Color Run organisers delighted with second edition and plan regional expansion

Matt Jones - Editor 12:09 30/11/2014
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  • Getting down to it: A Color Runner is doused in ‘magical color dust’ by his friends at the Autodrome.

    The Organisers of the Dubai and Abu Dhabi Color Runs believe the ‘Happiest 5K on the Planet’ can capture the imagination of the entire Middle East.

    – Happiest 5k lves up to its moniker

    The event has grown rapidly since it was first held at the Dubai Autodrome last December, with 12,000 competitors yesterday transforming the circuit into a sea of colour and providing a 25 per cent growth on entries a year ago.

    There was also an Abu Dhabi Color Run in March this year and organisers are planning to bring it back to Yas Marina Circuit early in the new year.

    Fleur Castle, marketing director for organisers IMG, believes the people of the UAE have really taken the event to their hearts.

    “It is unbelievable how quickly it’s grown,” she said. “We brought it to the Middle East last December and it’s just taken off, people have loved it here. We had 12,000 Color Runners here today, we sold out weeks before our deadline. People certainly seem to love it and that bodes well for the future.”

    She added: “The beauty of it is people can walk, run, dance, cartwheel, it doesn’t matter if you’re 90 years old or a baby on your dad’s shoulders, everybody can get involved.

    “There’s so many different people here from different walks of life, it’s just about getting active and having a good time.”

    Castle confirmed that the Abu Dhabi Color Run will return in the first few months of 2015, although a date is yet to be finalised.

    “We’re also hoping to take it further afield, we’re going to Doha soon, so watch this space,” she added.

    “We’re looking at lots of different markets and the Middle East is perfect because it seems to love it.

    “We’re going to grow and grow and of course come back here because people love it.”

    Sven Rohte, chief commercial officer of Color Run sponsors Daman Health Insurance, says the event has the right recipe to motivate people to go out and have a healthy lifestyle and enjoy themselves.

    He takes that responsibility seriously, taking part in this year’s event himself.

    Rohte said: “I got involved myself because I think it’s important to walk the talk. We tell our members to get active and get healthy, and we have to do that ourselves.”

    He added: “This is a fantastic race because it’s untimed, it’s not very competitive, so it’s good for people to get started. You can walk or run, so you can pace yourself.”

    Even though the event is growing rapidly, he said it’s important for the Color Run to boast quality over quantity.

    “I think 12,000 is already a very cool number,” he said. “We need to grow gradually. We want to keep the experience for the people coming. “It makes no sense to have 30,000 people, that would be chaos, so we’re looking for a high quality event and we are proud to be associated with partners that also share the same passion for quality and experience.”

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