The world’s largest 5k paint event took to the streets of Columbia Saturday.
The Color Run began at 9 a.m. after some pre-race warm-ups and a party to get everyone in the color run spirit.
“The Color Run and Columbia have a great relationship,” said Alec Fowler, race director for the Columbia Color Run.
There were around 4,000 participants at Saturday’s race. The first wave of runners went at 9 a.m., and waves continued every few minutes after.
This year, the Color Run partnered up with local charities, Historic Columbia and Girls on the Run.
“Columbia is a great city for the event,” Fowler said. “We saw people in the Vista after the race was over having lunch and shopping still covered in color.”
The first person to run through the confetti finish line was Aaron Viazanko, a freshman in high school.
“My family wanted to do the Color Run, so I thought I would, too, and it was a lot of fun,” Viazanko said.
The Color Run is billed as “The Happiest 5k on the Planet” and promotes healthiness, happiness, individuality and philanthropy.
“Our demographic is very wide,” Fowler said. “You see people who have never participated in a running event, and here they are, coming out and doing a 5k, and they see that being out and active is fun and enjoyable.”
The Color Run is currently on the Kaleidoscope Tour and is now the single largest event series in the country.