For those of you that haven't heard, The Color Run is a 5K race where you where mostly white clothing and every kilometer(ish) people throw powdered paint on you. Each kilometer is a a different color, so by the time you're done, you're a nice little rainbowperson. I went twice: once today, once a week ago.
I signed up for one with my mom, who is also a runner, way back in the spring sometime. Then I found out that the camp staff I work with wanted to do it too, so they signed up for one in a town that was a bit closer to camp. That one was a week before the one I was supposed to go to with my mom. I thought about doing both, since I wanted to run with my friends too, but it was fairly expensive and I didn't want to just pay that. So I signed up with my friend Alex to volunteer for the first one.
Alex and I got up at 5 a.m. last Saturday morning to get to town in time to volunteer. We ended up getting a bit lost because of construction on the highway, but finally got there, so they sent us to work at the yellow color zone. Our job was basically to squirt yellow paint at the runners.
It was pretty hectic, and the whole time was like living in a yellow haze, but it was really fun. By the end, we were all out of yellow powder, so we started scooping it up from the piles on the ground and using that, but eventually there wasn't really any substantial amount left on the ground, either.
People were so crazy. They wanted paint all over them and would come up and tell you where they wanted you to squirt it (on their backs, on their face, in their hair, in their cleavage...). When we were low on paint, they rolled around on the ground to get it on them. Their were thousands of them, and most of them weren't even running, but walking.
When it was finally over, Alex and I had to laugh at each other because of how yellow we were. We were pretty much head-to-toe the color of dandelions. It was caked on our skin and we could scrape it off of our faces. Our snot was a freaky orange-ish yellow color. When we took off our shoes, we could pour yellow powder out of them. We washed our clothes that afternoon, and my socks remained a deep yellow color (although, the rest came out pretty well).
It was a good time though, and we got a lot of good laughs. Afterward, Alex and I went out to lunch and ice cream before going back to camp, and since my school was in that town, I gave him a quick tour.
It was pretty hectic, and the whole time was like living in a yellow haze, but it was really fun. By the end, we were all out of yellow powder, so we started scooping it up from the piles on the ground and using that, but eventually there wasn't really any substantial amount left on the ground, either.
People were so crazy. They wanted paint all over them and would come up and tell you where they wanted you to squirt it (on their backs, on their face, in their hair, in their cleavage...). When we were low on paint, they rolled around on the ground to get it on them. Their were thousands of them, and most of them weren't even running, but walking.
When it was finally over, Alex and I had to laugh at each other because of how yellow we were. We were pretty much head-to-toe the color of dandelions. It was caked on our skin and we could scrape it off of our faces. Our snot was a freaky orange-ish yellow color. When we took off our shoes, we could pour yellow powder out of them. We washed our clothes that afternoon, and my socks remained a deep yellow color (although, the rest came out pretty well).
It was a good time though, and we got a lot of good laughs. Afterward, Alex and I went out to lunch and ice cream before going back to camp, and since my school was in that town, I gave him a quick tour.
In the shower, the yellow was all underneath my clothes. It looked like urine was pouring down my legs when the paint got wet and started to run. I washed everything, my hair, face, and body, at least two times, and still had yellow spots when I looked in the mirror afterward.
❧
Then this morning I saw a whole different side of this crazy event. Mom and I got up at 4:15 a.m. (as if the week before hadn't been early enough!) and left within about 20 minutes. I slept in the car a bit, but I was still pretty tired. We went with my friend Aimee and her mother, Lisa and younger brother, Pete. We ended up on the wrong side of town so we showed up to the race pretty late, but we stood in an impossibly long line, got our packets, and off we went.
We stood in line for half an hour after the race started before we actually went, because there were just so many people there. But then we were off, and it was awesome. There were a few times I got a little winded and wanted to walk, but with Mom and Aimee running with me (Lisa and Pete mostly walked, I think), I was able to keep pushing. Also, every time we got paint thrown on us, it gave me another rush of adrenaline to keep going.
The paint stations seemed a little anticlimactic, since I didn't get all that messy, but it was still fun. The 5K itself was somewhat hilly, but the weather was really great if not a little humid toward the end. There was nice scenery pretty much the whole way, since it was through a park and over a river on some bridges. Since most of the people were walking, we had to dodge traffic a lot, but the three of us stayed together.
We stood in line for half an hour after the race started before we actually went, because there were just so many people there. But then we were off, and it was awesome. There were a few times I got a little winded and wanted to walk, but with Mom and Aimee running with me (Lisa and Pete mostly walked, I think), I was able to keep pushing. Also, every time we got paint thrown on us, it gave me another rush of adrenaline to keep going.
The paint stations seemed a little anticlimactic, since I didn't get all that messy, but it was still fun. The 5K itself was somewhat hilly, but the weather was really great if not a little humid toward the end. There was nice scenery pretty much the whole way, since it was through a park and over a river on some bridges. Since most of the people were walking, we had to dodge traffic a lot, but the three of us stayed together.
At the very end, we waited for Lisa and Pete, then they had a "color throw" where we all threw color packets we had got at the beginning into the air and onto each other. That way, if you didn't get super colorful during the race, you were sure to get pretty painted now.
We hung out for a little bit, then left. We saw a bagpipe player on our way out, and it was so beautiful :) We went out to eat for lunch, which was fun(ny) because we still were pretty colorful in the restaurant. Then we went home and showered.
There are ways to preserve colored clothing, but the only thing Mom and I preserved was our previously white headbands. Although the rest of the color washed off our clothes and bodies, we will always have a little bit of color with us.
God bless.
We hung out for a little bit, then left. We saw a bagpipe player on our way out, and it was so beautiful :) We went out to eat for lunch, which was fun(ny) because we still were pretty colorful in the restaurant. Then we went home and showered.
There are ways to preserve colored clothing, but the only thing Mom and I preserved was our previously white headbands. Although the rest of the color washed off our clothes and bodies, we will always have a little bit of color with us.
God bless.
So good!!! I was going to sign up for the color run in Grand Rapids, but the timing was wrong - it was the day before moving to Philly, so I just had a ton of stuff to finish packing, etc.
ReplyDeleteIt looks awesome though!