YK Colour Run takes city by rainbow storm

Hundreds of runners, walkers, rollers and strollers brought “more life to the ‘knife,” taking the streets by rainbow storm on Saturday. And it was all for a good cause, with net proceeds of the city’s first Colour Run going to Inclusion NWT.

Tham Ncube, who is a lead organizer, told True North FM that for the run’s first year, organizers wanted to honour inclusion and specifically the work of Inclusion NWT.

“The kind of work that they do enables people with disabilities to live lives of respect and dignity, and then they build their worth and value in society. And for me, that’s a big thing, because it allows people to become part of an inclusive society. So, because without that people feel isolated, I think that’s a key thing,” said Ncube.

The run was not a competition. Organizers, including Ncube emphasized that they wanted to create a fun, untimed running environment geared towards health and happiness versus competition.

Ncube said that for organizers, inclusion goes hand in hand with a healthy environment

“We’re hoping to give people that feeling of inclusion coming here.”

On Saturday morning, MC Chi welcomed the crowd of hundreds who gathered near city hall in Yellowknife to take part in the city’s very first Colour Run.

Together with Erika Sound and music courtesy of DJ Chef Boy HD, MC Chi got everyone pumped and ready to go for the 3 km course.

At the start line by the lakeshore near city hall, MC Chi began with inspirational words acknowledging the lands, waters, languages and cultures of the Dene, the North Slave Metis and Inuit people, who in sharing the land, have made inclusion possible in Yellowknife.

The music set began with classic songs of the 1980s and 1990s and pop songs to get everyone moving.

“We have a mixed crowd, we have young and we have an older, more mature crowd,” DJ Chef Boy HD pointed out.

That was something the performer kept in mind when building the set list.

“It’s good to get the whole community involved.”

Organizers and volunteers gleefully cheered participants on along each leg of the run, filling the air with waves of vibrant colour powder that runners, walkers, rollers and strollers happily immersed themselves in.

At each kilometre, a spectrum of colour filled the air, painting participants in yellow, red, green, pink, blue and every colour in between.

From the fire station on Old Airport Roa,d around the corner from the finish line at the Multiplex, Yellowknife Firefighters, Local 2890, were out cheering everybody on. And there was no turning back at that point, but many participants had brought their pace down to a walk or stroll. Others, including one pint-sized runner covered in colour, tapped into a ‘second wind’ and bolted past, leaving a cloud of rainbow dust behind them all the way to the finish line.

There at the finish, runners, strollers, rollers, walkers and everyone in between, all jumped into a giant ‘cloud’ of foamy bubbles.

DJ Chef Boy HD was there, filling the airwaves with vibrant, uplifting music for all to enjoy.

“I built a list for motivation, inspiration for running. So that was to get everybody pumped up getting ready, and when it comes to the end, a little bit of time for us to bring it down and mellow it out.”

Creating and setting up the sound system at two sites, one at the start line and one at the finish line, was challenging, agreed DJ Chef Boy HD, but everyone agreed it all came together well. Participants were moving and grooving, jumping through the foamy bubble waves filling the air.

“It’s a beautiful atmosphere. Everybody’s out here. And we have lots of excitement, lots of fun today,” said DJ Chef Boy HD.

“It was lovely being here, seeing family and friends together,” he continued.

The Yellowknife performer has been part of the city’s entertainment scene for many years and explained that having more events like this, that offer something new and include everyone, is important to help build the vibrancy that makes Yellowknife such a special place.

Having a new event that links everyone in Yellowknife brings “more life to the ‘knife,” DJ Chef Boy HD pointed out.

“It’s a nice family affair to see everybody come together just before winter. So I guess this is a parting off from summer and autumn also.”

With some members of the organizing committee having roots in South India, where the Holi Festival of Colour takes place each year, the event is meant to invoke similar themes in the fall season in the city.

The Colour Run is inspired by Holi, an ancient Hindu festival, traditionally celebrated in the spring in Indian communities around the world. The festival honours the arrival of spring and the rejuvenation of nature. During Holi, people celebrate the festival by throwing coloured powders and water at each other.

Organizers hope to keep growing the event and build more momentum behind it, said Ncube.
“Our hope really is as organizers that this will become a Yellowknife landmark, people will know that there’s a Yellowknife Colour Run taking place in September and it will become synonymous with this time of the year,” said Ncube.

“So there is a charitable aspect to it as well. And we hope that as the event grows, we can contribute to the amazing work that is done by the non-profit organizations in the city,” he explained.

Stephen, a local dad from Yellowknife, said his family had fun participating in the run.

“It was fantastic. It was really colourful, was super fun. We have two small kids, it was a fun event for them.”

Previously, Stephen participated in a Colour Run in Winnipeg and said he was impressed with the way the event was organized.

“I’ve seen this run down south and I’ve done it many years ago and to have it here in the city was really nice. Me and my spouse, we were talking about when we did it. It was kind of outside the city, so you could run through the fields and it was kind of self-contained, but I like this being part of a vibrant city.”