Run. Along the route, paintstained runners of all creeds and ages braved the stifling Cape Town heat in “the happiest 5k on the planet”.

It was indeed a happy affair. At the paint stations, scores of adults and children stooped to gather pigment in their hands, tossing them at each other, on themselves, and at complete strangers. Strict marshals were hugged by passers-by, leaving coloured paint marks of the bright yellow on their safety bibs. Runners along the route burst out randomly in song, as the unfit among us joined in to sing away our pain. Issa vibe.

But, the race was not without its shortcomings. Getting around 12 000 people to cross a starting line is a feat in and of itself. Many queued in the hot sun for up to an hour after the 3pm starting gun before they could get moving because of the staggered start.

The drinks tables were few and far between, with just one water cooler along the route, and another in the finish zone. It was a hot day, and the drinks were warm, offering little in the way of refreshment.

By the time the majority of the runners had reached the paint stations, they had to adorn themselves in powder as the volunteers seemed to have either run out of paint or had left to escape the heat. This event is a potential highlight on Cape Town’s outdoors-loving calendar, but a little more planning and preparation is needed to make it truly world-class.