Has anyone done a color run

Melissaol
Melissaol Posts: 948 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I just signed up for a color run in Sept. Just wondering what to except...

Replies

  • donyellemoniquex3
    donyellemoniquex3 Posts: 2,384 Member
    No.
  • angf0679
    angf0679 Posts: 1,120 Member
    I've never done it, but two of my friends did it last fall. They did it on a Sat. Both came to church on Sunday with dye still on their face or hair.
  • Platform_Heels
    Platform_Heels Posts: 388 Member
    I did one last year and it was a blast. It's not timed and it is completely low-key and just a lot of fun. Wear clothes that you don't mind tossing later on and wear WHITE!! Also when you go through the color stations slow down or even stop to get the most color coverage.
  • liljen69
    liljen69 Posts: 45
    Yes, I have. I'm not sure where you live or the location of the run, but I'd say take public transportation. Lots of people and the parking was insane. I'm thankful that I took the trolley.

    The color will get every where but that's the point, right? It even went through my socks and shoes. The color did not come all the way out of my clothes (including my bra).

    You can walk or run since they aren't timed. No sense in rushing the fun. Skip around, dance, etc. Stay to the side -- or even stop at the color stations -- if you really want to be covered with color. The middle doesn't get as much since people are throwing it from the sides.

    If you have asthma, you might want to have a cloth to cover your mouth and nose as you run through all the color dust.

    Keep your mouth closed if your friend throws an entire packet of green in your face. ;)

    Have fun!
  • conidiring
    conidiring Posts: 230 Member
    I did one last year and it was a blast. It's not timed and it is completely low-key and just a lot of fun. Wear clothes that you don't mind tossing later on and wear WHITE!! Also when you go through the color stations slow down or even stop to get the most color coverage.


    Yes, this. Very fun!

    Also, add that we brought a change of clothes, towels and a garbage bag to put the dirty clothes in afterward. Otherwise, it would have gotten all over our car too!
  • EmmieBaby
    EmmieBaby Posts: 1,235 Member
    I did one last year (and another this year) its so much fun.

    tips:

    1. wear as much white as posible
    2. wear sunglasses if you can to protect your eyes
    3. get there early it will get packed fast
    4. its not a competitive run, its a fun run...so be prepared to do more walking then running
    5. most important..HAVE FUN!

    and the color is corn starch so don't worry about swallowing some, tastes like flour.
  • kellybailey18400
    kellybailey18400 Posts: 5 Member
    I just did the Cosmic Run here in St. Louis (same as color run but at night)...it was my first "color" run and was alot of fun...it was a little unorganized, it was untimed, so I just had my stopwatch going on my phone so I knew somewhat what my pace was, however there were no mile markers, but that may be different for your race. There were ALOT of walkers, so alot of dodging people to get ahead went on....but other than that it was alot of fun and I would do it again!
  • chemteacher1987
    chemteacher1987 Posts: 68 Member
    I did one last year and have signed up for one this year. My time was 43 minutes last year, hoping to do better this time around. There are definitely a lot of people, so be prepared for that.
  • CallMeCupcakeDammit
    CallMeCupcakeDammit Posts: 9,377 Member
    ^^^ All that! It will be in places you can't even imagine when you take your clothes off. I took a towel to put down on my seats. The one I did was pretty easy to get to, and we were able to pay for parking in advance. My socks still turn blue from my sneakers, and I did mine in November.
  • RachelHoffman0709
    RachelHoffman0709 Posts: 101 Member
    Did it. Loved it. Doing it again. :love:

    It gets packed so fast. They release the runners in waves, and unless you want to be there all day waiting for your wave to be released, get there early to be in one of the first waves.

    Have fun!!
  • bmgriffis1
    bmgriffis1 Posts: 3
    I did one last year with my daughters and have signed up for another in May. It was a lot of fun! I did have trouble getting the color out of my shoes but the colors came out of my clothing pretty easy. There were a lot of runners but there was probably jusr as many walkers
  • lwanbaugh81
    lwanbaugh81 Posts: 70 Member
    I just did the Run or Dye in Kansas City for my first ever 5K. We walked and ran about half and half, everyone was very supportive and there were all different fitness levels there.
  • aplhabetacheesecake
    aplhabetacheesecake Posts: 181 Member
    I am doing our local run or dye in August!
  • raisealittlehell
    raisealittlehell Posts: 341 Member
    I did one 2 years ago. A lot of Fun! It rained the day that I was doing it, which helped the color stick better. As other people have suggested wear white, don't wear clothing that you are afraid to get ruined because the color doesn't come out! (this includes bras/ socks!) It is not "timed" but I know that I personally ran the whole thing, but know that there will be a lot of people that are walking. It is supposed to be a fun run so get into the spirit.

    Also, if you bring your phone, make sure to keep it in a ziplock bag to keep the color from getting into it. Bring trash bags to line your car seats (if you drive) so that you don't get color all over the seats.

    Most importantly, have fun with it. The color zones are great and they use them as mile markers of sorts. It is cornstarch based so if you swallow it its not the end of the world. I just held my breathe while I ran through the zones!
  • samanthahix12
    samanthahix12 Posts: 179
    I ran my first one last weekend and it was tons of fun!

    I would get there early as others suggested and wear the shirt they provide you with because it's all white.

