The Color Run~GR, MI~The Happiest 5k on the Planet

These are pictures before the race began! We were nice and clean in our all white t-shirts and then the count down began, " 5-4-3-2-1" and we were off! My two younger children sat in a double stroller while their uncle pushed them. Miguel (my husband) and I jogged along with our 8 year old daughter at our side.  We were so excited for this race, it was our first 5k and the opportunity to do this as a family is AWESOME! The first color we faced was blue/purple color! I didn't know what to expect running through a cloud of color cornstarch, I thought maybe it would be thick and dusty and I would choke, but once I was actually running through it I realized it wasn't so bad at all!

The weather was absolutely perfect for running 3.1 miles! It had been really hot lately and then the weather forecast called for rain showers, but instead there was a beautiful breeze and sunshine!

There was 11,000 people here in Grand Rapids for the Color Run~ We arrived about 30 minutes early and got in line. The first couple thousand people took off and then the second wave of people (the group we were in) was next. After about 10 minutes it was our turn. It was somewhat crowded as we were jogging but only because we had a double jogger and people would randomly stop right in front of you. So we had to weave in and out throughout the crowd because we weren't stopping! We made it through the race and I was so proud of my daughter Abigail. Towards the end she was getting tired and wanted to stop, but she kept on going. Once we saw the finish line we pushed it and we had nothing but smiles and the color of the rainbow on our faces! After the Race we gathered in a huge crowd and we through our own color packets of cornstarch into the sky! It was amazing to see the big puffs of Orange,Teal, Purple, Yellow, Green and Red in the sky. I wonder how this would look from above ground! There was a DJ playing music and the kids loved dancing around and seeing everyone covered in all the color!

If you are planning on doing a 5k and you have never ran one before, I highly recommend The Color Run. It isn't timed and there isn't any pressure, plus it is incredibly fun! Here are a few tips:

1. Wear glasses or goggles to protect your eyes. Especially if you wear contacts.
2. If you think the cloud of cornstarch will bother you, bring a bandanna or something to cover your mouth as you run through.
3. Bring towels to cover your car seats to protect them from the awesomeness :)
4. You don't have to bring your own water, they provide cold bottles afterwards and there are stands like FUZE that will give away free drinks or granola bars.
5. A lot of people suggest covering your phone,camera or whatever in a plastic bag. I didn't do this and my stuff got a little dusty but is fine.
6. Wear a hat or Bandanna to cover your hair, especially if your hair is light. Most of the color washes out but certain colors like the pink and purple stain.
7. Before you shower, rub lotion or olive oil with a little bit of sugar to help remove the color from your skin. (or just buy a sugar scrub)
8. Arrive early. We arrived 30 minutes early. This was perfect, especially with kids. Take in consideration the traffic and the parking. Some came and ran later on and it just seemed like the party was over, but a few were still running. The energy is so much better if you are some of the first people to arrive!
9. Have fun and take lots of pictures!