Sioux Falls, SD (KELO AM) – Summer time marks the peak season for road races, but the Better Business Bureau is warning of a group that has a reputation of promoting races, only to cancel them and run away with the money.
The group is called the Color 5 Mile, and on the surface it appears to be another road race where runners spray each other with dye as they run. But according to the BBB, the Color 5 Mile has been promoting events in other cities only to cancel at the last minute and not refund entrance fees. Jessie Schmidt with the Sioux Falls BBB office says in some cases it’s clear there was never any intention of holding a race, because organizers failed to secure a permit from local officials. These incidents have been reported in areas such as Tampa, Houston, Boise, and Kansas City.
“Often times the BBB will issue an alert like this when we feel that there could be some suspicious activity” Schmidt told KELO Radio on Monday. She says that feeling is due in large part to the fact that no one with the group has made themselves available for comment. “Those contact us links are not working, Facebook page isn’t working, there is just no way to contact anybody to get any sort of answers.”
It appears that Facebook and Twitter accounts associated with the event have been disabled. No e-mail address or active phone numbers can be found on the group’s web site.
Schmidt added some advice to those who want to run a race such as this, saying first “contact the venue, or law enforcement. Whoever sets up races like this need to have a permit to close some streets down. Read the fine print, and pay with a credit card – so if you feel you were charged fraudulently you may get a refund.” She added that if the race is for charity you can contact them to ensure they have established a partnership with the race organizers and will benefit from the profits.
She emphasized that the Color 5 Mile is not in any way associated with the Color Vibe which has been run in Sioux Falls in the past.