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Color Run 5K supports international students, celebrates Holi at CSU

Angelina Hamlin, Staff Reporter

March 31, 2025

Collegian | Garrett Mogel

Participants run in Colorado State University’s third annual International 5K Color Run on The Oval March 29. The Indian Students Association alongside the International Enrollment Center and Office of International Programs hosted the run to celebrate the Hindu spring holiday of Holi, with proceeds going to international enrollment scholarships.

On Saturday, March 29, Colorado State University’s International Enrollment Center, the Indian Students Association and the Office of International Programs collaborated to put on the 2025 International 5K Color Run.

Participants in white racing T-shirts congregated on the northeast side of The Oval before the race’s start time of 10 a.m. A loudspeaker played music while a registration table next to the check-in table allowed any last-minute runners to get in on the fun.

Mary Swing, an international admissions analyst working at the registration table, said 10 to 15 participants signed up on Saturday morning, which was fewer than in 2024. Total registration numbers were around 500, according to Nick Jurney, the assistant director of international marketing and communications at the IEC.

“There (were) a lot of conflicts around the world. (The race) was branded as the Run for Relief, so it was a way for us to directly support students on our campus whose home countries were being affected by conflict.” -Nick Jurney, international marketing and communications assistant director

March 14 was the preferred sign-up deadline, giving participants the best chance of getting their correct T-shirt size. It also gave them time to participate in the sticker challenge.

Relying on the honor system, sticker challenge participants walked or ran an average of 8,000 steps a day or more from the time they registered through the day of the race. The stickers cost $5 and were for sale at the race. Half of the proceeds from sticker sales went to the ISA.

Amanda Graff throws paint powder at runners participating in the third annual International 5k Color Run on the Colorado State University Oval March 29. The Indian Students Association alongside the International Enrollment Center and the Office of International Programs hosted the run to celebrate the Hindu spring holiday of Holi, with proceeds going to international enrollment scholarships. (The Collegian | Garrett Mogel)

The Color Run has been happening in some form at CSU since 2023. In its first year, it was just an international-themed 5K.

“There (were) a lot of conflicts around the world,” Jurney said. “(The race) was branded as the Run for Relief, so it was a way for us to directly support students on our campus whose home countries were being affected by conflict.”

For the past two years, the ISA has helped guide core aspects of Holi, a Hindu festival celebrating colors, love and spring, which was celebrated March 12-14 this year. Members also threw color powder at race participants as they ran by.

“These are all my friends, and we’re having a lot of fun,” said Swetam Sinha, a second-year doctorate student and a member of the ISA. “We didn’t get a chance to celebrate Holi when it was during the Holi day, but this is good.”

Sinha was a volunteer, throwing color at participants as they ran past her. She was one of the most color-covered people at the event, along with the other volunteers.

“I absolutely love it,” said Hazara Leon, a staff member at the OIP. “It’s a great way for our students, like our international students, to show us their culture in a fun and outdoors way that connects really well with Fort Collins.”

A participant runs through a cloud of paint powder during the third annual International 5k Color Run on the Colorado State University Oval March 29. The Indian Students Association alongside the International Enrollment Center and the Office of International Programs hosted the run to celebrate the Hindu spring holiday of Holi with proceeds going to international enrollment scholarships. (The Collegian | Garrett Mogel)

The event was popular with both serious runners and those just wanting to have a good time and get colorful, like Avery Ciccarone, a CSU senior who said she wouldn’t normally consider herself a runner.

A participant runs through a cloud of paint powder during the third annual International 5k Color Run at the Colorado State University Oval run by people throwing paint powder March. 29. The Indian Students Association alongside the International Enrollment center and International Programs hosted the run to celebrate the Spring holiday of Holi with proceeds going to international enrollment scholarships. (Collegian | Garrett Mogel)

While many of the race’s participants were CSU students, Jurney estimated that around half of the participants were from the larger Fort Collins community. Parents jogged with babies and toddlers in strollers, young children bounced around the color powder station trying to get as colorful as possible and even older couples with their dogs took part in the race.

The race started and ended in front of Laurel Hall before following the CSU Homecoming 5K route, heading south and west around campus before circling back to The Oval.

Eighty cents of every dollar that participants paid in entry fees — which were $15 for CSU students and kids under 12 and $30 for adults — went to international enrollment scholarship funds. International students don’t qualify for much of the financial aid that is available to domestic students, as most of that aid is offered by the federal government.

“We come across some students who really need $1,000 or $2,000 to make their goal a reality, so this fund kind of helps us fill those gaps for students who just need a little bit of extra help to get over the finish line to ensure that they can come to CSU,” Jurney said. “So that’s been really rewarding and powerful for us in our office.”

The IEC and OIP are hoping to continue the fun by making the race an annual event.

Reach Angelina Hamlin at life@collegian.com or on Twitter @CSUCollegian.

About the Contributor

Garrett Mogel, Photo Director

Garrett Mogel is a fourth-year journalism student with a second field of study in philosophy. He is one of two photo directors for the 2024-25 school year. Growing up in Colorado and surrounded by dreamlike landscapes and adventure sports, it was only a matter of time before Mogel picked up a camera. For over a decade, he explored Colorado, ported rivers, postholed through several feet of snow, rappelled over cliffs and skinned up mountains, all with a camera in hand. Through his adventures, Mogel began attaching stories to images and engaging viewers in conversation about their favorite areas. Eventually, Mogel’s passion for photography and storytelling drew him to pursue a degree and career in photojournalism. In his time at Colorado State University, Mogel has worked with The Collegian every year. In progressing through the publication, Mogel has seen all the ways student media fosters growth, both individually and through collaboration. Additionally, the opportunity to witness how impactful a story can be on a personal, organizational and community level is his greatest lesson thus far. Beyond The Collegian, Mogel still finds time to appreciate his Colorado upbringing. When not on assignment, he can usually be found mountain biking, skiing, camping, river surfing or at home planning his next adventure.

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