Editor’s note: This article was originally published June 24, 2013
Midway through the Keep Austin Weird 5K on Saturday, I sprinted toward a suds-slickened sheet of plastic, launched myself into the air and skidded on my belly, getting sprayed with a water hose as I swept down the runway.
A home-made version of a Slip ‘n Slide was just one of the stops in the Saturday evening run, which dubs itself the slowest 5K in Austin. (To see a gallery of photos from the event, go to the Fit City page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FitCityAustin.)
It lived up to its reputation. The run, which celebrates the city’s eclectic character, includes stops for a tequila tasting, ice cream, bundt cake, vodka shots and more along the way. A ukulele band provided on-course entertainment, and I walked away with an assortment of goodies including a bandana from a sperm bank and a tube of grapefruit-flavored lip balm. At a stop set up by Tiny Pies, some folks won T-shirts. Others got whipped cream pies in the face.
I still haven’t figured out if I went trick or treating or ran a footrace.
The best part (besides the fun pit stops)? The costumes.
Nearly everyone who ran donned some kind of wacky garb. I spotted a peacock, an array of super heroes, several unicorns, a bottle of ketchup, a kitchen table, Santa Claus, Uncle Sam and more. My friend and I sported red headbands and long yarn braids, a la Willie Nelson.
As for the race, I think the real winners were those who spent the most time on the course. And I definitely did that.