If you’re not a fan of colors, then you should have stayed off of Heritage Campus on Nov. 17. The Huffin’ for Stuffin’ color run woke the gray morning up with vibrant colors and plenty of stomping feet.
Some runners were looking to be one of the first 50 finishers, all of whom won a T-shirt. It wasn’t just fun for some folks, however. One participant, liberal arts major Phillip Hernandez, saw the run as a victory lap.
“I’m recovering from a liver transplant from two years ago,” Hernandez said.
The transplant acted as a source of inspiration for him.
“It motivated me,” Hernandez said. “It reminded me of where I was and where I’m at now.”
There was passion driving him as well.
“I love running,” Hernandez said. “When I found out it was here at school and it was free, I was looking forward to it.”
The two-lap race was quick, and runners started crossing the finish line in a short time. First place went to Manuel Garcia, who almost missed his chance at the top.
“I almost took a wrong turn at the end, but someone gave me a heads up that I was going the wrong way,” Garcia said. “I finished strong and I felt good.”
All in all, Garcia enjoyed the run.
“Partially, I love running,” Garcia said. “But it’s also good vibes, just to be out with a lot of cool people to get out and exercise and do something fun.”
Kinesiology major Eliana Canavacholo also noted a positive experience.
“It was pretty good,” Canavacholo said. “I enjoyed it.”
One part of it was the run itself, but her surroundings influenced her outlook as well.
“Everybody’s energy was really cool,” Canavacholo said. “It felt free.”
Delving deeper, she cites the apparent positive mood as being beneficial for everyone.
“The energy of everybody here encouraging other people to do it, it’s all around great energy for everybody,” Canavacholo said.
Nursing major Natalie Merkord felt a similar response to her surroundings.
“Everyone was very friendly, it was very interactive,” Merkord said.
She also felt good about having a chance to get up and move.
“I also like the fact that it’s getting people up,” Merkord said. “It gets people up early in the day, it gets them doing something active in their day.”
Given the good energy around her and the positive feelings toward the run itself, Merkord is willing to run again when the opportunity arises.
“It’s a fun activity, you’re getting colored,” Merkord said. “It was a really good time; I would do it again next year.”
