Last year, I randomly came across the Color Run, via Twitter. None of my friends were able to take part, but sod it, I registered, ran and bloody loved it.
The idea is really simple, take a 5km run and add in colour stations, or demarked areas where volunteers will throw different coloured powder paint (using food grade cornflour, so it’s completely harmless) at you. It’s that easy, that messy and above all, fun.
And what’s more, you help raise money for their charity this year, Save the Children.
You can and should get as covered in paint as possible. It’s like being a kid again and covering yourself in paint during an ‘art’ session, or finger painting.
This time around, I was joined by a bunch of friends including Emma, Keeley and Katharine. All of us run at different levels, but that’s what’s great about the Color Run. It doesn’t matter. Mums and dads walk or jog pushing buggies, kids (and some grown ups) roll around on the floor to cover themselves in as much paint as possible and most of us run slowly into the colour zones arms overhead in order to get that paint all over our pristine white t-shirts.
More than 10,000 people took part in the event at Etihad campus – taking it from it’s normal blue state to every colour of the rainbow.
Players from the Manchester City Women’s Football squad took part too, along with four up-and-coming young footballers, who train at the player development centre with City in the Community (CITC). Whatever the reason, we ran in gloriously sunny weather with big grins on our faces as our t-shirts changed colour from white to pink, to blue, to yellow and orange.
Those throwing the paint seem to have just as much fun as we do – covering us from head to toe, hair, face, trainers, nothing is safe from the coloured paint.
Having learned a little last year, I did take the precaution of grabbing some sunglasses for the run, and even spotted a couple of children in buggies sporting goggles to protect their eyes from the powder paint (in my case, contact lenses and dust of any kind, don’t mix well!).
The best bit, however, is always the finish. No sooner do you cross that line, than you’re handed a packet of powder paint and now is the opportunity to really get messy. Throw it over each other, friends, strangers, who cares? You’re here to bounce to the music, recover your legs and get covered in colour…!
If you missed this year’s event, really, don’t miss out on next year’s, or even the next ones in Birmingham, Belfast, Brighton or London.
You’ll love it.
With thanks to the Color Run for covering the cost of my place (I have since made a donation to Save the Children separately) and to Katharine, Adam and Keeley for additional pictures.