FARMINGTON — The United Way of the Tri-Valley Area (UWTVA) hosted its annual Color Me 5K marathon on Saturday, August 29, with runners starting in the parking lot of the Narrow Gauge Cinema in Farmington. Over 200 participants ran the route through the rainy streets of Farmington in groups of 50.

“It went off great, people were really awesome about making sure they kept their spots for social distancing, and they had their masks for the most part,” UWTVA Finance and Operations Coordinator Kendra Baker said.

Over 300 people typically participate in the Color Me marathon which gets its name from the paint and colored powder that people run through after getting soaked by hoses.

“They go through a powder that’s thrown on them from the volunteers as they run by. We also have paint that is squirted on their t-shirt as well,” Baker said.

This year, the hoses were unnecessary as a downpour soaked runners before going through the paint station. Baker said that volunteers and participants were calling the event a watercolor marathon.

To follow the state’s Center for Disease Control (CDC) gathering guidelines, UWTVA organized runners into groups of 50 and had staggered start times for each group.

“These are already friends and family that have already been together so we’re hoping to have many smaller groups, people spread out and then we’ll have staggered start times,” Baker said in a phone interview prior to the marathon.

Angela Pinkham, who is both a runner and a UWTVA volunteer on the events committee, said that she would be keeping an eye on participants and supporters to make sure they are practicing safe social distancing.

“I keep an eye out, make sure everyone is going in the right direction, make sure that the people who are directing other people and traffic are actually paying attention and doing what we asked them to do,” Pinkham said in a phone interview prior to the marathon. “Just really keeping an eye out. I’m not as much about trying to get my best time as I am everyone doing okay and getting where they need to be.”

UWTVA also provided a hand sanitizing station and distributed face masks and bandanas to encourage participants and onlookers to wear face coverings.

The non-profit purchased individual timers for contestants this year rather than relying on volunteers to time runners. UWTVA has experienced a shortage of volunteers due to issues surrounding the coronavirus.

“People are worried about being in big crowds, some are worried still just to leave their homes, some are home with children who don’t have daycare. There’s been a lot of different reasons, but yes, it’s been harder to get volunteers,” Pinkham said.

Calley Baker who has now participated in the Color Me marathon for four years, was not phased by the fact that there was no designated timer.

“My goal is to beat my personal time. Every year I try and improve,” Calley Baker said in a phone interview.

While UWTVA did not receive as many participants as previous years, the non-profit decided not to increase its entry fees.

“We want people that want to get out and exercise and do something healthy for themselves, but yet be safe and be able to do that,” Kendra Baker said prior to the event. “Of course, a lot of the community that we work with would not be able to afford a price increase. We want to make sure that we make that available for people who want to join so that they can.”

 

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