Rainbow fun-run is here

Get ready for the happiest, most colourful run on the planet Joburg! For the first time ever, the original powder race – the Color Run – is heading to Jozi on 24 September for National Heritage Day.

The aim of this internationally renowned race isn’t to win: it’s to end the race as colourful as a rainbow.

“And most importantly, it’s about fun,” media officer Claire Watts says.

“Don’t let the term ‘Color Runners’ stop you from entering. The Color Run™ is a non-timed event, and is more about having fun than competing for Olympic gold. Sixty per cent of Color Runners are first-time runners, participating for the sheer joy of doing something unique, healthy and fun. So run, jog, walk, rollerblade, or get pushed in a pram, anything goes! There’s only one rule, Watts says: have the most colourful fun of your life. It’s not called ‘the happiest 5k on the planet’ for nothing.”

When the starting gun fires, the festival of colour begins! Watts says there are five color-blasting stations at each kilometre mark, meaning you’ll finish splashed in a rainbow.

The race ends with a colour-throwing party where runners and spectators get to make the world a more vibrant place while dancing to their favourite music.

The fun starts at 10am at Roosevelt High School in Emmarentia, so mark down your diaries. Color Runners and their families are invited to enjoy music, local food, giveaways and some good clean fun in the festival zone afterwards.

Aspiring Color Runners can enter and book their tickets at www.thecolorrun.co.za. Alternatively, participants can enter manually at Randburg Runner or at The Sweat Shop outlets in Dunkeld, Fourways Crossing or Bedfordview. Groups of four or more buddies receive a discount and kids under 10 run free, provided they are accompanied by an adult.

Look out for The Color Run ‘Refer a Friend’ offer where you can get your friends running and score.

“Once the fun is wrapped up, we begin the clean-up process of five kilometers of organic corn starch, which is what the colour powder is comprised of,” Watts explains. Even the cleaning process sounds like a party. The corn starch is dyed with organic food colouring, completely safe and natural, and the local cleaning company has a swift job dusting off the colour around the route.

There’s a lot that stays behind after The Color Run, Watts says – not just great memories and technicolor photos. Despite being a global initiative, The Color Run sources local suppliers for each event. The Color Run™ is also a socially conscious event platform that uses proceeds to give back to the local community.

*You can win Colour Run tickets for four (worth more than R800) and Colour Run merchandise (sunglasses, tutus and more) by liking the Northcliff Melville Times’Facebook Page, follow us on Twitter @NewsNMT, and comment on any story on the website with your email before 19 September.

We will contact you by email if you’re a lucky winner, and you can collect your ticket and prizes at the PPU station at the Colour Run.