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Saucony Kinvara 4 (Women's) - Tested + Reviewed

Moutnain Hardwear Plasmic Jacket - Tested and Reviewed

ECCO Biom Ultra - Tested and Reviewed

Morbidly Obese to Athlete

Contributed by Jenny Branson

In 2007, I had a life altering moment. At 450lbs., I had just lost my job, living in a two bedroom apartment that I could not afford on my own. I was in my closet of a washroom, and was having some difficulties with my mobility. Faced with this situation I asked myself two questions. The first question I asked myself was; who was going to help me? The list was short. The second question I asked myself was if I wanted to live or die, and I cried. (I still do when I think about it).

The truth of it was, that at the weight I was at, that is the direction I was headed, to a faster death. In that moment so many things came to the forefront of my awareness. All these years that's what I have been doing to myself. I was killing myself.

I spent hours, over the years, crying. Feeling sorry for myself, helpless and out of control.

I was unable to have my own identity growing up, and when I tried to have my own, I was in the wrong. Or better yet, as children will think, something was wrong with me. My self-destructive behaviours were developed at a very young age. I perpetuated and nurtured them until the ripe age of 35. I was smoking marijuana at 6:30 in the morning to be able to emotionally suppress, and function throughout my day. I smoked a pack of cigarettes every two days. I drank, a lot. And the obvious, I ate.

You see, at 450lbs I never had a problem doing things. I mean, doing things essential to survival. I was barely doing them, but I was doing them, and if the things I was doing to survive didn't work out, then I would punish myself. Telling myself how worthless I was. This self perpetuating cycle seems too surreal looking back at it now.

I was active. I used to organize softball and volleyball teams for fat people, not only in Ottawa, but Toronto as well. I was an official Canadian advocate for the International Size Acceptance Association. I gave speeches at Beauty Pageants for large women. I did interviews with the Media, and met with associations to help large people survive in a thin world.

The whole time I was depressed, lost, angry, and directed all of this at myself through my eating, drug use, drinking, and other destructive behaviours. All I could think was things like “it’s all my fault” and “what is wrong with me that I can't change things?” I was setting the worst example for my daughter, whom I had at the age of 15. Believe me when I say, history repeats itself. There is a reason why it does. It started generations prior, and the cycle begins before we are born. Breaking the chains is not something most of us consider ourselves strong enough to do.

 
That day in the washroom though, I chose to live. Making that decision is what helped me stay motivated in maintaining a much healthier lifestyle today. I wanted to know what it felt like to believe that I deserved different, that I could make a difference for future generations. I needed to know what it's like to be at peace with who I am. I CAN break the generational chain of abuse. Peeling the layers away to get closer to that has taken years.

The first steps I took were changing my diet and getting active on a more regular basis. I was very limited physically, and financially. I looked at what the majority of my food intake consisted of at the time. It was simple carbs, I lived off of simple carbs. Not only did simple carbs give me a lot of emotional support in my times of psychological crisis, but they were within my budget. I ate what I knew, and what I was taught to eat. I was taught to be resourceful and survive. I knew how to do that like no other, living just to survive. Was I really living though?

I tackled the Atkins diet. I modified it a bit. I ate salads twice a day, had a good supper, and healthier snacks. Since I was laid off, and it was near the beginning of the summer, I started going to outdoor pools and bouncing around, literally. No exercise program, just bouncing around to get active. I did this five to six times a week. There were times I was using pools that I wasn't allowed to, but to me it was all about survival. After three months of this I regained some flexibility. You know how I noticed? I was in THE washroom.

The summer was over and I needed an indoor pool. An indoor pool where I felt comfortable, was affordable, and had a gym. I found one downtown. A good friend, at the time, decided to join me for motivation. I kept up my routine of working out 5 to 6 six times a week. Sometimes for two hours at a pop once the gym was incorporated. I started at 5mins on the elliptical machine and went thru hell with shin splints, etc. I was so proud of myself at one point in time that I had worked my way up to 45mins while still weighing close to 400lbs. I was still doing well with the eating, and was more determined than ever because I was seeing results. I still had my vices to help me through the transition. Some days after exercising that's all I could do. I could barely move some days due to bad shin splints and/or plantar fasciitis. I was still drinking, smoking marijuana and cigarettes. Of course the eating took a slip sometimes, but in 8 months I lost 80lbs.

