Color Run: Atlanta!

Earlier in April I participated in the Color Run Atlanta.  I originally heard of the Color Run on Pinterest and a friend had a team going so I joined the team and signed up.

 

On the drive up, I was kind of regretting going; it was Easter weekend, I hadn't really been running a lot, and I probably would have backed out had I not already paid for the registration and hotel room. Even Saturday morning my running mate and I were not very enthusiastic. (We later heard of people taking shots and tailgating, at 7 am, maybe that was why we weren't as excited as everyone else!)

  Once we got all checked in we ended up getting excited and were in the front for the first wave. When the the starting shot rang, we figured we would have to run for our lives because we were in front of the first wave of 1500 participants.. Well, we took off so fast only to look behind us at people running a slow, steady pace. We ran through the first two colors, and then ran (when the camera guys were near) and walked.

It was so much fun. Too much fun! You get covered in color, and then at the finish line you get completely colored in the finish line party with 10,000 of your closest color running buddies. K has blonde hair, so she had nice colored highlights for a few days. My dark hair didn't show any but my hair line was hot pink and my with some scrubbing all the color came off of me in time for Easter the very next day.

If there is a Color Run close by, I would recommend going. It is so much fun and it is for a good cause! Atlanta's charity was a local Children's Hospital.

Color CRAZY!!

tips if you are planning on running in the event: 

• Wear sunglasses or goggles if you want color above your neck/chest. The color run volunteers won't really throw powder at your face unless you have sunglasses on or ask for it. And I suggest them at the finish line party too, as you will be constantly bombarded with color from all angles! 

• If you have asthma or a breathing condition, I would wear a bandanna or something over your mouth at the finish line party. Every 15 minutes, everyone throws color powder in the air and it is super thick and hard to breathe (plus it tastes like bitter sidewalk chalk dust) , but if you can hold your breath and are close to the edge of the group, it clears pretty quickly. 

•  Bring a little hand towel to wipe off with, the air blow stations blow a lot of the dust off, but it helps get any loose powder off.

• Take off your color shirt, or anything you want to preserve before you get dusted off.  If you would like to preserve the color in your running shirt, spray it with vinegar and iron it before you wash it.  For more color cleaning ideas and tips, check THIS LINK out!

• Have fun with it! There were teams that were decked out in tutu's and crazy socks, with matching team tee's. It's all ages too! We saw kids/babies in strollers and some Grandma and Grandpa runners too! 

(Sorry about the fuzziness) Our Team: The Fast, The Slow, and The Pretty

Running for the camera :)

The people behind us at the start line (they are facing sideways because that is where the DJ booth was giving out free stuff)

Color-tastic!

What the outside of the finish line color party looks like, we were probably about 100 yards away from the big blob of people, so you can see why the center of all that is a little hard to breathe in.