Life in technicolor Published May 2, 2013 By 1st Lt. Angela Martin 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- More than 250 people dressed in white T-shirts stepped to the starting line of the Travis Color Run April 27 ready to be doused in bright shades of blue, purple, green, yellow and pink. The 5K run and 1.5-mile walk, hosted by the Travis Fitness Center and Exchange, featured five color stations where volunteers covered participants with a total of 250 pounds of dyed cornstarch. According to the official Color Run website, the first run debuted in January 2012. Since then, there have been more than 50 color run events and more than 600,000 participants. The event coordinators were inspired by the color run trend sweeping the nation and wanted to provide the base with an affordable opportunity to participate in the run, said Staff Sgt. Khacy Lava, Travis Fitness Center special events coordinator. With registration prices set at $25 for individuals, $20 per person participating in teams of four and children under age 12 free, registration sold out at the fitness center within two days. Registration fees paid for an event T-shirt, sunglasses and a chance at winning door prizes. "I had an idea that people would be interested, but didn't realize how quickly people would register," said Maj. Cynthia Mitchell, 60th Diagnostics and Therapeutics Squadron Nutritional Medicine Flight. During the run, participants could be seen dodging flying colors of blue and yellow, rolling in traces of pink cornstarch on the ground and running with hair and faces caked with various colors. "I had fun, but I covered my face with my shirt and avoided the paint," said April Takahashi. After the run, participants enjoyed live music, food, refreshments and prizes including gift cards and an iPad mini. "This is my greatest achievement at Travis," Lava said. "Everything I hoped for happened and had a tremendous support from our sponsors and squadrons throughout the base."