I was sick, and hospitalized within the year. In the following year I went back to work after being hospitalized for cellulitis in the leg for a second time. Very serious stuff if you know anything about it.

In 2008 I went back to work and was offered the Gastric Bypass surgery. For the first time in my life, I was doing well with losing the weight on my own and making some serious changes. I asked if I could put the surgery off for a year. In that year, I made healthier choices and changes, but I gained 3lbs. I was so frustrated. I was at 373lbs. truly the situation could have been worse. The hardest change to implement while working full time was being able to work out. I was still eating healthier, but of course I was still participating in some very unhealthy coping mechanisms too.

When the hospital called me a year later, 2009, I accepted the weight loss surgery. I do not regret having the weight loss surgery, but sometimes I don't like telling people this part of the story. It's almost like, for them, the surgery did all the work for me. Truly it did not.

I needed no help from others. I was at an extreme I beat myself up all the time about a lot of things in my life. It's funny, if others criticize me I fight for myself but when I do it to myself I usually give in and agree. I'm a loser. I needed help.

From 2009 to 2010 the weight rapidly came off. I lost another 200lbs in about a year and a half.

The first six months after the surgery I was quite ill, as I got pneumonia on the operating table. The surgery was done in Toronto, and the Doctor told me right after surgery that they thought they had sewn my new stomach shut and lost a staple inside my new pouch. I couldn't swallow anything for four days. Then realized the swelling was the reason why, not because the doctor really sewn my pouch shut. I knew no one in the Toronto area. No family and very few friends. I was on my own I just wanted to go home.

I had to teach myself how to eat differently. You'd have thought after six months of not being able to breathe I'd have quit smoking, but I picked it back up when emotional issues took precedence over surviving. Old habits, emotional and physical, were trying to find their way back in, and I was a basket case.  I could no longer go to food like I used to, my body was changing faster than I could keep up psychologically. I felt more alone than ever, if that was possible. I was losing friends, as fast as I was losing weight.

 
All I focused on was that I wanted to live. I would have tantrums. At one point I found myself mourning foods I could no longer eat, as well as being fat. I was lost in the person I was becoming. It was all unknown to me. A person was trying to emerge that I was not familiar with, and she was doing things I was afraid to do.  

After a winter of walking at the Dome, Greenbank and Pinecrest, (I figured Monday to Friday, two hours each time, I was walking about 10k a day. I watched the shape of my legs change, and get more toned.) There I met Michael Patone, a personal trainer.  I had no muscle tone, from losing the weight so fast, and what did I know about building muscle?

Shortly before I started with Mike, I gave up marijuana (January 2011) and cigarettes (February 2011). The drinking stopped immediately after the gastric bypass surgery. It was unwanted calories and really my primary way of coping was/is through food. These changes were NEEDED if I wanted to make the full transition into a healthier lifestyle. If I REALLY wanted to survive I had to do this.
 
I started therapy in 2010, and found myself entering into even more unknown territory. Feeling uncomfortable in my own skin for so long I was mentally scattered, an emotional volcano. It truly has been the most difficult thing I have ever done in my life. I was embarking on a journey into my psyche, confronting my emotional core beliefs, and rewriting them. This is something I will be working on for the rest of my life.

I was feeling so lost, and did not know what I wanted out of life, a friend suggested writing down what my goals were.

I knew I wanted to be extremely physically active, and I have always loved trying new sports. I've always had a love for swimming but never really did it in the traditional sense. I had started to do official “laps” in 2010. At one point I was swimming 1km in 25mins. I wrote my goals out in a book, and that's when another friend suggested that the military could help me reach a lot of my long term goals. I needed structure, discipline, and extreme physical activity. I wanted to travel and a pension at the time of retirement.  Something inside of me really liked the idea of joining the Canadian Armed Forces it was like a higher calling. Goals give people a sense of purpose and it felt like for the first time in my life I had a sense of purpose, direction, something to aim for.  

