Color Blast 5k Aug 23

Sweat is your body's way of letting you cool off during a workout and slide home on your belly afterward. Get a running start with this Groupon.

• $45 for race registration into the Active Care Color Blast 5K for one (a $90 value)
• $75 for race registration into the Active Care Color Blast 5K for one for two (a $180 value)

The race takes place on Saturday, August 23 at 10 a.m., and proceeds benefit Clearbrook, a non-profit providing programs and services to children and adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities. Race organizers give each participant a cotton t-shirt, one pair of sunglasses, a racing bib, and a goody bag. They also supply optional face masks. Volunteers wait at color stations along the 5K route, where they toss safe, colorful powders. Alternatively, participants can choose to walk a shorter, one-mile route. At the finish line, runners toss more bags of color into the air in a colorful kickoff to a post-race celebration that includes food, drinks, and a DJ. Participants may run with strollers, and all ages are welcome; kids three and under get free entry.

The finish line is a blur of color. Every runner and walker that arrives at Active CareColorBlast 5K's end point looks like he or she just escaped in slow motion from an exploding chalk factory. In addition to sporting this prismatic new fashion statement, they all seem to have smiles on their faces. That's because the event is more of a celebration than a competition—getting as much color as you can takes precedent over getting the best time you can. In fact, lingering at key points along the 5k route is encouraged. It's at these locations, named color stations, that volunteers toss colored powder—which is made from completely natural and biodegradable food-grade cornstarch—towards the participants, turning their white t-shirts into something akin to tie-die.

More hues wait at the finish line, where group color throws begin immediately after the race's end. As the vibrant cloud rises above the crowd, it announces a collective victory, not just for each participant but the community as a whole. 100% of proceeds from each Color Blast 5k benefits Clearbrook's programs and services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Annually, the charity supports more than 6,000 individuals as well as their families in 13 counties, in over 160 communities and 50 locations throughout Chicago and the suburbs.