Colors for prevention: More than 130 participate in Sexual Assault Awareness Month 'color fusion' po

A new color fusion portion to the Marine Corps Community Services Henderson Hall's annual Spring Salute 5K race April 13 generated nearly double the usual amount of participants from previous years, according to one of the color fusion event's coordinators.

"There were about 138 participants," said Wendy G. Kelly, Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Coordinator at Headquarters and Service Battalion, Headquarters Marine Corps on the Henderson Hall portion of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. "It was more than what we anticipated. Usually the…run produces about 70 to 80 people."

The color fusion portion of the race, which was voluntary for race participants, was in recognition of April as Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month as well as Child Abuse Prevention Month, according to Kelly. Color fusion participants were issued sunglasses and bandannas -- limited protection from the course's colored powder-throwing sideliners who doused participants with pink and baby blue powders.

The race course took participants through the Henderson Hall and Fort Myer portions of the joint base, starting and ending at the Cpl. Terry L. Smith Gymnasium on Henderson Hall.

Kelly added that the color fusion was immensely popular, generating participants from George Washington University's Uniformed Victim Advocate team and about 10 children participants from the Cody Child Development Center on Fort Myer.

Officials results from the race included top male finishers Eric Smith (17:39), Kurt Rorvik (18:58) and Nick Wong (18:59), while top female finishers included Yuko Whitestone (21:32), Sarah Culbertson (22:17) and Michelle Ponce (22:31).

Kelly said that the color fusion portion of the race is likely to return next year and, if it receives enough participants, may even rate its own separate road race in the OohRah! Run Series.