A splash of color

The streets of Newton will be awash in color this weekend — the annual Splash and Dash Color Run is back and bigger than ever.

The 5K race, a benefit for the cheerleading team at Newton High School, is returning for a second year, and organizer Kristin Beiner said she can’t believe how the event continues to grow.

“I think actually the day of the event, everyone is so excited, and also supporting the cheerleaders,” Beiner said. “I don’t think cheerleaders get as much credit as the other sports so it’s fun to see everyone come out and support them.”

Last year, 72 runners signed up to tour the streets of Newton while having handfuls of colored powder tossed in their direction. This year more than 75 runners have already pre-registered, and Beiner said she’s expecting the number to grow to more than 100 by the start of the race Saturday morning.

After attending another color run last year, Beiner said she wanted to bring the concept to Newton. She thought the event would be a great way to raise money for the cheerleading team.

“We were just thinking about some fundraising ideas and some brainstorming ideas,” Beiner said. “We’ve made some pretty good money with it and everybody seemed on board with it, so we decided to do it year after year.”

After the group raised more than $3,500 at last year’s event, Beiner knew she had a winner on her hands. This year she’s only added a few tweaks to the format. To make the event more accessible to children, organizers have created a shorter, one-mile section to run. Beiner said she’s hoping the shorter distance will be a draw for younger children who might be ready to run a full 5K.

“We have a lot of little kids that are interested in being in it, but they don’t want to run the 5K,” Beiner said.

A DJ will be on hand to get the crowd pumped up Saturday morning, and Beiner has organized an army of cheerleaders to toss colored powder at runners and man water stations throughout the course. Starting at the high school, the run will wind its way through Newton, before finishing back at NHS. Attendees who pre-registered will get a T-shirt as well as a pair of sunglasses to wear during the run. With more than 100 pounds of colored powder on hand, Beiner said the cheerleaders are ready to light up Newton.

“I love to see the community come together and support the cheerleaders, and just seeing everybody have a good time,” Beiner said.

NHS Cheerleading coach Heather Ross said she’s thrilled to see parents like Beiner stepping up to help organize fundraisers for the team. The color run is the team’s biggest fundraiser of the year, and Ross said the money cheerleaders raise this weekend will help fund their activities next year, including sending the team to cheerleading camp at Iowa State University this summer.

“It’ll go for camp. We do homecoming decorations at homecoming time. We decorate the school, so we need a bunch of help to cover the costs,” Ross said.

With enough money raised, cheerleaders will be able to purchase some new uniforms this year.

“We make homecoming signs for the football players, we don’t get any money and it’s expensive to pay for all of this stuff out our own pockets,” Ross said. “It’s expensive for the girls to have to pay for it themselves.”

Contact David Dolmage at
641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or ddolmage@newtondailynews.com