Newcastle Colour Obstacle Rush: ‘I felt like I was releasing my inner child’

The Colour Obstacle Rush 2023 arrived in Newcastle on Saturday, June 10. The event was held at Newcastle Racecourse, and many residents of the city and surrounding areas were there to take part in the incredibly fun 5K course.

I decided to take part in the event myself for the very first time. The Colour Obstacle Rush travels the country every summer, and Newcastle is always on their list of cities that will host. The event has always appealed to me, given how exciting and fun it seemed, but this year is the first time I actually took the courage to sign up.

I also signed up for the event in order to raise funds and awareness of North East charity Love, Amelia. The charity which was established in 2018, offers practical support to babies, children and their families who are experiencing poverty, in honour of the founder’s first child Amelia, who sadly passed away 12 minutes after birth. I took part alongside my two sisters, who also raised money for Love, Amelia. 

When the day arrived for The Colour Obstacle Rush, I was so excited but also a little nervous due to my fitness levels not being as good as I would like them to be. However, I did not need to worry at all - although the course can be quite strenuous, there is no judgement on how long you take and whether you walk between obstacle courses (which I must admit, I did).

We were given a ‘swag bag’, which included a Colour Obstacle Rush t-shirt, sunglasses, bandana and colour packet.

The ‘festival’ area of the event included a stage with entertainment, a bar and various food vendors. This space was to be used before and after the course, to warm up, have fun, and use the colour packets.

The colour packets consisted of a power-like substance in various colours and were used to throw on ourselves and each other. Watching all of the colour in the air before it landed, was a mesmerising experience.

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Before the course had even begun, I was already having so much fun. The colour throws were a definite highlight, but we also got an official warm up from one of the entertainers on the stage, which was set to high-energy music.

When it came to the actual course, I did not anticipate quite how fun it would be. It was made up of 13 ‘obstacles’ which were huge inflatables. I felt like I was releasing my inner child, and I cheerfully jumped, slid (and fell, quite a few times) through each bouncy inflatable obstacle.

When we finally finished the course, which took us around two hours due to walking the 5K and queuing for courses, we felt elated at completing it. The endorphins were flowing, and although we were exhausted, we felt fantastic!

We relaxed on the grass of the festival area afterwards, with some delicious food and a drink.

Love, Amelia presented us with a certificate, as a way to thank us for completing the course for them, which was a lovely touch.

I had such an amazing time that I will definitely be signing up to take part again next year!