The Color Run 5K

They announced 10,000 runners! i don’t know about that but this year 2015 seems like its less people. it was a last minute event for me, after i found out my good friend was going, i went and tagged along. We both had a great time and pushed each other and help motivate each other when we had our struggle moments during the running course.
VOLUNTEERS
They had about 5 different color stations. They had a yellow, pink, blue, orange, and glitter station. Each station had a color and they threw color powder all over you. If you complain how you don’t get none on you, then feel free to roll around the floor and it will stick all over you haha. i try not to breathe in when i run through the color stations because it will go all up your mouth and nose. When you spit, it will be that color. Also when you blow your nose the day after the run or the next day it can be blue, pink, or yellow, or orange haha.
This year they added glitter and man oh man! i love to be shiny but after the run it will stay on a few days haha. Glitter is so hard to get ride of and will stick to your skin for a while. Also each station had about 3 to 5 people on each side and throw color powder on you. The color powder is edible so no worries about it. i think it is just food coloring flour.
EVENT LOCATION
Awesome location! each year, starts around 4^th and capitol, goes through old sac, and down to broadway and back to 5^th and capitol. The after run party which they have a guest dj to play edm which is electronic dance music, during the day time to get the party started. They also got lots of sponsor booths giving away free snacks and bottles of water, and free shirts, hats, and etc.
COURSE ROUTE
The course route was quite average. The more cautious part is in old sac where you have to run through those uneven floors where you can easily twist your ankles if you don’t watch where you step. There are some incline during the course when we ran along the side with the view of the freeway. i did feel my legs working harder than usual. Rest of the course was mostly just regular and easier than the 2 above i have mentioned. I think its a great course for you to experience if you never done a 5k.
PEOPLE
Awesome friendly people with smiles and ready to just have fun and run and get fit! Everyone was just so colorful after the run!
AFTER RUN PARTY
This is my favorite part of the run. Loved how they had a guest DJ playing electronic dance music which made my whole body shake it. Following those beats really made me sweat and gave me a good workout/​cool down after the 5k run. Also when you get to the finish line they hand out color packets. With the color packets you can throw them in the air near the main stage where they play the music. If your a photographer you will end up taking some cool shots!
Overall
If you never done a 5k run, i highly suggest you to go to one, because workout never had been so fun! you will get all excited to train yourself and get ready for the next ones. These events are great motivation! Just prepare to get colored, sweaty, and messy! one of the happiest run i have done in a while!

This is was my first time doing this and I must say I truly enjoyed it! I did not pick up my packet the night before. The line was long but I must say we up front within 5 minutes! Received my tshirt just as fast! It started about 8:15 but they did do it in sections. We walked the entire time and it was fun. If you wanted to get dusted you really could. At the end of the race after you received you medal it was color dust EVERYWHERE! People was dusting everyone. Hopefully will do again next year.

Wow. What a disappointing difference from last year’s run! We really enjoyed doing the color run last year! There was a huge abundance of help last year, the starting line up was very fast moving and definitely no lineups at the end. We saw far fewer volunteers at each of the color stations & hardly any cheering volunteers out on the course. From the time we walked thru the mingling crowds to the starting line, it was more than 20 minutes! Seriously. There was a huge backlog where someone was throwing out swag on the left side of the race entry-​way. That was bad planning there. The promo materials said 8:00am start & 8:30 close but it was nearly 9 by the time we walked past the starting ribbon. The course was clean which was nice. There was only one water station on the course which was a 5k. There were lots of friendly police officers who got colored up & folks were waiting to take pics with them! This year they decided to do finisher metals, def heavy duty & engraved with 2015 on them. But the lineups were just ridiculous! If they are doing finisher medals next year, we may forego the race! Oh, (just to remind myself) park in the Macy’s parking lot as they have validated parking. We parked in the 24 hour fitness lot & if you weren’t a member you paid full price parking! It was my bday & the 24hour gal validated it & wished me happy bday.

I’m not a big fan of paying to run, but this was pretty worth it. The biggest complaint I have is that they only cover you in color at each kilometer (5 total, obviously). You can get color packets beforehand and they give you some at the end, but having an all out color fest would make the event a lot more fun.
The run goes through some of the nicer areas of downtown Sac, so enjoy the pleasant neighborhoods. It ends at Capitol Mall where there’s a pretty cool concert and some free swag.
Be prepared to get messy because you definitely will by the end.

