READY TO RUN: Greg Sproule. Right: MAKING A SPLASH: A participant enjoys the electric atmosphere at a previous run.
By Anand Holla
If you are running short of colours in your life, run to get drenched in colours at The Color Run, a unique paint race that is famously known as the “Happiest 5k on the Planet”.
With successful Qatar editions in the past, The Color Run, presented by Sahtak Awalan: Your Health First, is expected to witness thousands of participants taking part in this fun run on January 28 as the ‘Tropicolor World Tour’ finds its way into Doha. The single largest event series in the United States, The Color Run has exploded since their debut event — it had more than 225 events in 35+ countries in 2015, and has events in over 200 cities and 40 countries every year.
“Color Runners are promised a lively island-style experience complete with lots more fun and colour, as they run, walk, dance, jog or even skip through the five kilometre course with their family and friends, whilst getting covered head to toe in colour at every kilometre mark,” the organisers say.
“With no winners or official times, The Color Run caters to everyone — first time runners to seasoned athletes. Some Color Runners participate as a celebration and capstone of their healthy living accomplishments, while others participate for reasons unique to them.” Tickets for The Color Run presented by Sahtak Awalan: Your Health First can be purchased by visiting the website – www.thecolorrun.qa
To know more about the brand new Qatar edition, Community caught up with Greg Sproule, Managing Director, IMG Middle East, organisers of The Color Run, presented by Sahtak Awalan: Your Health First, for a chat.
What do you think makes The Color Run “the Happiest 5K on the planet”?
There are a number of factors that make The Color Run the Happiest 5k on the Planet. For those that are unfamiliar with the concept, it is a five kilometre, un-timed run where participants, or as we like to call them Color Runners, run, walk, dance, jog or skip through the course with their family and friends. And then at every kilometre, Color Runners will be covered from head to toe in an array of magical colours. The Color Run is an event that celebrates health, happiness and individuality by both empowering and encouraging participants of all ages and abilities to focus on their health — all in a very relaxed, fun and incredibly inclusive environment which is very cool!
This year, as in previous years, The Color Run presented by Sahtak Awalan: Your Health First is once again pleased to announce that The Color Run in Qatar is supported by Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q), whose health campaign, Sahtak Awalan: Your Health First, will present the event locally on January 28 at the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC). On the day of the fun run, Color Runners should aim to get there at around 7am and the first batch of Color Runners will set off at 8.30am.
In what ways is The Color Run new and improved in Doha this time around?
This 2017 edition of The Color Run is indeed new and improved for Doha, with the aim to bring a unique experience each edition. This year’s theme is the Tropicolor World Tour, where both seasoned Color Runners and first timers, can enjoy the new Tropicolor Zone. It will include a lively island-style experience which will mean more fun and definitely much more colour! The zone is complete with palm trees and arches, and once again Color Runners will be bathed in an array of topical colours at every kilometre mark. Additionally, the festivities will continue at the insanely fun Finish Festival including a larger-than-life party with a Rainbow Beach, an interactive island with music, dancing, photo opportunities, entertainment, plus an array of activations and more activities. The day will, of course, feature huge colour throws which is not to be missed, and again, will be loads of fun.
How has Qatar responded to Color Run events until now, and what sort of audience do you expect for this edition and the future ones?
We have had a fantastic response to The Color Run and last year, we saw an incredible 6,500 Color Runners take part. To see that level of commitment, enthusiasm and engagement from seasoned Color Runners along with first-timers regardless of their age and ability was simply amazing. We have also heard from numerous people that they were eagerly awaiting our return in Qatar which is always a good sign of things to come. So far we have already sold thousands of tickets, and we are expecting to have even more Color Runners to participate in the upcoming event on January 28 at QNCC. As is always the case with The Color Run, we expect people and families from all age brackets and communities take part, just as we have witnessed in previous editions.
The Color Run says it focuses mainly on happiness, healthiness, and having the time of our lives. What was the underlying thought behind this?
The idea was to create an event that would bring together happiness, health and having the time of our lives. The Color Run is exactly that. In today’s increasingly busy world, at times, it feels like there is so much to do and so little time. It is so important to just carve out that time to focus on one’s health and fitness. The Color Run is that welcomed opportunity and people worldwide of all ages and abilities have responded to it so well.
What is your favourite story from The Color Run?
For me, there is no one favourite story that sticks out in my mind, because there are just countless feel-good stories and moments that are witnessed during this event, year upon year. Whether it’s that small child, or Little Color Runner as we call them, who is having a go with his or her family or it’s a group of friends, who have experienced this for the second time in a row and are so excited to be there and taking part in the fun run, The Color Run really does have something for everyone and is truly a unique, inclusive fun run.
