The LA Marathon is just about a week away, which means that friends and family who aren't running are beginning to put their minds to the special signs they'll make.
Isn't that part of the spirit of the 26.2 miles, wherever they're run? The sideline color and cheer?
Much of that color and cheer has been inching toward various courses in recent years. Nope, not of marathons per se, but of fun runs, 1k and 5k routes, and shorter spurts that put a bigger emphasis on groups running together. Time is still important, but so is the camaraderie of the day.
The Color Run, which just looped around Elysian Park in early February, is one such event, as is Run or Dye, which is set to rainbow-it-up at Exposition Park on Saturday, March 9. And we do mean rainbow-it-up; a substantial amount of color is tossed toward participants during the 5k.
Oh, and speaking of time? Run or Dye is not timed, at all. It's 100% about the journey, which of course most runs are, and zero percent about the final numbers on the tally.
Five tons of color powder will be "blasted" during the run.
Pair Run or Dye and The Color Run with the continued rise of costumed and glow-in-the-dark 5ks and you have, if not an exactly new trend in the world of weekend organized running, then one that is set to grow exponentially. Is the sky, or perhaps the finish line, the limit on what runners can and will do for five kilometers? Athletic organizers, get dreaming.
After all, people barbecue actual meats, while marching, in Pasadena's annual Doo Dah Parade. Which says to us several loopy things can happen while people move.
Anywho, whether you're running or not, have your figure on your camera button if you're in the neck of Exposition Park on March 9. Hue-filled eyefuls aplenty.
