It’s a race where, technically, there are no winners. On top of that, it’s a race where individuals who come to watch participants stand along the course and throw stuff at you.

 

The good news? It’s a whole lot of fun and the non-technical part of it is that there is a winner. In this case, Saturday morning, the winner will be Johnson Elementary School as it will host the first-ever Johnson Color Jam, which is part of the increasingly popular “color runs” people see nationally and even worldwide.

 

Johnson’s 5K event Saturday will be held at the Bridgeport Recreation Complex. It will get started at 9 a.m.

 

“This is not only our first-ever color run, but it’s the first-ever color run in Bridgeport,” said Andrea Kerr, who is helping organize the event with others involved with the Johnson Elementary School PTA.

 

The event is a fundraiser for the PTA. In other words, that organization and the students it serves will benefit from the event.

 

So what makes a “color run” unique?

 

Along with the fact that no one is timed and individuals can go as slow as fast as they want, they will have handfuls of cornstarch thrown at them from tubs located at various stations. The organizers of this race will have five stations set up around the course at the Rec Complex, which will cover the walking trail and part of the main parking area.

 

“We’re encouraging people to wear white,” said Kerr. “Believe me, there will be plenty of colors on your clothes when you’re done.

 

“We’re also encouraging walkers and runners,” she continued. “We’ll have different stations set up around the track with buckets of colors (of corn starch) and people will throw it at you as you run past. We’re hopeful that those that don’t run or are supporting those in the run will come out and throw as much color at those participating as they want.”

 

For those not yet pre-registered, you can still register for a cost of $30 per person the morning of the race. Race-day registration will run from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Children under the age of 3 can take part for free.

 

“This should really be a good time,” said Kerr. “We hope to see a lot of people out for the event.”

 

The numbers for the first year event are already solid. Kerr said there are roughly 100 participants and organizers expect that to jump tomorrow morning with race day registration.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Don Burton meeting with representatives of the Johnson Elementary PTA last week at the Bridgeport Recreation Complex, while bottom photo - courtesy of Wikipedia Commons - show the global reach of the "Color Runs" as this one is in Paris.