ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - More than 100 people gathered to run and get powdered in the inaugural Dreams in Motion Color Run on the morning of Sunday, Oct. 20.

This event was a fundraiser to help raise funds for youth sports and scholarships for graduating seniors in the Elk Grove Unified School District. It was organized by RISE Women of Elk Grove. RISE stands for “Refer, Inspire, Serve and Empower.”

The color run was held at Elk Grove High School. Although many of the runners gathered on the track surrounding the football field, the main course was held on the field adjacent to the stadium where there were people shooting out the colored powder. An obstacle course and a bubble machine also awaited runners. 

Jill Johnson, one of the co-founders of RISE Women of Elk Grove, said that for its first year, this event had a great turnout.

“I thought it was amazing,” Johnson said. “It was our first year doing it and I didn’t see anything go wrong. Everybody was having a good time and cheering everybody on. I thought it was a great turnout.”

Johnson said that two days prior to the event, funds raised had reached $9,000, and with some people having registered at the last minute, the numbers likely exceeded $10,000.

Many people ended the run covered in colored powder. Some who took part in this event were from other cities. Elizabeth Penaloza of Stockton said she had heard about the event online and that she had fun participating. Penaloza took her baby on a stroller through the course, but said she was well-prepared by putting some plastic over the stroller.

“It’s great, it’s kid-friendly, so I was able to take my time with it and it was very fun,” Penaloza said.

Although the main run was completed at a certain time, the festivities were far from over. Many vendor booths were set up on the football field and some of them provided games for people to win prizes. There were also a couple of bounce houses set up for children.

Joe Kelley, owner of Golden Bray Mortgage Group, one of the event’s sponsors, said that this event supported a great cause to help raise money for the community.

“I think it’s a fantastic event for a great cause,” Kelley said. “RISE Women of Elk Grove getting and raising money for the community and highlighting women’s organizations, it’s fantastic and they provided a great community event.”

Brittany Davis, one of the co-founders of RISE Women of Elk Grove, said that for it being the first color run in Elk Grove, it was successful. She said there was great feedback and it was great to see people covered in color and with smiles on their faces. 

Davis said that although she was eager to count how much money was raised, this event was really about testing the market to see if people want this kind of event in Elk Grove. 

“According to some feedback, it seems like the people can’t wait for this event to happen again next year,” Davis said. “We’re excited for this to become an annual event.”