Nearly 450 people took to the streets of Yellowknife on Saturday for the city’s second annual Colour Run, raising money for Home Base Yellowknife.
The turnout was slightly smaller than last year’s inaugural event, which drew 506 participants, but organizer Tham Ncube said it was “amazing Yellowknife came out for us.”
Participants started and finished at the Multiplex, following a route down Kam Lake Road, along Curry Drive and Coronation Drive, before returning to Kam Lake Road.
Along the route, runners and walkers passed through four colour stations, where volunteers splattered coloured powder.
Ncube said the event is inspired by Holi, a traditional Indian festival celebrated with colour.
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The Colour Run was first held in Yellowknife last year and quickly became a summer event for families, runners and residents looking to get covered from head to toe in colour.
This year’s event faced a potential obstacle before it even began, after rain fell in Yellowknife the night before.
“I think it’s been amazing,” Ncube said. “We were worried about the weather because it rained last night, but then the weather gods decided to spare us.”
This year’s event raised money for Home Base Yellowknife, which operates the only emergency shelter for youth in the territory and manages youth dorms, supported individual housing and a youth housing program in Yellowknife. At its drop-in youth centre, the organization offers traditional food, recreation and gender-based violence programs.
Ncube thanked the event’s volunteers for making the Colour Run possible, and for the support of the Yellowknife community.
“Thank you Yellowknife, again and again,” he said. “Keep coming for us. See you next year.”
