Colorful posters advertising even more colorful events are popping up left and right not only on our campus, but all over nearby communities like Ogden, Salt Lake City and Logan.
These colorful events promise excitement, usually benefit a charity and have the appeal of colored cornstarch being blasted in your face by complete strangers.
These color runs, color events, Holi festivals and more seem to have appeared out of nowhere and are suddenly everywhere. Students who may have missed their opportunity to dance in color at the Holi Festival of Colors held in Spanish Fork have no reason to fret, because there is bound to be a color 5K or a color festival the next weekend anyway.
Are these colorful gatherings just a trend? Or are they here to stay? We think these color events are going to fade just as quickly as they came in (or at least stay popular until the next-coolest 5K comes around). We were thinking something along the lines of a glow-in-the-dark color run with popcorn balls being thrown at innocent runners. Wouldn’t that be crazy fun?
Even Weber State University is riding the wave and hosting its own version of a color run in October for the official inauguration of President Charles Wight. On Oct. 19, Chuck’s College Town Color Dash, a colorized 5K run, will go from campus to downtown Ogden.
What’s neat about the color dash is you can get dirty, meet friends and even run alongside the president of our university tickled pink. These runs aren’t about winning or losing, or even the time you finish; they’re about having fun.
These races are also about getting people off the couch. Races and runs used to be events that people trained for, and were all about accomplishing running goals. These color races present the opportunity for non-runners and marathon lovers alike to come together and enjoy the journey, not the finish line.
Color Dash, Color Vibe, Color Me Rad and the Color Run, to name just a few, are also family-friendly events. These are perfect for anyone who wants to enjoy a day getting wild and dirty with the whole fam-dam-ily. Just remember to wear white, so the colors will show up on your clothes as vibrant as possible.
Some tips for participating in these events include wearing sunglasses or goggles to protect your eyes from getting color-blasted. We would also recommend wearing a bandana not only to protect the majority of your face, but to prevent breathing in the non-toxic, food-safe colored powder.
Participating in one of the most trendy activities of 2013 may turn a few off, but this is no good reason to skip out on cleaning the purple out from the inside of your ears for a few weeks. These runs and color events in general are popular because they are so fun. Folks enjoy them, so, for now, keep them coming.
