Richmond students ran The Color Run last weekend

About 8,000 runners dressed head to toe in white began the 5k Color Run, and arrived at the finish line in an explosion of color.

The Color Run began and ended at the Richmond International Raceway, and participants covered the three-mile course, which included four "color zones." Volunteersand fans armed with squirt bottles showered the runners with a different colored powder at every kilometer.

Participants ranged from young children to adults, including many University of Richmond students. Many were creative with their white attire, sporting white dresses and team jumpsuits.

Senior Ryan Ethington ran the Color Run with his roommate and another friend, and compared the outfits and mood at the start of the race to Sensation White. "It was a lot of fun," he said. "The cloud of powder when you ran through a color station would almost block out the sun."

Another Richmond group who ran included Jepson faculty and staff. Crystal Hoyt, a leadership professor said in an email: "Jepson faculty and staff showed up in force at the Color Run and had a great time. I was delighted that the charity this year was CHAT--an organization that many University of Richmond students and faculty work to support."

The music and energy of the volunteers and participants contributed to what Ethington called "the huge dance party" in the middle of the field following the race. "I thought it was going to be hard, but most people just walked for the fun of doing it," he said. "It was a really fun thing to do with friends."

For its Richmond event, The Color Run partnered with local charity Church Hill Activities and Tutoring (CHAT).

Senior Meredith Schlussel first heard about The Color Run through her sorority, Pi Beta Phi. "About forty of us participated and made a Pi Phi team," Schlussel said. "It was really fun, and everyone was just having a great time."

Besides having fun, Schlussel said she had been motivated to participate because the proceeds were going to CHAT, which is Pi Phi's local philanthropy.

Solo runners could register for $55 on the day of the race, and teams with more than five people were charged $50 per person. Children were also encouraged to run, walk or roll (in strollers) through the course, and children under the age of five had no registration fee, according to The Color Run website.

Carter Staub, another senior Pi Phi and an avid runner, also enjoyed the run. "It was much less intense than any other race I've done before," Staub said in an email. Staub has also run in other 5k races and the Monument Avenue 10k she said.

"People were pushing their kids in strollers," Staub said. "I saw a woman in a wedding dress, and I saw a whole family wearing white capes."

After they crossed the finish line, runners were given their own packets of powdered color, which many tossed into the crowd during the celebration on the field.

Contact staff writer Taylor Cloonan at taylor.cloonan@richmond.edu