UP students participate in The Color Run at PIR
By Amanda Blas , Staff Writer blas13@up.edu
From THE BEACON
I’ll be honest and admit that I hate running. I dread doing it for exercise and there is no way you will ever get me to do it just for fun. So imagine my surprise when I came across a 5K that made me actually want to run. That’s right: the Portland Color Run got this anti-runner to move her feet for five kilometers, and with a smile and some laughs, too.
The Color Run is definitely not a 5K set on making the best run time. Instead, it is all about having a good time and supporting a good cause. In this case, the run supported Child Aid, an organization that works with indigenous people in some of Latin America’s poorest communities to create opportunity and alleviate poverty. Running, painting and giving to charity: do you need any more reason to go for a run? Not really, if you ask me.
Just like everyone else who showed up for the Color Run, I started as a blank slate. In other words, I was wearing a white shirt that was just waiting to be painted on. But while I decided to be the “runner next door” and just wear a white shirt and running pants, some people decided to be a little more creative, with wedding dresses and tutus being popular outfits of choice. Most 5K runners would never be caught dead with such attire. But for the Color Run, color is encouraged, and these outfits were definitely welcome.
After waiting for a few waves to go by—yes, there were that many runners—we finally got to cross the starting line. My team, which went by the very creative name “Rice with Friends,” took the Color Run by jog until we reached the first color zone, blue. I was not quite sure how to react to it at first. After all, how do you react when you’re about to run by a bunch of people whose only intent is to hit you with paint? But let’s just say the minute you first taste the rainbow—literally speaking, as most of us seemed to get hit perfectly where we would end up tasting the paint—there’s no turning back, and you can’t help but get into the whole idea of the Color Run.
While we decided to take the rest of the 5K by walk, we still managed to run into a lot of fun. The color zones got better as we went along the 5K route. The orange zone left us pumped up and dancing after hearing One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful,” the yellow zone was up on their game with how much paint they managed to cover us in and the pink zone made sure that everyone—including those who tried to hide in the middle of the runners—got splashed with paint. And just as you reached the end, they had dozens of volunteers congratulating you on making it so far and encouraging you take a final sprint towards the finish line. Paint and encouragement? Talk about ways to motivate people to run.
But the best thing about the Color Run is that it does not end with the5K: there’s still the Color Party afterwards. That means plenty of time to celebrate finishing the 5K, get hit with more paint—as you are given your own personal packet of color to use after the run is over—and take lots of pictures with your friends to post on Instagram—and trust me, everyone I knew who has Instagram and went to the Color Run did just that.
Maybe it was not as much running as most 5Ks, but it was definitely a great experience. The Color Run is a run like no other. My recommendation? If you aren’t into running, try a fun 5K like the Color Run to boost your excitement. It did the trick with me.