This is a scam. They give less than 5% to charity, and they make that charity staff the event with volunteers. They run off with hundreds of thousands every year. Don’t get fooled.

I emailed prior to tickets going on sale about how to get the $ 26/​person rate and was told a group of 4 or more would be accepted at that rate or if you signed up as VIP which I was doing both. I tried to purchase tickets right after they went on sale but that rate was never in effect. I messaged the company AGAIN and it took 3 days for a response only to tell me there were only 500 at that price. Maybe if they would have got back to me right away I would have been able to do something different but that did not happen. I was told various things from staffers and the organization does not seem to all be on the same page when it comes to answers they are giving people. Pretty disappointed in the overall outcome and will not be participating.

Minus a star for the ridiculous packet pick-​up line… Something was really holding them up… BUT…
This year they had AWESOME PHOTO OPs! There was a Kaleidascope Tour Backdrop, a Kaleidascope Backdrop, a DRUMS with Powder Backdrop, and they added the BLOWERS for getting clean after.
More MUSIC throughout the course! WHOOHOO, The locals are pretty good about blasting their music out their home windows. The cops are all either helplessly trying to stay clean, or embracing the color and joining the fun by allowing us to POLITLEY give them a little color.
Great event every year! They also had a unicorn running the track, not sure if that’s a sponsored mascot or just a Sacramentian being crazy… Crazy-​Awesome!

My first time doing a color run and I think it went well. All kinds of people do it, man, woman, kid, big, small… doesnt matter. Everyone comes out and has fun. You dont get color packets until your finished running though. As for the running… not so much. There were people running but whats the point? At each color station you have to wait and stand in line until its your turn to get pelted w color, so those people looking to train or get a good workout, your better off on your treadmill. As for me, i said to hell with the waiting in line, and i ran on the sides where the volunteers holding color were standing. I dropped to the ground and rolled my ass around and got color all over. Did it in pink, and at the blue station too. I was wearing sunglasses and a bandana to keep the color out of my mouth but, the color still got in big time but its just cornstarch so not that big of a deal. I would recommend wearing goggles for contact lense wearers though or at least sunglasses. Also recommend lining the seats of your car w plastic. The reason i took off one star was i was really dissapointed about how there was no entertainment or music at all in between color stations. Lame laaamee. If you are for profit now use some of that money and buy some damn entertainers for thw sideli es. It was so sad ! Oh and as far as the parking we found a great spot real close and we got there early. It started at 9 so i recommend arriving by 7 – 730 to get a good spot. But there wasnt alot of traffic and were still plenty of parking spaces so yea…

I thought this was a pretty good event. Using the word «run» instead of race is most appropriate because everyone really walks this thing. There are so many runners– I advise you it pick up your packet in advance and get there when it starts… Otherwise, you’ll be waiting in a massive line to get your packet and then you’ll be at the end of the starting line. They do a staggered start so unless you want to wait a very long time to start, I suggest you head to the line right away.
The course itself isn’t anything to write home about. And the color is sprayed on you at stations… So it’s not like you’re just getting colored all the way down. The color stuff is more like chalk. I heard someone say corn starch… I don’t know if that is true, but there is a LOT of it and it will take a few showers to come off and it will definitely be in your car.
I had a good time– mostly because it was my first time and I was with family. I’d do it again because it is something new to do… The crowd is also chill– not like when you do a race and people are swerving in and out of you. So it was a great atmosphere.
I definitely recommend doing it if you haven’t before.