    Again, it's not timed so you just get to have fun. There are four different color stations that you run through: yellow, blue, pink & purple. If you want to get covered in color, stay to the sides but close your mouth!!

    At the end, they have a color party and you get one packet of color. They will tell you when you should open it and throw it in the air with all of the other finishers, I was COVERED in cornstarch when I was finished.

    If you take a phone, put it in a plastic ziplock bag or something and definitely cover your car seats and wipe your hands with something before you drive. My steering wheel was blue for a while.

    When you get home, you'll have to do some serious scrubbing to get everything off but I would definitely do it all over again!

    ETA: We did a few pre-washes with oxyclean and all of the color came out! Even our shoes. ;)
  • starznholes
    starznholes Posts: 170 Member
    I did last year, tons of fun! I did "Color Me Rad", the only thing the color powders stained was my white Nike's. I still have some blue and orange on them but they were old. Definitely don't wear anything of importance to you because it will most likely change color. However, it washed out of all my clothes- no problem. WEAR WHITE. Don't forget to wear glasses/sunglasses and keep your mouth shut because it's no fun to have a mouth full of gross powder.
  • nurssassy
    nurssassy Posts: 71 Member
    I've done several "color" runs. There was a different experience with each. None were chip timed and the Cosmic Run wasn't timed
    at all. I also agree that the Cosmic Run was very poorly organized which led to a less then fun experience.

    What to expect?

    A LOT of walkers who have not learned good race etiquette. Be prepared to dodge and stop short. :grumble:

    Your sneakers will never be the same color. (I use retired sneakers for color and mud runs)

    Wear white!

    Depending on the color packs your skin may be stained for a few days. Plan accordingly ( I endured green and purple toes and armpits on vacation after the Sparkle Run) :ohwell:

    Slow down and enjoy the color stations for the best post race pics

    Again, wear white!!!

    Try to slow your breathing (hold your breath if you can) at color stations or there is a good chance of being afflicted with "rainbow" snot.

    It's a fun run so bring friends and have fun.

    If I haven't mentioned it yet, wear white!

    My favorite color run was Color Me Rad. The color packs had a nice smell, it didn't stain my skin, and for a fun run it was fairly organized.

    Have a blast on your color run :smile:
  • bsoxluvr
    bsoxluvr Posts: 183 Member
    I'm doing on this Saturday so this is a perfect post! Thanks for all the tips ;)
  • aarar
    aarar Posts: 684 Member
    I signed up with my 6 year old son for Run or Dye this August. It's his first race and my first colour run. We're both really excited!
  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
    SO damn fun! I am doing ti again this year!
  • rainbow198
    rainbow198 Posts: 2,245 Member
    I did the Color Run last summer (my first 5K) and it was so much fun!

    Make sure you wear white and bring a beach towel for your car for after the event to keep your seats clean.

    I'm signing up this year again and going to try to go to another one that's not too far from me.
  • Melissaol
    Melissaol Posts: 948 Member
    I'm really excited!,
  • runnergirl0721
    runnergirl0721 Posts: 2,289 Member
    I've done 2- I did the color run in 2012 and then i did color me rad last year. I like them- they are fun, untimed races, and have a very fun and encouraging atmosphere. :) good luck with it!
  • JenToms80
    JenToms80 Posts: 373 Member
    I did one last year - so much fun...enjoy! :flowerforyou:
  • ademiter
    ademiter Posts: 176 Member
    I did one last year and it was AWESOME!!!! It was a blast!! It was a fun run, then afterward you get to enjoy the concert! It's family friendly and just a good time overall. I've signed myself and my soon to be 8 year old daughter up for one in July!

    I was shocked though at how many people actually RUN the race. It's not timed, so it's not like it's competitive. I had to weave in and out of people the whole way through.

    Tips - Wear a white shirt. Bring a towel and a change of clothes (down to even your underwear, socks and shoes). My sister n law brought up yowis (those things you put around your neck that you can pull up over your neck and ears) so that we wouldn't worry about ingesting the color (which is nothing but colored baking soda/powder). OR you could just hold your breath while going through the color stations (there's about 4-5 in all). And get as dirty as you can!!! lol That makes for some great pictures at the end!!! Most of all HAVE FUN!!!!!
  • Jenky85
    Jenky85 Posts: 190 Member
    I'm doing the London one in June. Excited! I've been in India during Holi so know what to expect regarding the dye and staining :happy:
  • Libi_KK
    Libi_KK Posts: 572 Member
    *bump*

    bumping for later.
  • ShibaEars
    ShibaEars Posts: 3,928 Member
    Yes! I did one last July - and I'm doing it again this summer. It was a lot of fun - I was on a team with about 8 people. If you can, get some other people to sign up with you. Throwing coloured powder at strangers is okay, but it's way more fun pelting your family/friends with it :bigsmile:

    as mentioned above, a change of clothes is a good idea, but if it's set up like where I was, there isn't really anywhere to change except for cramped porta potties. At the very least bring clean shoes & a towel/blanket to cover your car's seats with.

    ETA: The colour didn't come off as easily as I had thought. It didn't come out of the shirt I wore at all - and because it was hot and I was sweaty, it stained even darker. So make sure you wear something you don't mind throwing away if the colour doesn't come out.

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