I started strength training with Michael Patone March of 2011. I did my first Try a Tri in 2011, and then in 2012 my second one. I started to learn how to run in 2011 and have completed more than a handful of 5km races since. I have participated in a few obstacle course races, track challenges, bouldering activities, jumping off cliffs into quarries, and helped a few people get motivated just by tagging along to the gym with them. I have lots of things I still want to try.

I have a passion for adventure. Life is good to me and it's worth living. I AM worth it. Trust me, it's not easy for me to believe that, coming from where I did. Every day I still have to rewrite that interior dialog that wants to beat me down. I still make mistakes, don’t we all? I heard something really good in therapy my first year; “What makes me so special that I can forgive others, but cannot forgive myself?”  It's true.

Currently, I am in metabolic interval training, strength training and I run three times a week. I also swim once a week. Throwing in some recreational biking, and trying new stuff, like tennis to keep things fresh and interesting. I still work on my emotional issues, and continue to learn healthier ways to fuel my athletic body.

To call myself an Athlete seems foreign, and maybe even a little bit like a lie. Only twice now have I referred to myself as such out loud. It seems surreal to hear me (or anyone else for that matter) say it, but I am! 

Changing lifestyles consists of encompassing all areas of one’s BEING.

I will have to work hard for the rest of my life, I know this, but I am very grateful and proud to have maintained my weight at about 190lbs for the last three years. I can acknowledge I've beaten some pretty tough odds so far but feel that to maintain this level of living I also need to recognize that my survival depends on moving forward. Thriving depends on being able to live in the moment. My motivations are my goals, and my healthy active role models who have helped me one way or another along my journey. My trainer Michael Patone,  Amethyst's Addiction for Women, my running coach Suzanne Hotson, Inspirational Endurance Runner Ray Zahab, Active CBC Radio Spokesperson Stuart Mills, and any person who works hard to stay healthy. Most of all, other women who know what it's like to come from situations like mine,who know that to survive they have to leave an old life behind. 

I hope to be in the military by the end of this year. The end of September would be fantastic. I am hoping that next summer is my summer for a lot of different type of races I would like to enter. I would like to participate in a Triathlon Sprint, and participate in my first open water swim. I would like to take part in more obstacle course races, I would even like to do some long distance biking and running.

 I need help to achieve this.

Please help support my dream by voting at the link below.  No sign up. No hassle.  Just click and vote (daily even, if you feel so inclined!)

http://www.genuinehealth.com/innerchampion/jennifer-branson/

Your support is greatly appreciated. 

Jennifer ”The Athlete” Branson

The Final Lap

Contributed by reader Colin Arnott

Prologue

 

This is some thoughts for my dearly beloved little brother who passed away 3 weeks ago due to a stroke.

His name is Ken Arnott, and he was an extraordinary athlete. He was a beautiful giving person, who always thought of others before himself.  He was married to Janie and had 2 loving children, Jeff and Emily. My children and Ken’s are exactly the same age. Our youngest kids are only 2 days apart and our oldest are only one month apart.  Ken lived a very healthy lifestyle. He didn’t drink or smoke. He ate healthy and went to the doctor’s regularly. He loved the gym and the spin classes. He suffered a massive stroke on June 1/13, and succumbed to this stroke on June 6/ 13. There was no warning. Strokes are definitely ‘the silent killer’.

Ken and I knew each other for almost 51 years. He passed away 3 weeks shy of his 51^st birthday. I have many stories of our growing up together in Scarborough, Ontario, but this short story is dedicated to our last race together.

Ken did his first marathon in 1988, one year after I did mine. I ran him in for the last 10K (6 miles in those days).  After he got home and puked and slept for numerous hours, he said to me that he will never do that again. Oh boy, was he wrong. He did many more races and graduated up to Ultra Marathons.