I was a Color Runner 2012, that was sort of my «fun, gimmicky» 5K for the year, and my coworkers started a team, «DYEnosaurs» (RAWR). Alas, we didn’t dress up as dinos or even run together as a whole group, but what a hectic race. Capital Mall was crowded with the thousands and thousands of runners/​walkers and it was pretty hard to find my teammates — eventually 3 of us did find each other, the other 2 were on their own, including the team captain, haha.
After the start window of 9:00am (which as a seasoned runner, is pretty late in the morning to start running, especially on a hot August day in Sacramento!), they released «waves» of runners every few minutes or so just based on how everyone lined up. This means that by the time I finished my 5K, they were STILL releasing waves of latecomers to START (unless there were just that. Many. People?)
Honestly I didn’t know what to expect from the run itself, but I did at least come prepared with sunglasses to protect my eyes. The volunteers threw/​poured/​squirted handfuls of color (cornstarch, is the big secret) at/​on runners every kilometer I believe, so there were in essence 5 different colors you could accumulate on your way along the course. Pink, blue, yellow, orange, and purple I think. Or maybe one was green. Whatever. It’s a little scary actually, seeing a huge cloud of color up ahead that you know you’re going to have to run through and get pelted. I should have brought a bandana and taken my inhaler for sure… I definitely had blue boogers for days afterwards.
It was the epitome of a fun run, untimed unless you had your own GPS device, and stopping for photos was always memorable. The extra «packets» of color each runner was given for the after-​race party toss were a nice touch, and the headbands. Oh yeah, the leaf blowers at the end to get all the loose powder off of you helped but really guys, come prepared as if you’re doing a mud run. Y’all are going to have to still get back in your cars and drive home covered in sweaty sweaty color. In your hair, and everywhere. Sorry for putting that image in your head, really.
It was overhyped and overrated, and as a more «serious» runner tackling half marathons these days, I wouldn’t do it again. I never really got all the color out of my running shoes that summer… Tried the run once, that’s that. At least runners got a discount on the Sport Photo packages/​digital downloads. Suggestions for other local gimmicky 5Ks I should do? Zombies? Electric/​Neon? Mud? Donuts? Superheroes? Ugly Sweater?

SO MUCH FUN!!!
I have run a lot of races in my day but this was by far the most fun out of any of them!
The color is a mess and just about impossible to get off, BUT, totally worth it! We had a group of 6 run it and everyone had so much fun! All 13,000 people there were in a great mood, great spirits and great attitudes!
If you are thinking of doing one of these I say go for it! EVERYTHING you wear will be affected by the colored powder though… I mean socks, shoes, small clothes (underwear) shirt, hair, private parts and more… it gets EVERYWHERE!!! haha… you are going to need the rough side of a sponge to get the caked on stuff off but it comes off and doesn’t seem to ruin anything… We washed everything and the white clothes were the only ones that didn’t come completely clean… they came «mostly» clean but still had some left over stains on them…
Just wear as much white as you can and plan to get covered in color! That’s the point right?
It wasn’t hard to breathe in the color zones at all… kind of hard to see at times but it’s very short stretch and if you want to, which would be lame, you can go around the cloud to avoid it…
Most people walk, some run… we ran and made the best of the traffic jams that occur before the water station and the color clouds…
My final thought… This crap about it going to profit… GOOD!!! What is wrong with someone making money? Nothin! If you’re mad about that then you should have done your research before buying the ticket… other than that… have fun! :)

The Color Run sounds like a good and fun idea but in reality I was severely let down. I do numerous Run’s every year from 5k to Marathon’s and Mud Runs so when I saw this event I signed my Husband and myself up as just a bit of fun. I guess it may have been more so if there was a huge group of us.
We didn’t get all that colorful despite going through 4 color zones. First Yellow, then Orange, Blue and finally Pink.
— Parking for the event was not specified in any of the emails. Luckily we know Sacramento fairly well so we found our own street parking which cost a total of $ 2.50. There was event parking in a nearby structure but were charging $ 8.
— Packet pickup on the day was quick yet when we went to our bib numbers on we found there were no pins. Seems the majority of the packets had been missed out so we then had to line up again and hang around while volunteers scrambled to find them.
— Wave times mean nothing. We signed up for the 9am wave and got to the start line at 8:20 only to find hundreds of people ahead of us and waves going roughly every 10 minutes. We worked out that if we stayed where we were then we wouldn’t start until way after 10am and as we were on a limited time schedule we had to push our way forward just to make sure we got started on time.
— The event should be The Color Walk. Very few people Ran, groups of walking people spread over the entire width of the ‘track’ making it almost impossible to pass even after the event staff said that walkers on the left and runners on the right.
The color zones also came to a complete stand still where people were found to be laying and rolling about on the ground to get more color on them. Yeah. cleaver move, the color haze made it very difficult to see and you’re sprawled out where people are walking and then get angry when someone trips over you.
— There was meant to be an air blower but I didn’t see one.
+ Post run snacks were nice. We had Zico Coconut water and KIND bars.
+ The guys at the start line getting people ready to start were fun and throwing goodies into the crowd for people (Beach balls, Frisbee’s ect).
TIPS:
* Wear something you don’t mind getting trashed. They say that color doesn’t completely come out of some clothing (the TShirt you get in your entry pack), I found it this not to be true but I guess it really depends on the color and how much there is.
* Wear glasses and take something to cover your mouth when going through the color zone. If you have sensitive eyes — wear goggles. Despite me covering my eyes as best I could I had a nasty reaction — Itchy, sore, red, puffy eyes still 2 days later.
* If you have blonde hair coat it in Coconut oil before the race to help avoid staining. I’ve seen some shocking pictures of the damage done (check Google). Better yet wear a cap.
* The colors go through your clothing and stain your skin! The Blue and Orange did to me anyway.
Lot’s of people say that Baby Oil get’s the color out — they lie. I found that using conventional shampoo works very well. It contains sodium laureth sulfate which basically strips the hair of all of it’s natural oils and color. I figured ”If it does that to hair what else could it do”?. So the day before the run I went to Target and bought a bottle of Suave that cost a little over $ 1. Simply put a bit on an old face cloth, add water and rub like crazy. It washed the color away in no time leaving me no longer looking like an Umpa Lumpa /​Smurf Hybrid.
At the end pf the day, I’m glad I did this event because it’s another one to knock off my bucket list and at least now I know not to do another one unless I’m in a Wine induced happy state and with a group of my best girlfriends. Only then do I think it might actually be worth doing.

