Thousands of excited runners and about 5,000 pounds of dye-coloured cornstarch – Color Me Rad is coming to Sweden! YLC is going to be there – will you?
Color Me Rad is a five kilometer race kicking off in a cascade of colours, where runners will be pelted with corn-starch colours at regular intervals. After being a massive hit all over the world, the event is coming to Scandinavia. The 5 kilometer run takes place at Solvalla in Stockholm on June 7th.
“Nothing of its kind exists over here. Everything here is about being a fit runner but in this race you don’t have to be one of those to join the event,” Shaena Harrison-Helin, Assistant Event Manager for Stockholm, told YLC.
The concept is inspired by the Indian color festival Holi, where ink of different colours thrown in the air (and on each other) to celebrate spring’s coming.
At the finish line, participants go crazy throwing their own colour bombs in the air and at each other. A colour feast, in other words. And there is no need to fear the colour powder – it is made from cornstarch and approved to EU standard for food and cosmetics.
Color Me Rad is not a timed race and there are no winners or losers. Instead of a medal, runners get to bring home a colour drenched shirt, lots of colourful photos and memories for life. Participants of all ages are welcome to run or walk around the track. Children under 7 years old take part for free with parent or guardian. No pets, though., they draw the line at pets.
We wondered how they think Swedes (generally perceived as fairly reserved by expats) will react to the general abandon that is Color Me Rad.
“I think everyone needs to throw that idea right out of their brain. Swedes are totally not reserved. Swedes love to have fun,” Harrison-Helin reassured us.
Color me Rad will be arranging 120 five kilometre races across the world in 2014. For more info on the Stockholm AND later Gothenburg event, visit the website or their Facebook page.
We have picked our winners! We teamed up with the Color Me Rad gang – to give away two race registrations (worth 330 SEK apiece) for free! All you had to do to win was to tell us in the comments below by Sunday May 11th who you wanted to drench in colour!*
The winners of one free race registration each is Cassandra and Paolo – details will be emailed to you shortly! Congrats!
*Winners will be picked at random by editorial staff on Monday 12th!
Featured Image: Color Me Rad Toronto 2013
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