Who knew that running could be fun? There’s a reason my dad jokes that runners should just buy a car.
But it turns out running through the streets of Saskatoon and getting pelted with coloured cornstarch is actually quite fun.
It could have had something to do with the fact that there were thousands of people – of all ages, shapes, sizes and abilities – there for the same reason.
I participated in my first Colour Me Rad run this past weekend. I was part of a group of a little more than a dozen that made the trek to Saskatoon to run the five-kilometre event.
Okay, so I didn’t run the ENTIRE thing, but I felt like a million bucks at the finish line. And that’s more important than finishing first.
There were different waves of runners and walkers to start the day. Really, could you imagine 7,000 people running all at once?
Our group was in one of the later waves to be sent off. It didn’t take long to get into the swing of things as some were walking and others were running.
Your ability didn’t seem to matter. The only one judging you was yourself. Except maybe those photographers – they were everywhere. But once you realized where the first one was, it was easier to make sure you had a ‘decent’ look for the others.
Coloured up
When our group first got to the Diefenbaker Park, there were people everywhere. There was loud music to pump you up. There were photographers taking pictures of people in their clean white outfits before the run, and there were lineups to buy merchandise. It was before 9 am and there were thousands of people ready to go.
We prepared for our wave as the coloured cornstarch quickly turned clothes, hair, skin, teeth, and anything else exposed to shades of blue, purple, orange, yellow, and red. Before the run even began we were looking pretty colourful. Little did we know just how much colour was still to come.
There were colour stations along the route. There was so much colour in the air it was nearly impossible to see five steps in front of you while running through the stations. It was a blast.
After the finish line, hundreds of people gathered in front of the stage and danced, jumped, shouted and cheered as even more colour packs were set off. A multi-coloured hue hung in the air for a few minutes before settling.
Not a runner
I’m not a runner, by any means, but completing the Colour Me Rad run was incredible. I loved seeing everyone out for the same reason. It was a fantastic day and I look forward to being able to sign up for another event just like it.