Ken and I were pretty prolific runners in our day. We both have done sub 3 hour marathons in our prime. Ken was a much better runner than I.  He won many races and awards in his career. He was the Ontario 50K Champion in 2010 and holds the 50K course record at the Seaton Trail race.  He ran half marathons in under 1:20 and did the 30K Around the Bay race every year and usually finished around the 2 hour mark. He has done dozens of marathons. His PB was a 2.55.

 

Ken (on the left) and the author.

 

The Final Lap

My little brother Ken and I have been running together for the better part of 25 years. He was at the finish line for my first marathon in 1987, and I ran him in at his first marathon in 1988. We have been training and running together ever since.

Throughout the years we celebrated our notable running accomplishments together. Our first marathon, our first ‘sub 3’, our 1^st age group, our first 50k, 100k, 100 miler. This is a little ode to Ken and our last race together. It was the Sulphur Springs 100 mile in May 2012. I don’t know why I am writing this. I hated essays in school and haven’t written one since I left over 35 years ago. For some reason I feel I owe this to him, or maybe it’s therapy for myself as I struggle with his loss. Regardless, here it is………..

May 25-2012

Ken and I arrive in the parking lot of the Sulphur Springs 100 mile race. This is the night before the race starts. You have to be there the night before to attend the mandatory meeting prior to the race and have your pasta dinner. It was a beautiful warm night. Ken and I met in the parking lot. We brought camping gear, but decided we were just going to sleep in our own vehicles. We proceeded to check in to get our bibs and goodie bags. Here’s where the freaky part starts.

Our mother, Bev passed away on Sept. 14, 2004. Her birthday was June 29, 1939. We have always considered ‘29’ a lucky number. I play it in lotteries, draws and always at the roulette table. Now there are 1,100 people registered in this race. Ken receives his goodie bag and opens it up. His bib number for the Sulphur Springs 100 miler is # 29…Freaky. We have the pasta dinner with our friends Garth and Veronique, and assorted other very nervous ultra marathoners. Garth is attempting to finish his first, Ken has done one before and I have done two. You get very nervous the night before any race, but that is multiplied tenfold before a 100 miler.

Anyways, we finish our dinner, have some idle chit chat with people we really don’t know and proceed to the back of my SUV where we set up a couple of lawn chairs. We are waiting for the darkness to set in so we can go to bed. The start time is 6:00 A:M:, so we know we have to be up by at least 4: 00 to eat and let the bodily functions occur.

I will never forget that night. Ken and I sat there and the conversation just flowed. There wasn’t an idle minute or awkward silence. We were like a couple of schoolgirls who hadn’t seen each other for weeks. We talked about everything, the kids, our relationships, our parents, anything and everything that came to our minds, simply rolled off our tongues. It was a magical night, and it is one I will always treasure. I didn’t know how much I would treasure till this month.

As darkness arrives, we decide to call it a night. I say to Kenny, I’d love to have a coffee in the morning, but we have some premium parking spots which we will definitely lose if we leave to get a coffee. We were planning on having these spots, so we can use them as fuel stations during the 8 x 20K loops we will be doing tomorrow.  Ken says, I would love a coffee in the morning too. We say good night to each other, and hope we can sleep in the front seat of our vehicles….

May 26 2012

The day of the race, I wake up to a knock on my window at 4:30. It’s Ken. He took off to Tim Hortons, and got us some x-Large coffees. That is just the type of guy he was. Always loving to do something for you. I thanked him graciously for this noble errand. He of course thought nothing of it. We proceed to our pre-race rituals. Ken tapes every toe. I put on Vaseline and body glide in parts you really don’t want to know about. The 50 milers start to arrive. (the 100 milers spend the night at the start line) and the runners who are doing the 50 mile race arrive in the morning. After greeting a few friends, we head off to the start line with nervous anticipation.