A late review… but since the color run is confirmed again for next year in Sacramento, I thought I put in my 2 cents!
The Color Run was a definite ‘feel-​good’ run. You just felt so happy doing it! & the vibe at the ending was awesome! Music and color powder EVERYWHERE.
But that said… the event had wayyy too many people. People were pushing and crowded against each other as they tried to start the race. And I know this wasn’t a timed race or anything, but people walking were in my way like 50% of the time. So it turned into an obstacle trying to avoid these people and run around them.
I would do it once for kicks and giggles, but I wouldn’t sign up to do it again! Well no, maybe next time I would just have some early morning mimosas before I start!

The best run in Sacramento. It was so much fun and well organized.

15,000 color runners. It was a bigger event then I anticipated. I’m glad I registered early because $ 55 for a 5k is way too much. Registration packet included a t-​shirt, race bib, tattoo, headband, and color packet.
I’m glad we were in the 3^rd wave of runners instead of waiting around to run. Every kilometer, volunteers spray you with color (blue, orange, pink, yellow). It was a colored haze within each color zone and looked pretty cool from a distance. At the finish line festival, every 15 minutes, people opened their color packets and threw it up into the air. There are cleaning stations as well, where volunteers blast you with an air blower.
Yes, it was fun. It was also dirtier than I thought. The powder was not easy to wash off. It took two showers to get rid of most of the color. I had to scrub pretty hard. I also had hella purple in my hair and didn’t even know it, until I was showering.

GET READY FOR AN EXPLOSION OF COLOR AND FUN! The color run made it’s way to Sacramento for the first time, and completely sold out! It’s a run for all ages, and it’s not timed, so you can definitely just enjoy a nice 5 K walk, or run if you’d like with all your friends, family, and even pets!
Each kilometer brings a new explosion of color, yellow, orange, pink, and blue, and you even get your own personal packet of color enclosed in your registration bag to throw at the very end with everyone else to show a big rainbow eruption of color! The color that you get from the run is not as vibrant and fun as the colors you receive in your personal packet. Each person gets one free packet, and if you want more they sell them for about 3.00.
The run starts in waves, and unfortunately we somehow ended up at the last wave, so there were a lot of strollers and people who wanted to walk. If I were to do this again, I would try to go further to the front. The must’ve not expected such a big turn out because by the time I was done, the store had sold out on almost everything! (BUT rest assured, they told me they will start selling their clothes online in about a month.) At each kilometer there are a group of people on each side pelting you with color from a squeeze bottle, and some even just dump the contents right on your head. The people did warn you to wear a bandanna, and I should’ve listened because when the color gets in your mouth and nose, it’s definitely NOT fun.
At certain points of the race they offer you water, and at the very end they offer granola bars as a treat. There are a few vendors out there for you to enjoy, and a DJ makes it one big color party at the end.
Lucky for me, my hair is black, so it seemed that I got most of the color out of my hair and it was easy to scrub off my body. I’ve read some reviews where blond es have had streaks of color stuck in their hair, so I highly recommend putting some kind of oil or conditioner in your hair before doing this. The only downside was I couldn’t get the color out of my garments, but that’s okay, I’ll save it for memories!
I’ll definitely do this race again! :)

Loved it!!! HAD SO MUCH FUN!!! The event was great, the volunteers were excellent, and the vibe was awesome! The recommendations they gave you on the e-​mail they send out before the race were very help. I recommend picking up your packet the day before the race… glad I didn’t have to wait in line the day of the race. The swag they gave you was sweet too!!! I can’t wait to go again!!!

