The Color Run returns to downtown Asheville Saturday, July 25, bringing not only thousands of laughing runners covered in paint but also street closings and ART bus route detours.
The Color Run is a 5K race in which participants are doused from head to toe in different colors along the way. They start out wearing white and they end up plastered in color. The Asheville Color Run is sponsored by the YMCA, so it starts at 7:45 a.m. Saturday at the downtown Y, 30 Woodfin St. Waves of runners will go off every few minutes until 9 a.m. Some 7,000 runners are expected to participate.
The event will feature music, dancing, warmup stretching and giveaways. Participants will enjoy an after-party near the YMCA once they complete the course. Part of the proceeds from the event will benefit the YMCA.
Street closings
The Color Run begins at Woodfin and Central and finishes in the downtown YMCA parking lot. Some streets may be closed as early as 5:30 a.m. for setup. Streets should reopen by 10:30 a.m.
The route runs from Central to Chestnut Street to Charlotte Street, then turns on Evelyn Place where it proceeds to Murdock Avenue; from there the route turns right on Hillside and then heads up North Liberty Street back to the downtown Y. Here is a map of the route.
Bus route impact
Due to the Color Run closure of Charlotte Street Saturday, the City of Asheville’s ART (Asheville Redefines Transit) service on Route N between 7:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. will;
- Provide an express trip from the Transit Station to the Grove Park Inn. Riders should just notify the route N driver or the Transit Station attendant that they need to go to the Grove Park Inn.
- Detour route N off of Charlotte St. Route N will follow the posted schedule but will not be able to serve Charlotte St, (north of College St.) nor Macon Ave.
- If riders need to be picked up at the Grove Park Inn or on Macon Ave, they need to call (828) 772-4302. Due to the Color Run closure of Charlotte St., ART will not be able to access bus-stops on Charlotte St.
- All bus-stops on Charlotte St. (north of College St.) and Macon Ave. will not be able to be served during the event.
For more information about ART call (828)253-5691, e-mail iride@ashevillenc.gov or visit www.ridetheart.com.
And now, a video
Called the Happiest 5K on the Planet, the Color Run hosted more than 300 events in more than 50 countries in 2014. Here is a video from Asheville’s 2014 Color Run.
The Asheville Color Run 5K will start at 7:45 a.m. Saturday, July 25, at 30 Woodfin St. in downtown Asheville.