By Michelle Chance[quote_box_right]IF YOU GO
What: Copa Color Run
When: Feb. 18, registration 9 a.m., race 11 a.m.
Where: Copper Sky Regional Park, 44345 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
How much: $10-$20
Info: CopaColorRun.com[/quote_box_right]
The third annual Copa Color Fun Run and Walk will not just be an opportunity for families to get exercise while getting doused in neon colored powder. It will also include two contests and more affordable pricing than previous events.
Matthew Reiter, fitness coordinator at Copper Sky Recreation Complex and the run director, said he wants to allow a family of four to participate at a reasonable price.
“I really recognize the need for the event to allow the families to get out there and enjoy each other.”
Kids 6 and under are free; children ages 7 to 11 are $10, 12 to 17 are $15, and adults are $20.
Participants can choose to run or walk in a 5K race or 1-mile walk. Reiter said people of any fitness level and age can participate.
Before the race, which begins at 11 a.m. on Feb. 18 at Copper Sky, there will be two new contests for registrants.
The first is a costume contest where contestants are judged based on their best work-out costume from the 1980s. The winner will receive an “old-school ‘80s boombox,” Reiter said.
Participants in the second contest must identify a song by Michael Jackson that is played, and winners receive a sequined glove like those worn by the legendary popstar.
Not only is Reiter excited for the new 1980s theme, but he said he is also thrilled about the namesake of the event – the color.
“We bought four times the amount of color that we bought last year. We are really going to go nuts,” he said.
In fact, Reiter said “color-throwers” on the sideline of the vibrant walk went through a special training this year.
All participants receive a tie-dye colored headband and packet of color to throw at the beginning of the race.
Like previous years, 5 percent of the proceeds raised will go toward the Maricopa Police Foundation to benefit survivors of domestic violence.
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