You have no idea how you are going to make out as you are on the brink of running for 100 miles. I believe that is what Ken and I desired so much in these races. After running so many half marathons, marathons, and 50k’s, you know what to expect and how to deal with it. The 100 mile race is a totally different animal. Running for 24 plus straight hours is a test in endurance which is unparalleled in pretty much any sport. It is the ‘unkown’ that endeared us to this. Will we finish? What will I feel like? Is my stomach going to keep it together? What will my time be? Can I make the cutoffs? So many unkowns……

At the start line we run in to our friend, Garth. He is nervous, as so are we. Ken and I say to each other we are going to do 3 hour loops. (Sulphur Springs is a 162K race which is made up of 8 x 20 K loops). 3 hour loops will get us back in 24 hours. 24 hours is the magical number most ultra marathoners strive to achieve. Much like a sub 3 or sub 4 marathon or a BQ (Boston Qualifier).

6:00 A:M:, the horn sounds and we are off and running. Ken and I stick together. He has stated to me many times before at races that we will stick together. What usually happens is he puts up with my pace for 5 minutes and then says, ‘I’ll see you at the finish’. This is fine for me and for most runners. Come race day, you run your own race. Though this day, Ken and I stuck together. The conversation was still flowing. We made it through the first 20k in just over 2 hours. Wow that was quick? Time flies when you’re having fun. And we were…..

As the race proceeded, we ended up running with different people, as you always do in almost every race. During this race though, runners we never knew were joining us and saying ‘hey, the Arnott brothers’, how you guys making out? As they would leave, or we would leave them, I would say to Ken… Who was that? He said, ‘I have no idea’.  We were making a name for ourselves and didn’t even realize it. Probably due to Ken winning many races the year before, and then they saw my name down the list……It was nice to get the recognition. Even though I owe pretty much all of it to Ken’s accomplishments….

2^nd loop done in just over 4 hours. Still running easy and feeling fine. Just yakking up a storm. Our buddy Garth see us and says ‘Hey, nice 3 hour loops you sandbaggers’. We laugh and give him the thumbs up. It’s getting hot, so we change clothes and re-hydrate. I’m at my van and get word that Kenny is waiting for me at the start to run again. I hurry to the start line and we proceed for lap 3. Time is flying by and the running is fluid. We are seeing lots of our friends now out on the course doing their particular races. Some are doing the 50K, some 25K and some the 50 mile. It is nice seeing them. Ken and I are still flying along. We get to the end of the 3^rd loop, 60K, and Ken says, I’m going to take off for a while. This means ‘See ya later’. I know it, and am fine with it. I am just grateful that we were able to run 60K together. It is one of the most memorable runs I will ever have.

As the race goes along, I see Ken numerous times out on the trails. He always has a smile and a wave for me. He didn’t have this just for me, he had it for everyone. I will miss that so much.

Always smiling, waving and genuinely asking how you are making out…

This is the other freaky thing I have to tell you. I referred to our mother passing away earlier. Well, at her funeral, we played an Avril Lavigne song, ‘I Miss You’.  As I was heading out on my 7^th loop, 120K done, it was getting dark. I decided to throw my IPOD on to keep me company as I proceeded on the trails in the dark. My IPOD has 1500 songs on it. I am over 50, and therefore always put my IPOD on shuffle, cause I don’t know how the other buttons work. Anyhow, as I put the IPOD on and head on to the trails, the very first song that comes on is the Avril Lavigne song. ‘I Miss You’. With Ken getting bib # 29 and this song playing, we knew our mother was with us that day. It was very comforting.

Ken and I both completed the 100 miler that day. He did a 20:31 and I did a 20:46. It was personal bests for both of us. At the end of the race, his daughter Emily, who was at each of his races was screaming the loudest for us. I knew I was near the finish when I heard her. It was 2:00 in the A:M: when we both were done and gave each other a huge hug. Thankful that it was over, but I think more thankful that we were together and could share in our accomplishment.

