Austin residents raise money to fight leukemia

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A new nighttime race series came to Austin on Saturday giving Austinites a chance to run through lasers, black-light tunnels glowing trees changing color to the music.

 Dressed in eccentric, glow-in-the-dark costumes, with lights galore and neon colors dancing across the night sky, more than 10,000 runners padded to the beat of the music blasting overhead. Colorful glitter and sparkles covered their sweat-streaked faces. The Playboy bunny and Tron ran side-by-side into the lighting effects that extended 3.1 miles.

Over 10,000 Austinites took to the course.

Among the thousands of runners, 11-year-old Jordan Johnson raced to the front of the pack. She had participated in five running events, but says this is her absolute favorite.

 “Basically you dress up crazy with lots of glow in the dark things and run in a cool and weird race,” Johnson said.

Racers are encouraged to light themselves with glow tubes, neon, and LED lights. One participant crowned with pink hair and sporting a pink tutu described the race as he waited in line to register.

“It’ll look like you’re dancing at a rave that's suddenly busted by the cops, so everyone sprints for the exits, leaving a trail of glitter, glow sticks, and giggles,” he said.

According to Madeleine Smith, program director for Leukemia Texas, “Electric Run is a 5k run, a show, participation art, and celebration of life.” 

Artists and lighting technicians from Coachella, Dreamworks Animations, Disney and Vegas come together to create a bright experience for runners. Each running course had its own distinct lighting experiences.

“Whatever course runners choose to participate in, we want to deliver a world filled with light and sound unlike anything they’ve ever imagined,” Smith said.

The course ran through downtown Austin.

Runners add their own creative touch by dressing up in lighted costumes that glow, shine, and blink. In addition to participating in a one of a kind running event, participants received custom shirts, glow necklaces, bracelets, and sunglasses.

As runners crossed the finish line, the music kicked up a notch and everyone danced the night away to tunes from the DJ. The real celebration here was not the completion of the three miles by the runners, but their efforts to raise monies to benefit Leukemia Texas - a Dallas based non-profit organization that serves leukemia patients across Texas. 

Volunteers helped runners register.

In addition to running nearly three miles, Johnson was among 300 hundred volunteers who helped register participants, hand out packages, set up and raise money for the event.

Her mother says she is trying to teach her daughter at a young age the joys of volunteering and having fun at the same time.