By Erin Merkel, news correspondent 

The morning of Sept. 15, the Resident Student Association and Fit NU hosted Color Me Fit on Northeastern’s campus to promote student health and fitness. Color Me Fit is an on-campus run for Northeastern students that was inspired by the popular nationwide Color Run. The Resident Student Association plans the event annually for the purpose of connecting students on campus.

Dressed in neon sunglasses and white t-shirts, runners prepared to get colorful despite the gloomy overcast weather. Before the event began, participants warmed up by jogging in place or tossing powder on each other, unafraid to get messy.  

“I think it takes off a lot of the pressure of running a 5k race,” said Tom Cairns, a fourth-year marine biology major. “People are just here to have fun.”

Students gathered for a fun run where they got splattered with the Color Run’s signature powdered paint. Afterwards, The Juice Union catered the event and provided free food and drinks to participants.

The colored powder is the main attraction for most participants. “It’s still fun enough that you have exercise,” Janna Santos, a fourth-year nursing student, said. “The color aspect is incentive to make it even more fun.”

Caroline Burzynski, a first-year media arts major, said Color Me Fit was a new experience.

“I’m from Kentucky and we don’t have a Color Run down there, so it’s really cool to do that now,” Burzynski said.

Color runs receive a lot of attention from college students for the photo opportunities participants get out of them. Next to the finish line was a screen for participants to take pictures in front of. Cerena Leaffer, a first-year bioengineering major, said:  

“I’ve never done a color run and I’ve always wanted to. I’ve seen so many cool pictures and events that look like this, and I’ve always wanted to partake in it,” Leaffer said.

Turner Jennings, a second-year mechanical engineering major, is the Resident Student Association Vice President for Programming and lead coordinator for the event.

“It’s a unique experience,” Jennings said. “It’s a fun opportunity for a lot of the population who are freshmen to experience the student involvement outside of school and the clubs they’re in.”

Color Me Fit was designed to keep students active both socially and physically.

“We provide the technical expertise and other resources to create an event that works to meet both of our goals of keeping the university fit and active and generally improving the student experience here,” Jennings said.

A personal trainer from Northeastern’s Marino Center taught basic stretches after the race for participants, expanding the fitness choices during the event.

Some participants were apprehensive about the 1-mile distance. “I’m excited about the color part, I’m not excited about the running part,” said Santos.

The focus of the run was to provide a stress-free event accessible to all students.

“It’s not a race,” said Jennings. “It’s not timed. It’s really a chance to get out, get exercise and run around campus. It’s really a fun event. Its less structured than the citywide run.”

Thanks to sponsors Cava and PowerCrunch, the race was made free to students.

“I would not have gone if it had any student fees,” said Leaffer. “I love that they’re having this for free and it’s a great first week activity to get everyone together.”

First years are targeted by the event to encourage them to get involved in the Northeastern community. Color Me Fit, in the past, has advertised almost exclusively to first-years.

This year’s run was pushed back a week and attracted many upperclassmen.

“I think this was a great success,” said Jennings. “We hope to continue doing this annually.”