Lately, I’ve been joining weekend runs just for fun. I learned of the ‘Color Sky 5 K’ through an email I received. The uniqueness of the concept immediately caught my attention.
It’s a 5 K run that started in the U.S. and has now spread across the world, and it’s being organized in various Turkish cities, especially Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir. It’s described as a colorful running festival where people of all ages and body types can either run or walk, what matters most is having a great time.
The Istanbul run was held at Yenikapı City Park. Before the race, you’re given a white T-shirt (or you can wear your own). At every kilometer mark, volunteers throw colorful powder at you—made from 100% corn starch and dyed with food coloring—and by the time you cross the finish line, you’re covered in layers of vibrant colors.
What makes it even more appealing is that 5% of the event’s proceeds are donated to the Association for Solidarity with the Physically Disabled (BEDD). After the run, the fun continues with music and dancing.
When you put it all together, this event was a perfect fit for me. It supports a nonprofit with a meaningful mission, it involves sports, fun, and music, what more could you ask for? So, without hesitation, I signed up.
On Sunday, 14 September, I took a cab to the race venue.
Oddly enough, neither the driver nor any of the other cabbies he asked by rolling down his window had any idea where exactly Yenikapı City Park was. Eventually, we spotted the sign for Yenikapı and turned off. As soon as I got out of the cab, I headed straight for the booths. I bought a cap from BEDD’s stand—partly to support them a little more, and partly because I didn’t want color in my hair. After grabbing a bottle of water, I pinned on my race number. Just then, it was announced that Mr. Kemal Demirel, president of BEDD, would be giving a speech.
(You can read more about Mr. Demirel at: http://www.bedd.org.tr/?p=hakkimizda&id=8)
This turned out to be a nice coincidence, since I had met him just a few days earlier at the organization’s headquarters. I had told him about what we were doing in response to the Soma tragedy and had asked for his support in caring for Didem and Sinem Uslu, two sisters from Elmadere Village in Soma who suffer from a genetic disorder and mean a great deal to me.
In his speech on stage before the race, Mr. Demirel mentioned that there are 9 million people with physical disabilities in Türkiye. He talked about how BEDD is working hard to support these individuals and help them integrate into society, and he thanked everyone who contributed. He ended his speech by saying, “Appreciate your health.”
After the speech, the music started. Most people were either dancing or throwing colors on each other in jocular fashion. Even before the race began, people had already torn open their color packets and were tossing powder in the air, at themselves, and at others. Slowly, we made our way to the starting area. Once the race started, I began running at a moderate pace. After about half a kilometer, I picked up the speed a bit. The vibe was great. I was joking around with others as we passed the first kilometer—and that’s when I got hit with the first color powder. And yes, I mean literally hit.
There were four people throwing powder. I passed the first one, then the second, then the third. But the fourth one noticed something: “Hey, this guy’s still completely white!” he said, and with that, he threw a big handful of purple powder straight at my face.
Let’s just say, my first encounter with the color powder wasn’t exactly pleasant. That purple dust got into my eyes, ears, mouth—basically every pore on my face! While I was muttering to myself, “Why didn’t he just aim for my shirt?” I was also trying to clear the powder from my eyes just so I could see again. After a bit of stumbling, I managed to regain my pace and keep running with the same motivation.
Seeing other runners with goggles and headphones, I told myself, “Next time, I’m bringing goggles and headphones too.” For the remaining kilometers, I mostly ran with my eyes closed. I got hit with yellow powder at the 2 K mark, green at 3 K, and red at 4 K.
About 300 meters from the finish line, I saw a friend of mine—he had arrived late and was just getting started as I was wrapping up. I jokingly told him to hurry up and make sure to close his eyes right before he got blasted with color powder. Then I crossed the finish line.
Right afterward, I joined the crowd by the stage where people were having fun getting blasted with color through pipes while dancing to the music. Eventually, my late-arriving friend found me, and we kept the fun going together, dancing and getting even more colorful.
Here are some photos from the festival:
http://colorsky5k.com/portfolio-type/2014-istanbul-kosusu/
These are also my photos:
The funny part happened after the fun was over, on the way home.
Covered head to toe in colors, my friend and I got on the metro. We were instant attention magnets. People were taking pictures of us, pointing and saying things, doing double takes—you name it. It felt a bit strange, but I must admit, it was also fun.
Once I got home, I jumped straight into the shower. It took five or six rounds of soaping up and two or three rounds of shampoo to get the colors off. I managed to scrub most of it away, except for a few stubborn patches that just wouldn’t fade completely from certain parts of my body.
After the shower, I shaved and washed my face a few more times. Eventually I said, “Well, this is as good as it gets,” and left the house for our usual Sunday family visit. The funniest reaction came from my dad. The moment he saw me, he asked, “Son, did someone punch you in the face?” That made me burst out laughing. I then told him, my grandmother, and Baran all about the Color Sky 5 K. To help them better understand what it was all about, I showed them the photos I took.
In the end, the last traces of color on my face were gone after another couple of lathering up with soap in the shower the next morning. But the purple powder inside my ear—believe it or not—stayed with me all the way through my trip to Croatia five days later! It took a full week to get rid of every bit of color.
Still, I have zero regrets. I supported BEDD, got in a good workout, and had an amazing time. In fact, I’m seriously thinking about signing up for the Color Sky 5 K in Izmir on 19 October—this time fully equipped with goggles, headphones, and a cap. I was already planning to be in Manisa and Izmir that week for our renewable energy and social responsibility projects in the Aegean Region anyway.
