After our epic AquaGlow adventure, Meghan and I planned to participate in the Rainbow CommUNITY 4.9K in Orlando, in honor of the Pulse tragedy. Eight years ago, 49 lives were brutally and violently ended in the popular nightclub, but the memories of those who were lost and those who carry on still shine bright. This event honors them all.
Packet Pickup + The Night Before
Since Meghan is local, she picked up my packet for me. It felt very VIP to have my things waiting for me at her house when I arrived, but it all seemed perfectly well organized. There was morning of pickup, as well. Of course, I put out my flat runner before bed. I wish I had some more rainbow things, but this was good.
The Morning Of
We got up super early, as Meghan was supervising a booth at the event. I was her enthusiastic backup, so we fueled with some coffee and hauled our items to our spot.
The race and festival venue was right outside the Orlando City Hall Plaza. We had no problem parking in an adjacent garage and getting everything to our spot. It was hot and humid, but the vibes were beautiful. We set up our table, and handed out goodies to runners and guests.
Since this was a new to me area, I took a little walk around, to check out all the areas, and the race setup. There was so much going on: music, photo opps, great costumes, and dancing. I didn’t know where to look first.
At The Start
Right before 8AM, we gathered together with some of our friends, and headed to the start line.
It was just sweltering, and Meghan and I decided that we were going to make this a brisk walk. Orlando is a different kind of hot: since I am closer to the beach, I always get a decent breeze, but this city is not at all the same.
There were some technical difficulties, so we couldn’t hear any of the National Anthem or announcements being made. In fact, we stood in relative quiet for quite some time before the runners and walkers were released and the event was under way. Not the end of the world, but it would have been nice to hear what was being said.
The Course
From what I understand, this is a new course for the Rainbow CommUNITY 4.9K. It was an out and back from the Town Hall Plaza, to the Pulse Nightclub and back again. We just locked in and started walking.
This was probably one of my favorite parts of the course, as it was the only shade.
There were water stops on both sides of the road, but I didn’t need to take from either. What I did need to take was a dog petting stop! The local hospital had a team out with all their support pups, and we petted each and every one!
Pulse was at the turnaround, and we took a moment to pause and reflect. Some people left the course to spend time with the photos and the messages, and I love that they were able to do so. We could feel the heaviness and the loss, but those 49 lives are still so honored.
At this point, we headed back, petted the dogs again (such good dogs), and made it to the finish line.
At The Finish Line!
We collected our medals (I love these), and I took over the booth so Meghan could go hand out swag at the kids’ run. The festival was scheduled to go on for a few more hours.
After Party Vibes
We had entry to the Hard Rock VIP After Party, and we were so glad to go into the lobby of the City Hall building for some air conditioning and cocktails! There was a DJ, complimentary drinks, and an awesome buffet of food and snacks. We had brunch plans, so we just had some mimosas.
And I took a moment with this beautiful piece of heart.
And then we packed it up to grab brunch!
Final Thoughts
This is a beautiful event, period. Even in the face of an unspeakable tragedy, the community continues to come together to honor the lives lost, and to celebrate those who continued on. Though there have been some changes to the administration of the run and festival, it seems like this will be an important part of the city for years to come, and I love that.
Obviously, it would be nice if it was cooler, but there’s no way around that. Other than that, the shirt and medals were great, the festival offered a lot to keep people occupied before, during, and after the event, and I would gladly come back to do it again!
Were you at the Rainbow CommUNITY run?
Join the Runner’s Roundup!
Link up each week to post your favorite running tips, experiences, race and training recaps, workouts, gear, and coaching ideas. Join your hosts Coach Debbie Runs, Confessions of a Mother Runner, Mile by Mile, and Runs with Pugs, each week for the Runners’ Roundup linkup! Your link must be running related. Unrelated links will be removed. You must link back to your hosts — it’s common courtesy and a lot more fun! Spread the link-up love by visiting at least two other #running bloggers! Leave a comment and find new blogs to read! Use hashtags #running and #RunnersRoundup to stay in touch and promote your content!
What a nice way for the community to support those whose lives were lost. Looks like a great time and positive vibes
It is really a beautiful tribute.
It’s great that you could do this to support those lost in this tragedy! Way to get it done in the heat!
I was so glad to be there.
I love that your community has a race to support those who were killed in the tragedy. Great job in the heat!