UK: Who says running can’t be fun for all the family?

I’ve never really been the sporty type. Although the idea of running has always appealed to me (“Think of the endorphins!” my friends tell me. “It’s so therapeutic!”) I can usually find a thousand better things to be doing.

Bearing this in mind, I’m not quite sure what I was thinking when I agreed to join four other members of the Supporter Care team for the London Color Run on 1 June.

Getting colourful for a good cause

For those who don’t know, the Color Run is a 5km run/walk where participants are pelted with coloured powder at various points around the route. The idea is to get as colourful as possible while enjoying some exercise and also raising money for a good cause.

It’s not a timed race and is suitable for even the least experienced runners. Two of us even took our toddlers along in their buggies (looking very cute in mini Save the Children t-shirts).

The sun was shining as we boarded the train, and it was fun to spot fellow Color Runners in their white t-shirts as we all headed to the event.

As we arrived at Wembley and joined the huge crowd (apparently there were over 14,000 people taking part this year) it all started to feel very real but I actually found myself looking forward to it.

To make sure this really is the ‘happiest 5km on the planet’, there’s music as well as flags and a general party atmosphere. Runners are released in waves and after a bit of a wait it was our turn to get going.

A very young runner…

Our team started the run at a good pace, hyped up by the music and keen to reach the first colour station.

Pushing a buggy meant I pretty soon slowed down to a fast walk rather than a run, but there were plenty of others going at the same speed or even a bit slower, so I didn’t feel out of place.

There were four different colour stations. My daughter was a bit confused by the first couple (I guess being pushed through a cloud of colourful powder without warning must be a bit odd) but by the final stop she was happy to walk, laughing at all the crazy adults pelting each other with handfuls of orange dust.

As we ran the last few metres to the finish line, I felt a great sense of achievement. 5km may not be very far but for someone who never runs it was far enough! I would definitely consider taking part again next year and maybe I’ll even get my trainers out once or twice between now and then. Maybe.