To Samuel Atangana, running a 5K while being sprayed with paint sounded like a silly idea at first. But as he got sprayed at the first paint station on Sunday afternoon, the run turned out to be a lot more fun.
The physiology junior was one of more than 350 people to participate in the first Spartan Splatter on Sunday to help raise money for the MSU chapter of the international organization Engineers Without Borders — a group that does a variety of engineering projects to help a community in El Salvador with sanitation problems.
At each kilometer, a team of volunteers threw nontoxic, edible paint on passing runners.
“I thought it was a good idea to help a good cause,” Atangana said. “I like running with my friends, and the competition is really good.”
Vanessa Stuart, the president of MSU Engineers Without Borders and a chemical engineering senior, said the group thought of the idea while hanging out.
She said the group was looking for a big fundraiser to help pay for trips down to El Balsamar, El Salvador, where members have helped install composting latrines and improved sanitation.
“If you add a unique edge to a run to raise money, more people will want to do it,” Stuart said. “It’s a huge event, and it’s not like it’s a super intense race. It’s for everybody to get outside and do something different.”
Each participant paid $20-$25. Some of the money went to purchase T-shirts for the participants, and the rest will go to fund travel expenses for Engineers Without Borders. Stuart said the money will help fund a trip to El Salvador in May to assess community members’ needs and discuss future projects to benefit the area.
Many participants in the race said they were happy to benefit the cause and enjoyed being splattered with paint along the way.
Flushing, Mich., resident Donna Zook said she has been looking for a color run for a while, after not being able to participate in one in Chicago. She heard of the event through a couple of friends and knew she had participate.
“It’s so fun, but you don’t know where (the paint) was going to go,” Zook said. “You wanted it to get on you, but you didn’t want it to get in your face.”
MSU alumnus Carl Seabold said he also thought it was a great event, despite getting the paint on his sunglasses while running.
He said he runs a lot of mud triathlons and obstacle course runs but is always excited to join in another race.
“This is a fun warm-up (before doing some tougher events),” Seabold said. “It raises a bit of money for a good cause, and kids had fun spraying us with paint, and it was a fun way to get cooled down during the run.”
Support student media!
Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
Discussion
Share and discuss “Runners splashed with paint to benefit charity” on social media.
