The Richland County Fairgrounds will host a rainbow of runners on Saturday, May 17 when the Color Blaze 5K comes to Mansfield.
The 3.1-mile race will take participants around the fairgrounds and through various puffs of color, decorating runners from head to toe in edible and biodegradable colored cornstarch. A portion of the proceeds from the Color Blaze 5K will go to Marching Miles for Miracle Kids, a statewide event to support the Children’s Miracle Network and Ohio’s children’s hospitals. In addition, both monetary and food donations will benefit Mansfield’s Humane Society and local food banks, respectively.
Brad Gossard, Director of Business Development with Color Blaze, said he decided to bring the race to Mansfield for the first time in order to bring a good cause to a smaller Ohio city.
“We try to stay out of major cities,” said Gossard. “We’re different than the bigger (runs), they give such a small percentage to the charities, whereas we say let’s bring everybody out and have some fun and bring it back to a local level.”
The Color Blaze 5K will begin around 11 a.m. on May 17, with runners starting the race in mostly white attire and ending tie-dyed from head to toe. “Blaze Zones” will be stationed at various points throughout the race, where volunteers will douse runners in a colored cornstarch made from scratch at Color Blaze headquarters in Lima, Ohio. Gossard said Color Blaze is the largest manufacturer of colored cornstarch in the country.
“(The race) is fun, first and foremost,” said Gossard. “There are no expectations with the run, it’s untimed.”
At the finish line, the Color Blaze will host an after party complete with a DJ to celebrate a race well run. Gossard recommends bringing something to cover the interior of your vehicle after the race, as runners will be covered in colored cornstarch. He noted the race will be rescheduled in the event of inclement weather, but will be run in just the rain.
“It’s considerably more fun in the rain; the rain absorbs the color into the shirts,” he said.
Registration for the Mansfield Color Blaze 5K is now open. Early registration is $25 per person; after Feb. 18 the price is $30 per person; after March 18 $35 per person; after May 8 $40 per person; and $50 the day of the race, if not sold out.
Gossard said so far approximately 500 people have registered for the Color Blaze 5K, though he expects about 2,000 people the day of the race.
“If you made a new year’s resolution this is a good way of committing to it,” he said. “It’s very family friendly. I’m sure everyone will have spring fever and want to get out and play.”
For more information or to sign up for the race, visit http://colorblaze5k.com/find-a-run/mansfield.
