Brittany and I participated in The Color Run 5k event in Portland this morning. We had no idea what to expect but knew it looked and sounded like something fun to do. Everyone was told to wear white and you were advised to wear sunglasses, a bandanna over your mouth/nose and something to cover your hair, especially if you were blond or had blond highlights.
There were 15,000 participants in our event today! 15,000! That is A LOT of people, People! We were sent out on the course in waves (somehow Brittany and I happened to be in the first one) and at one point about two-thirds of the way through it, we were in an area where we could see the starting line and people were still there waiting to start! I could not get over the amount of people at this event! Families with little children were everywhere!
The Color Run is an event raising awareness and money for a chosen charity in each city. Portland's official charity was Child Aid.
Like everyone else, Brittany and I started out nice and clean.
By the time it was over, we were quite... ummmm... COLORFUL! ;)
I was laughing at how messy Brittany's face was... until I saw my own! haha It was so much fun!
At the finish line, every 15 minutes (as the new finishers arrive) there is a color explosion! You are in this massive mob of people dancing to the music and having a great time. On the word GO, everyone tosses their bags of color (we each got one with registration and more were available for purchase) into the air at once. From afar, it is pretty cool to look at...
From within the mob, the colors start to pour down on you as the powder makes this enormous colored cloud, which actually - for an instant - makes it go dark all around you. In that instant, Brittany and I both later said we had felt a sense of panic as the darkness took over. Very strange feeling but just as quickly as it hit, it was gone.
Besides all the food and festivities going on, there was an air blowing area where you could get a lot of the powder off before heading home. The line was long so Brittany and I decided to stomp around - making ourselves look like little dust devils - and get most of it off that way. Needless to say, the towels I had draped over my car seats were basically useless. What a mess. haha
We had an awesome time and got in a 3.1 mile walk without even noticing we were exercising (how awesome is that?!)! We will definitely be signing up for next year's event and bringing along friends and family too!
I highly recommend The Color Run! Find one and participate!
Awesome pictures!!!
ReplyDeleteMy shoes are still stained....but I'm okay with that. :)
Here in Ottawa we didn't have anywhere near 15 000 participants, but it was still a blast! :)
Also, thanks for highlighting walking as a form of exercise...it is one I have had to return to since discovering arthritis in both my knees, and I sometimes forget its merits. :)