Colored cornstarch and sweat make for a disaster…
In theory this race sounds fun. In actuality, this race wasn’t that great. I think if I was in a mimosa induced haze, it might have been much, MUCH more fun :/​
Tell me to come at 8AM, say you are going to release waves at 8:30PM…don’t leave the start line until 10AMish… not okay!
The set-​up of the color sections was almost how they described them. They noted that if you run through the middle this was the least color-​getting section, however, they had people standing in the middle spewing color. Which I don’t really mind… just an FYI if anything.
It was fun, albeit the crazy amount of lacking in runner’s etiquette. I know this isn’t for speed, but walking a 5K can be tedious and is way too boring for me. When you mix a huge crowd and a large mass of people who don’t know how to walk properly, you get the hot mess that was the Color Run.
Sorry to sound so Patty the Pessimist, but it was just not up to my standards. The races around town have set high standards, so I expect a bit more organization from the fun run. Yes, I acknowledge this one is untimed and more for the atmosphere, but it still should have the basic qualities of a fun run. I can’t believe some people paid $ 50 for this… no way Jose!
It was a really cool sight, to be running a few blocks and look up and see a huge color cloud ahead of you — yellow, orange, pink, blue, the color finish. The end was pretty epic, an enormous color cloud rave, without the drugs!
A great family event… but beware, a lady might breast-​feed her (what some might consider too old) child in the midst of 150,000 people. Just one of the interesting sights you might encounter if this races comes back to the 9−1-sickness…
Good in theory, below average in actuality!

RAINBOW BRIGHT: Colors flying and spraying everywhere! Costumes and wild outfits galore! This is certainly a run like no other. I’m usually competitive when it comes to runs, but this untimed event was a nice change where I could get my run on purely for fun.
HOW IT WORKS: You get sprayed with a cloud of yellow, orange, pink, or blue dust every kilometer (a different color each time). There was a big turnout for the 2012 run! At the start of the race, I was caught up in a huge bottleneck, and felt a bit claustrophobic, but after a while the crowd thinned out and I could get my stride on. It was a fun run, and by the end, I was a colorful mess!
MY RECOMMENDATIONS:
#1: Arrive early — this is a huge race and is located downtown, so parking can be a nightmare.
#2: Go out to have fun — this is not a timed run.
#3: Wear WHITE — this is a must, otherwise the colors won’t show. I suggest an old white T-​shirt you don’t care about. Mine was trashed after the race.
#4: Wear a hat to protect your hair and your face.
#5: Wear sunglasses you don’t care about to protect your eyes.
#6: Wear a bandana around your neck and pull it up when you go through the color areas to avoid aspirating the stuff!
#7: Bring baby wipes and a towel for after the race so you don’t color the seats of your car!
Overall, I had a great time with my running team and I’ll make sure to come out next year. My only complaint is that sometimes the color was sprayed on my face. I wish the color misters would make an effort to avoid that area. It’s no fun running while inhaling pink!

What a blast! This was the first year ever for The Color Run — both locally and nationally — and it’s easy to see why its popularity has expanded so quickly. Even in its first year, Sacramento’s run sold out with over 15,000 runners.
The beauty of this 5K is that it injects the fun back into running (or walking, if that’s your thing). The environment is friendly for both kids and adults, and anyone — from the seasoned marathoner to a 5K first-​timer — can join in the fun without feeling self-​conscious. The run isn’t timed and so the competitive edge lessens while the fun factor increases exponentially with every toss of the colored powder.
And wow, will you get pelted with color — which is, of course, a good thing. By the last color station, runners had given up any semblance of humility and and taken to making blue snow angels in the street just to soak up more of the hue.
Organizers had a giant color party waiting at the finish, where you could use your own personal packet of color to its fullest potential, whether that be on yourself, on your friends, or during the group color tosses that made for great photo opportunities.
Overall this was a wonderful event, and I look forward to next year!
Tips: Register early to save yourself up to $ 15, or gather a group of four or more to pay the cheaper team price.
And blondes, consider protecting your hair. The Color Run organizers claim the dust is completely washable, but I’m now the proud owner of two well earned green streaks in my hair even after a thorough washing.