Reasons why the Illumi Run beats other runs

Returning for the third year, the Illumi Run was a 5km party-run where participants got to enjoy music and got soaked in luminous, non-toxic Glow Water during the run. This year, the event attracted over 10,000 participants.

If you still do not understand why people would pay to glow, here are five reasons why the Illumi Run beats other runs:

1) We did not actually have to run

I would rather call it Illumi Walk, but that would not sound fun, right? Throughout the 5km route, there was no pressure on us to keep running or fear being left behind.

We naturally got excited and ran towards the glow zones, where there was music and a chance to get showered with luminous water. Equipped with UV light, we could pose for pictures at the glow zones as our luminous-selves were more outstanding under these lights.

Strolling and taking photos, it was almost like a walk in the park.

2) We warmed-up by partying

Before the flag off at 7.30pm, Ministry of Sound resident DJ Tang spun some music to get us hyped up for the run. The runners gathered at the stage and danced to the party tunes. If anyone arrived feeling awkward and not as energetic, this pre-event segment definitely prepared us to (party) run.

Now this is a form of exercise that I could get used to.

3) The Illuminators ensured that we did not waste our money

10,000 people is a lot of people to spray, but no worries.

Staff, named Illuminators, were armed with water guns filled with the glow water. There were even sprinklers at the Glow Sprinkle Zone, which ensured nobody got past spot-free.

Still not convinced? Over at the Neon Rainforest zone, they doused us in orange paint straight from the bucket.

4) We did not have to worry about going home as luminous humans

The best part about the run is that the solutions sprayed on us were pretty easy to wash off, even with just wet wipes. There were also wash-off zones available for us to clean ourselves after.

5) We could get absolutely crazy without being judged

Nobody was staring at me dancing myself crazy, because everyone else was doing the same. Over at the after-party, we even spotted people pouring 100 Plus drinks on each other because the Illuminators were too far away to spray them with glow water.

There was licence to be unglamorous, since no one could recognise us under that luminous water anyway.

If you did not attend the run this year, those were extremely fun things you missed. Look out for next year’s run!