Fitness Fun and The Color Run

Whether you’re a hard-core aspiring Olympic runner or someone whose daily exercise consists of mall walking, The Color Run is a race that I highly recommend you sign up for.  What is this color run, you ask?  Well it’s a 5k (3.1 mile) race where runners/walkers get sprayed with a designated color at each kilometer.  Pretty simple, right?  And by the end of the race, you’ll look something like this…

I participated in the Los Angeles Color Run at Dodger Stadium on February 2nd and it was one of my favorite race experiences to date.  My best friend, Michele, and I are race addicts.  We’ve done several 5ks and half marathons together, even traveling as far as Orlando, Florida for the Disney Princess Half Marathon last year.  Needless to say, we are always looking for a new and exciting race experience and The Color Run seemed like the perfect opportunity. 

Pre-race!

So, Michele, some of her roommates, and I signed up for the LA Color Run and had an amazing time.  The race is not timed and many people walked the course (which we all speculated was actually a little shorter than 5 kilometers).  There were people of all ages participating, though the majority of the runners seemed to be in their early twenties.  The race takes off in different waves so that the runners don’t get all “clumped up” together, which I think is a really great idea.  Even though the race technically started at 9, our wave didn’t take off until 10 or so. 

At each kilometer, we entered a color zone where volunteers were throwing paint at us (it was actually a dusty/chalky substance).  It was absolutely hilarious to see what everyone looked like once they left a color zone and our group would stop to take pictures of the color blitz that had just occurred. 

Post-race!

The best part of the race, though, is that everyone is laughing, smiling, making jokes, and just having an overall great time.  It’s such a different atmosphere from the races I’ve done in the past.  No competition, stress, or nerves… just good ol’ fashioned fun.

I would recommend doing the race with a big group of friends!  As mentioned earlier, you DO NOT NEED TO BE A RUNNER!  We actually walked a good amount of it!  Wear as much white as you possibly can (white shirts are actually mandatory at the start line) and be careful to keep your mouth closed during the color blitzes unless you want your tongue and teeth to be colorful as well!  Oh, and have fun!

The Color Run is a race series and travels to over 100 cities in the United States!  It calls itself the “Happiest 5k on Earth” and I would not disagree with that claim.  Oh and if you’re not already convinced that you should sign up, I’ll mention that there is a HUGE post-race party, which includes food, music, and of course, more color! Check out the official video of The Color Run to learn more!