The ColorRun London 2013

When I first heard about The ColorRun back in April, I knew I had to do it. I have never been a huge fan of running (or anything cardio-related, for that matter) There's something about the sound and feel of my feet slapping against concrete/grass/treadmill which makes me stir-crazy. And yet, after hearing the the 'Happiest 5k On the Planet' boasts 60% of runners who have NEVER attempted 5k before, I felt like perhaps this was the run for me.

So my sister and I coughed up £25 for entry into the event (a share of which goes to Stand Up To Cancer... it's all about the charidee, man!) before donning our bright-white ColorRun t-shirts and pulling on our sneakers. We were ready. 

Of course, luck would have it that on the day of the ColorRun the sun was beating down hard on London Town so we were all of a sudden somewhat more apprehensive of running! Not that we needed to be concerned, as the ColorRun volunteers were on hand half way around to provide us with ice-cold water. 

So, what is the USP of the ColorRun? What sets it apart from all the other 5k runs people get involved with for charity? The colour of course!

Each time you hit a kilometre, you get to run through a massive cloud of powdered paint. First up was pink, then purple, orange then yellow. By the end of the run, we were CAKED in paint and loving life!

Not to mention that the 'run' part of the ColorRun is very loosely adhered to... I really wanted to run it all, but I would say the 95% of the people there were walking which resulted in my speed being exceptionally slow. Not that it matters, as it isn't a race. Plus, as I am a big child, I loved stopping at the different colour stations and taking the time to roll around on the paint-covered floor. If this was a regular 5k run, such behaviour would have been forbidden.

Perhaps the best part of the ColorRun was the over-all party atmosphere which provided the backdrop for the running. When we first arrived, you could go and have a photo with the Dulux dog (as Dulux sponsored the whole event), there was an aerobic 'warm-up' to peppy pop music (not that we needed warming up...), people were singing, laughing and joking the whole way round, grabbing handfuls of the paint from the floor and throwing it at one another. Plus, after the whole run was completed and were were handed rehydrating Coconut Water drinks, we were all handed a packet of colour and ushered into a party enclosure, where a DJ was playing some awesome tunes and there was such a festival-feel. Being surrounded by 15,000 similarly paint-encrusted ColorRunners, most of whom fall into the 18 - 35 age category meant for an amazing post-run party, by the end of which we were exhausted.

I would definitely do the ColorRun again and would recommend it to anyone and everyone. If you missed the London ColorRun, don't shed a tear! The ColorRun is coming to a town near you very soon, so what are you waiting for? Sign up for the Happiest 5k On The Planet.