For those of you who have dismissed jogging as boring, it may be time for a rethink as the colourful craze currently sweeping America arrives into Manchester in style this summer.
Making its way across the Atlantic to the Etihad Stadium on July 21 the Color Run takes a new stance on exercise – as you must be prepared to get covered in paint to take part.
Manchester and London will be one of the first two English cities to host the event, with organisers determined to see 2,000 participants paint the town red… and yellow and blue.
Joe Rafferty, project director of Color Run UK, believes Manchester is the perfect place to debut the event.
“Manchester has a rich history in music, art and sport, and the people are known for their passion for life – all key components of our ethos at the Color Run,” he said.
“The Color Run is all about people being happy and healthy and we think the event at the Etihad Campus is going to be huge.
“The North West is a hot bed for music and sport, with a running scene that just continues to grow. What the Color Run offers is a fun, non competitive way for people to get active.”
Whether you jog, walk or crawl the 5km to the finish line it’s guaranteed the white shirt you start in will be blitzed by volunteers with an array of ‘colour dust’ at each checkpoint.
“It allows groups of friends to have a great, healthy experience, while enjoying some cracking tunes and getting a bit silly as they get pelted with colour!” added Joe.
“The first Color Run started in the US just over a year ago. In 2013 there will be 140 events in the States, and it is now the world’s biggest event series.
“The Color Run Manchester is the first of many. We plan to keep coming back, and bringing colour to the North West.”
The run-cum-party started in Arizona in 2012 and other events in America attracted more than 30,000 per race.
While billed as a race, the run prides itself in its lack of a ticking clock, and invited those of all ages and abilities to join in on the fun.
Each kilometre is designated a specific colour, 1km is yellow, 2km is blue, 3km is green, 4km is pink, and the 5km finish is a ‘Colour Extravaganza’.
The race was founded by Utah-native Travis Snyder, who wanted to encourage professionals and novices to run together.
“Seeing how happy The Color Run has made all different kinds of people has been very rewarding,” he said.
“It really is for all fitness levels, ages and backgrounds. Our tag line is: ‘The happiest 5k on the planet’ for a reason, it was created after seeing how happy it made people.
“I wanted to create an event that would encourage people to get out and run just for the fun of it.
“I want people to enjoy the community experience of running together, and I wanted to add something a little out of the ordinary to the race.
“We take a lot of satisfaction in the fact that our events lead people to have a more healthy and active lifestyle.”
Entries are now open, to register visit www.thecolorrun.co.uk
Image courtesy of The Color Run, via YouTube, with thanks.
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