Sgt. Ruff’s Color Run unleashes an explosion of color

Sgt. Ruff’s Color Run, hosted by Shepherds for Sheepdogs, Inc., at the Lenoir Rotary Soccer Complex on Nov. 8, 2025. -Courtesy of Catherine Hartzler

Green and yellow dust fills the air, like smoke over a battlefield.

When the dust settles, a company of recruits comes into view, all eager to cross the front line.

When their leader, dressed in OD green, gives the command, the mass of foot soldiers charge forward. Their white uniform shirts become soiled as they come under fire from both sides, getting pummeled with a cloud of multi-colored powder.

Nearly 200 people took part in the inaugural Sgt. Ruff’s Color Run on Saturday. The event, hosted by Shepherds for Sheepdogs, brought in people from all over the country and from other parts of the world.

“Me and my husband, we’re missionaries in Belize. We came back to help get ready for this weekend,” Shepherds for Sheepdogs board member and U.S. Army Veteran Leanne Cook said. “There was somebody from New York, Indiana, there’s just people from all over.”

The event began at 9:15 a.m. with the benediction, the national anthem and a color guard presentation by the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard.

The event featured two races, the one-mile ‘Pup Run’ that began at 9:30 a.m. and the 5K ‘Big Dawg’ race at 10:00 a.m.

The race began and ended at the Lenoir Rotary Soccer Complex parking lot, traveling along the City of Lenoir Greenway.

Lenoir resident Hailey Davis, 20, finishes the race on Sept. 8, 2025

Children and their parents get ready to start the one-mile ‘Pup Run’ on Sept. 8, 2025.

Charlotte resident Ashley Caines, 26, and her two dogs get ready for the ‘Big Dawg’ 5K race.

Lenoir resident Brooke Greene, right, smiles while preparing for the start of the ‘Big Dawg’ race.

Taylors, SC resident Alex Farley, 30, runs through plumes of powder at the end of the Big Dawg race.

Lenoir resident Debbie Beane, 65, holds up her gold, first place dog tag at the end of the race.

Throughout the course, runners made their way through multiple color points, each flanked by a garrison of powder-wielding volunteers, converting their white t-shirts and headbands into tie-dye. Contestants added to the clouds of color, throwing up handfuls of powder from the bags they were issued at the start, some using the food-grade, non-toxic colored powder to decorate the clothing and faces of their friends and loved ones.

All the benefits from the race are being used to support Shepherds for Sheepdogs’ mission to donate service dogs to disabled veterans and first responders. To date, they have donated 17 dogs to individuals across the Southeast United States.

“Some people need a purpose. When they come out of the military, they don’t have it. So sometimes these dogs are the thing that gets these guys back into real life. I’ve lost, personally, more friends that have gotten out [of the military] to suicide, depression, anxiety, drinking, drugs, than I lost when I was in,” Shepherds for Sheepdogs board member and U.S. Army veteran Brad Cooke said. “It means a ton. I’ve seen people react with these animals. I see them come out of real dark places. They have a reason to purchase something to take care of, to protect, its a blessing to be able to do it.”

This year’s event was able to raise enough money to further the nonprofit’s mission.

“We’ve hit our dog goal for the year. We’ve got six people selected, already moving through, and we will have paid for six dogs to train in 2025,” Shepherds for Sheepdogs President Nicole Davis said.