After about 1 hour we decided we need a shower. Ken’s wife Janie drove us the 200 metres to the shower cause we couldn’t walk. While in the shower we were comparing war wounds. Ken’s toes were hideous. I had chafing that was so bad, it was bleeding. We checked each other out and had a silent respect for each other. We had come a long way since that first marathon 25 years ago.

It was time to try and get some sleep. After about 2 hours, I got up to see if our friend Garth had made it. Who did I meet at the finish line but Ken. He was curious as well. We each grabbed a lawn chair and watched as Garth completed his first 100 miler. We were still comparing our races with each other ‘shooting the breeze’ till the sun came up.

I have a whole life time of stories about my brother and I, but this is just a quick blurb on our very last race together. I didn’t know it at the time, but this will be etched in my mind forever.

Ken was a very compassionate soul who put everyone before himself. He has only been gone 3 weeks and I miss him more than I ever thought I would.

I love you brother…

Goruck Challenge Toronto 2013 - part 2

Looking at the route we covered, it's funny how much of this I do not remember. A long endurance event goes by really quickly, except when it drags on and on. Relativity theory in real life...

Jay drops from the event, as all the PT aggravates an old back injury.

And then there were 11.

As we leave the dreaded track, the task is to make it to Rosedale Park within a certain time frame. We carry all gear and take turns running laps around the team, while carrying team weight to earn extra time. I am responsible for the team being punished at least twice, as I keep running onto the road in my excitement to contribute.

At Rosedale - a short break and food. I finally get a chance to eat some of the fuel I packed what now seems to be forever ago. Note to self - only carry potatoes if you want them mashed. And if you have a spoon.

Our next destination is High Park with a stop at Christie Pits -a small recreational area with  a playground on the way. Maybe we'll do monkey bars! Or get a chance to scare small children! Please, Jason???

We lose Tay on our way to Christie Pits - struggling with muscle cramping ever since our hill sprints, he is (rightly) concerned about injury. "I also don't want to slow down you guys", he says as part of the "in-front-of-the-whole-group" speech. "Tay, you are quitting for you, not for us", I remind him. The rest nod. It's a tough decision. But he will be back...

And then there were 10.

As we ruck our butts through the sleepy downtown, Jason dispenses another task - be on a lookout for bikes (aka IEDs). If he spots one before we do... we shall be punished. Somehow after hours of PT, the threat of punishment carries less and less weight... What on Earth could he throw our way that we haven't done already? More push-ups?

How can we miss the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum), one of Toronto's landmarks? Yay for weighted push-ups. My wrist tells me to go screw myself. 

Goruck Challenge Toronto 2013 - part 1

This would be my second Goruck (you can read my event recap from Goruck Challenge Toronto 2012 here), and yet again I was packing hours before the start.

I spent a quiet Friday evening with my bricks (do I (again) sound like a psychopath or what?).


There is actually a method for wrapping bricks, believe it or not. After ending up with a bloody blister on my back after the Spartan Ultra Beast (and that was just the hydration pack), I didn't want take any chances.

Skechers Running Shoes Sceptic Turned Convert

Contributed by Elaine Lavallee

I have always been a running shoe connoisseur. I love running so it goes without saying that I love running shoes. Before I was pregnant and had our little girl I was pretty loyal to Adidas; the Adizero were perfect for me. They were lightweight with a narrow fit and even came in some funky colours. I still remember the electric blue pair I wore when I ran the JKF 50 miler. Several people made positive comments about them. Well, as those of you that have had children know, things change.  

 

I ran throughout my pregnancy so I needed more cushioning and as my shape changed so did my gait. That led me to become more open to looking at different types of shoes to see what would work for the new me.

Since giving birth, running has become even more important. It has become the precious little bit of “me” time in a hectic day of work and motherhood so I wanted good, comfortable running shoes that will help me stay healthy and on the road.

This is where the story gets interesting because I never would have thought that I would end up trying Skechers. I always though they were for young kids that are into fashion and not for serious runners.  And it took my impish toddler dashing off at the Eaton Center for me to venture into a Skecher store.

