1 of 16
Erica Techo
Oak Mountain Color Run participants toss colored powder into the air at the conclusion of the 5K on March 17, 2018. This year, the race saw its largest turnout in event history.
2 of 16
Erica Techo
Oak Mountain Color Run participants toss color powder on each other prior to the start of the 5K on March 17, 2018. This year's color run saw the largest turnout in race history, raising around $22,000.
3 of 16
Erica Techo
Oak Mountain Color Run participants pause for a photo prior to the start of the 5K on March 17, 2018. This year's color run had hundreds of runners and raised around $22,000.
4 of 16
Erica Techo
Oak Mountain Color Run founders Mollie Shealy (right) and Mandy Kelly (left) speak prior to the start of the 5K on March 17, 2018. Shealy and Kelly started the race during their senior year at Oak Mountain High School.
5 of 16
Erica Techo
The Oak Mountain Color Run took place on March 17, 2018. This was the largest race in event history, and it raised nearly $22,000.
6 of 16
Erica Techo
The Oak Mountain Color Run took place on March 17, 2018. This was the largest race in event history, and it raised nearly $22,000.
7 of 16
Erica Techo
The Oak Mountain Color Run took place on March 17, 2018. This was the largest race in event history, and it raised nearly $22,000.
8 of 16
Erica Techo
The Oak Mountain Color Run took place on March 17, 2018. This was the largest race in event history, and it raised nearly $22,000.
9 of 16
Erica Techo
The Oak Mountain Color Run took place on March 17, 2018. This was the largest race in event history, and it raised nearly $22,000.
10 of 16
Erica Techo
Oak Mountain Color Run founders Mollie Shealy (left) and Mandy Kelly (right) pose for a photo after the race on March 17, 2018. Shealy and Kelly started the race during their senior year at Oak Mountain High School.
11 of 16
Erica Techo
Oak Mountain Color Run participants toss colored powder into the air at the conclusion of the 5K on March 17, 2018. This year, the race saw its largest turnout in event history.
12 of 16
Erica Techo
The Oak Mountain Color Run took place on March 17, 2018. This was the largest race in event history, and it raised nearly $22,000.
13 of 16
Erica Techo
The Oak Mountain Color Run took place on March 17, 2018. This was the largest race in event history, and it raised nearly $22,000.
14 of 16
Erica Techo
The Oak Mountain Color Run took place on March 17, 2018. This was the largest race in event history, and it raised nearly $22,000.
15 of 16
Erica Techo
Oak Mountain Color Run participants pause for a photo prior to the start of the 5K on March 17, 2018. This year's color run had hundreds of runners and raised around $22,000.
16 of 16
Erica Techo
Oak Mountain Color Run participants toss color powder on each other prior to the start of the 5K on March 17, 2018. This year's color run saw the largest turnout in race history, raising around $22,000.
This year, the Oak Mountain Color Run saw its largest crowd in race history, attracting around 300 runners and raising nearly $22,000.
Even with gloomy weather, runners turned out ready to run through clouds of colored powder on March 17. Some runners were decked out in green for St. Patrick's Day, ready to be covered in more colors before the race ended.
Prior to the start of the race, founders and Oak Mountain High School graduates Mollie Shealy and Mandy Kelly thanked everyone for helping the race grow. In its first year, the race lost $200, Shealy said, but she was proud to see the turnout and money raised this year. Shealy asked attendees to raise their hand if they knew someone who had cancer or was affected by it. Most of the crowd put their hands up.
"It's sad. Cancer sucks," said Shealy. "But that's why we're here running today. For cancer, for UAB."
The money raised by the race benefit cancer research at the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center.