Over 300 people were painted purple on Sunday, April 19, to raise money for charity.
After last year’s successful color run, the Elizabethtown College Class of 2017 brought back the Etown Color Classic. Purple powder was thrown through the air, dying runners and volunteers alike during this 5k event.
The Color Classic is a fun run, meaning the race has no winners except for the charity it chooses to donate to. This year, the Class of 2017 represented the Joshua Group. The run donated 50 percent of its proceeds to the organization, amounting to $3,229.
The Joshua Group is an organization whose main focus is to help students that are suffering academically. After much deliberation, the Sophomore Class chose to represent the Joshua Group due to their personal connection to the organization’s efforts.
“Being students at Elizabethtown College, we all have benefitted from the privilege of education, so we felt this was a cause we could strongly relate to and support,” sophomore Class President Kirsten Ambrose said.
Many students from the Joshua Group attended the event to run alongside Etown students.
“I was very happy to have so many children from the Joshua Group attend and run the race. It gave the event much more meaning for me,” Ambrose said.
Each runner’s registration price included a pair of free sunglasses and a free white t-shirt with the tag line: “Eat my dust!” As powder hit the runners, it stained their t-shirts. The Etown Honors Council sold $5 spray bottles filled with vinegar to soak the affected T-shirts with. These helped lock in the color for a unique souvenir to take home after the run was over.
Honors council representative Blair Hendricks, a first-year, was responsible for the sale of vinegar. “It was fun to be part of such a great event, cheer for my friends running, and support the Honors Council in the process,” she said. “I want to run it next year because it looked that much fun!”
There was only one hitch to the 2015 Color Classic: the runners ran the wrong way in the beginning of the race. Fortunately, the track was laid out so that the direction the participants were facing did not matter.
“It was definitely concerning for a few minutes as we waited to see what would happen, but [everything] worked itself out,” Ambrose said, deeming the event both enjoyable and successful.