She must have been attracted by the flashy colours because in she ran followed closely behind by me. As I was trying to retrieve her I happened to see the wall dedicated to running shoes and was intrigued. I spoke to the manager and found out that one of the top shoe designers left another running shoe company to design for them. They also have one of the top Marathoners in the US running marathons in their shoes and doing quite well. Meb Keflezighi won the US Olympic trials and placed 4^th in the Olympic Marathon wearing their shoes. So I figured that if they were good enough for Meb then I’d be willing to try them. I also figured that I would get a good laugh out of my husband for bringing home a Skechers box!

At home, I laced up my pretty new shoes up, tried them out on the treadmill and was pleasantly surprised. They are a great combination of lightweight but with enough cushioning to give you a great ride. The toe box is just wide enough to prevent blisters and black toe, a common occurrence for me. The true test, though, would be to take them on the road for a long run and I’m happy to say they performed beautifully. Looks like I’m a convert: you can teach an old dog new shoes!

A new twist to road racing will bring color to your face (and your shirt)

Submitted by Christine Blanchette (www.christineruns.com, @christineruns)

Running a race is about as basic as competition can get – it’s you versus the ones beside you and may the best woman (or man, of course) win.  But then you add different food, draw prizes and live entertainment, you’re left with unique events for people to choose from – with each one offering a different ambience, yet each is still a race from start to finish.

Now picture an event with all competitors dressed in white t-shirts while waiting for the starting gun. The runners/walkers then take off and through each kilometer they’re showered with color powder made with food grade cornstarch, 100% natural and safe.  It’s new, sounds like loads of fun, is coming to Montreal on August 17 and is called, “The Color Run 5km.” 

For those runners who merely estimate their kilometer split times, this is the race for you as you will be doused five times with different colors, giving you a 70’s tie-dye look at the finish line.

Some runners will wear bandanas or dust masks because of the powder, thrown by volunteer color throwers, sponsors and Run for Color staff who aim low as much as possible when you pass by. The idea is to get your t-shirt as colorful as possible by race end. To re-state the obvious, you start in white and you finish looking like a hippie gearing up for a Joan Baez tribute concert.

You are officially a color runner/walker and you get to celebrate at a post 5km party. At the finish, the crowd will do a color throw every 15 minutes to welcome new runners coming in. 

The first official Color Run was held in Tempe, AZ in January 2012. Since last year, the event debuted in 50 US cities and three international cities, with close to 600,000 participants in total. By the end of 2012, The Color Run has worked, as 60 per cent of participants were first-time 5k runners. The event selects a different local charity organization for each city, so everybody wins.

In a recent email interview with the Color Run mastermind, 34-year-old Travis Snyder from his office in Draper, Utah, the founder and executive director began by saying, "Seeing how happy The Color Run has made all different kinds of people has been very rewarding. It really is an event for all fitness levels, ages and backgrounds. Our tag line is "The happiest 5k on the planet" for a reason. That line was created after seeing how happy it made people." You might say it puts the fun into a fun run.

Snyder, a former triathlete and avid runner, began creating his own running events 10 years ago. In an effort to create a non threatening running environment where professional and novice runners could come together and enjoy the purity of the sport, The Color Run was born. "I wanted to create an event that would encourage people to get out and run just for the fun of it. I wanted people to enjoy the community experience of running together, and I wanted to add something a little out of the ordinary to the race; something that could serve as a sort of visual reward for all the hard work these runners put into training for the event," he said.

He continued, “The Color Run has had more first time 5k runners than any other event in history. For most of these runners it will lead to more participation in fun runs and competitive events. We take a lot of satisfaction in the fact that our events lead people to have a more healthy and active lifestyle. The demand has been crazy and exciting. Every day hundreds of people make requests on our Facebook page for us to bring the event to their favorite city. We're excited to answer the call!”

You can run the event solo or enter as a team. This makes me want to participate in this event. All you need is a white shirt, and be ready to have some fun running and getting splashed with color.

More information: www.thecolorrun.com