According to Rebecca J. Donatelle’s book “My Health: An Outcomes Approach,” more than 68 percent of adults in the United States are considered overweight, and some St. Thomas students are using themed runs as motivation to stay active.

The most popular of the themed runs is the “Color Run,” a five-kilometer race where participants are sprayed with colored chalk. More than 1 million Color Run participants compete in the 100 events nation-wide, according to the event’s website. The Color Run’s first event was held in January 2012.

Senior Callan Faulkner participated in her first Color Run last June.

“I had never done an organized run before, so I kind of wanted my first one to be fun,” Faulkner said. “It was kind of a last minute decision, but I was free and it was warm out so we got tickets the night before.”

Faulkner said the Color Run is more about having fun with your family and friends than competing in a race.

“Every kilometer there was a shot of new color,” Faulkner said. “Once you hit the first mark, there’s a bunch of people with a sort of chalk coloring in bottles and are basically chucking it at you. At the very end, there’s a huge stage with loud music.”

Many runners like to wear brand name running clothes during races, but at the Color Run, Faulkner suggests otherwise.

“I would just wear a white v-neck or a white tank top and shorts that you don’t really care too much about,” Faulkner said. “They said that the colored chalk is washable, but realistically, it didn’t completely come out.”

The Warrior Dash is also popular among St. Thomas students. Sophomore Annie Lindberg completed along with her fellow St. Thomas dance team members in September.

“We wanted the Warrior Dash to be the first team bonding thing we would do for the season and to help our cardio for the season,” Lindberg said.

Instead of colored chalk, the Warrior Dash forces participants to get dirty in mud.

“At first, our coach just signed us all up and didn’t even tell us,” Lindberg said. “We were really nervous, but then we started to get a lot more excited.”

The Warrior Dash also has different types of obstacles each contestant must endure to complete the course.

“At the end, there was a bunch of barbed wire,” Lindberg said. “You had to slide into these mud pits and pretty much swim and kneel in mud and water.”

Health and Wellness Center graduate assistant Casey Speaker said themed runs are a great way to get exercise and are a good motivator for students.

“I think they are, just in general, fun runs to do,” Speaker said. “It’s like allowing ourselves to be little kids again and go play in the mud or get color sprayed all over us.”

Having fun while getting exercise is an appealing part of the Warrior Dash and the Color Run, but giving back to the community is another part of these races that attracts students.

“If you raise $200, you raise it through St. Jude Children’s Hospital,” Lindberg said. “If you raise the money, you get your own shower area. If you don’t raise the $200, then you get sprayed with a hose and that’s your shower. I raised the money by asking my extended family and neighbors for some donations.”

Senior Garrett Foley said he has has never participated in any type of themed run before, but he plans on signing up for the Color Run this summer.

“I looked a little more into the run and found that it is kind of a crazy, social way of helping local charities and participating in something healthy for ourselves as well,” Foley said. “It’s a pretty unique event and sounded like something that would be fun to participate in.”

Faulkner is excited to participate in the next Color Run this summer.

“Being with friends and having such a fun experience working out was my favorite part,” Faulkner said. “A lot of times people will go running, which is fine, but this was an event where people were just so excited. At the end, how often do you get to be covered in head to toe with color?”

Anne Becken can be reached at beck9626@stthomas.edu.