The 2026 International 5K Color Run at Colorado State University started and ended with splashes of color and community support. On Saturday, runners crowded behind the start line in matching white shirts and came out at the end of the race sporting various distributions of orange, green, purple and more.

Unity and community made this race memorable for students, staff and community members, and was organized by CSU’s Office of International Programs, the Indian Student Association and the International Enrollment Center.

The current president of the Indian Student Association, Ph.D. student Venkatesh Padimi, has been in his role for one semester but a member of the association for three years.

“When people throw colors, every single person, they look similar, no matter what background you’re from, what race you’re from,” Padimi said. “At the end, everyone looks similar for a moment. So this event indicates equality, unity and community. It’s more about building community and being playful to each other.”

Once past the finish line, racers were given small packages of colorful powder, leading to friendly chases across The Oval with billows of color wafting away or landing on the targeted white T-shirt.

“It went directly in my nose,” and similar sentiments were heard from runners who grinned after seeing each other’s faces completely covered in color.

Padimi’s perception of playfulness and equality could be seen across the crowd.

“People look similar no matter what race, what titles you own, even if you’re the president of a country or a common man,” Padimi said. “When applied (with) colors, we are all the same.”

This run was created with the goal of helping international students throughout their time at CSU, purposely coinciding with the Hindu celebration of Holi, which began March 3 with Holika Dahan.

Padimi described Holi as a celebration for the arrival of spring and good spiritual forces. The colors signify renewal and joy, according to the Hindu American Foundation.

There was a variety of runners, from college friend groups to families running with strollers. Volunteers handed out T-shirts, snacks and water to participants, and Blue Federal Credit Union, a sponsor of the 5K run, had a set-up for runners to take photos to capture the race. 

“Everybody is so encouraging,” said Jane Manhart, a junior at CSU. “A lot of people would stop and then just cheer people on.”

This now-annual event began four years ago when the International 5K Color Run and Holi came together. Gaurav Harshe, the interim director for the Asian Pacific American Cultural Center and former Indian Student Association president from 2017-18, spoke of how the event came to be.

“We used to do a Holi separately at Aggie, and then there was a Color Run also happening on this side of town,” Harshe said. “But then there were so many similarities between the two events, that we were like, ‘Why don’t we do this together?’”

Mary Swing, manager of international graduate admissions for the International Enrollment Center, helped run the event and has been doing so for the past four years.

“It provides an opportunity for people to be competitive and athletic, but really it’s the community, and that’s what we’re seeing a lot of, is just people coming here to support each other and support international students in the community,” Swing said.

All of the proceeds from the 5K directly benefited international enrollment scholarship funds, allowing more students to affordably study at CSU. Incoming undergraduate international students are automatically considered for these scholarships when applying to CSU, and this run supports the efforts of granting up to $12,000 per year for future students.

“Every year we’ve had (community) from the beginning, and it’s just been growing and growing and growing,” Swing said.

Reach Abby Barson at life@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.