The Color Run

The Color Run is the first and only 5k run I’ve ran. I’ve been coming here since 2013, and it never gets boring.
Basically what happens is that for every kilometer that you run, a different colored dye gets thrown at you, so by the end you’re all splattered with dyed cornstarch. Best thing to wear is white so that you can see all the colors, so basically wear your complimentary color run shirt! The cornstarch does get in your nose and sometimes your eyes as you run through, so to make it easier I recommend bringing a pair of glasses/​sunglasses, and maybe even a mask for your nose and mouth. For the next day I’m pretty much blowing out green and black boogers.
5k is a little more than 3 miles, like 3.1 miles, so it’s an easy, flat track. They also have a water station in the middle. You can walk or run it, so nothing’s really pushing you, except yourself. The only time restriction is that usually the waves run every 10 minutes from 7:45 am to 8:45 am, so you have to be starting the race before 8:45 in order to complete it. I do, however, recommend getting there early because the traffic is RIDICULOUS, coming from both the south and the north. What should’ve been a 10 minute car ride turned into 45 minutes because of the traffic getting into the stadium.
There’s a different theme for every year, so it’s exciting and different every year. This year’s theme (2015) was glitter, so we ran through clouds of glitter, and it was amazing. After you run the race, there’s also a color party at the main stage where everyone dances and throws up color packets. It creates this beautiful colorful cloud that rains color down on everyone. Remember to hold your breath while all the color packets are thrown up!
While you’re not guaranteed to get one, they like to throw out random freebies out to the crowd, and that includes bags, caps, and drawstring bags. But, even if you don’t get any, the complimentary color run packet is more than enough to remember it by. I highly recommend experiencing this run at least once, especially with good company!

Lives up to expectations of the HAPPIEST 5k. We had such a great time. The finish line has a bunch of confetti. Color run is not greedy with their color packs. They’re suppose to add finishing medals this year which will be the cherry on top. Doing this 5k yearly

The Color Run is one of my favorite 5k’s mainly because you get pummeled with dye. You head in clean and come out… colorful! The gear they hand out hear is better than other runs as well. I can usually get all the dyes out of my clothing by the second wash, if not the first. They do a great job getting the crowd pumped at the start and at the checkpoints. The party at the end is not that awesome but better than other 5k’s. Food and clean up is descent as well. The only thing I have to knock on is the limited water stations and placement of them. My last run saw only 2 stations that were very close together so crowding was a bit hectic. More color stations wouldn’t be such a bad idea as well. Overall, if there is a fun run you should try out at least once, it’s the Color Run. Definitely a good event to go to, not to crazy but not lame either.

I can’t wait to do this again. 4 friends and i carpooled there, it gets a bit crazy when it comes to parking, but besides that! It was so much fun!!! I’ve never done a 5k so i was pretty out of shape. I ended up jogging the first 10 minutes because i was in the first wave, but after that i walked the whole way and it too 65 minutes or so. After that they had alot of samples of snacks from Kind, Tea from Honest Tea, free stuff from metro PCS, & free paint your own speck phone cases

In the morning it was packed trying to get into the stadium but that is just usual Qualcomm events.
We had a great time at the run. It was my first 5k. Some of the stations such as yellow weren’t very good at throwing color but other stations made up for it.
The run is in the Qualcomm parking lot so there is no awesome scenery or anything. Nonetheless, everyone is energetic which makes for a good time. The staff is super nice. When you’re ready to leave there are also people at the Shout station who will blow the powder off your body with… leaf blowers?
There are lots of walkers and runners. My friend said it was 3 miles instead of a 5k from when she tracked it on her phone.
It will take soap, water, and shampoo to remove the powder from your body. I had green hands when I just tried to wipe it off with water before running to go get food. I didn’t have an issue shampooing it out of my hair but my hair is black.
Overall I think it’s a great event to bring your kids, friends, and the rest of the family.

I loved the color run. It was definitely not a competitive event. Kids were there. Parking was a-​plenty, but the traffic to Qualcomm was backed up, so get there early. Lots of photo ops and a few freebies. Runners to the left. Walkers to the right. Go slowly through the color to get the most pigment. There was a volunteer who was a snobby biatch. She had this wonderful gold glitter that she was pouring over a group of kids (maybe for advertisement?), but tons of people were standing there waiting with their hands out begging for glitter and she kept walking by us with our hands out, not even acknowledging our existence. If she wasn’t allowed to give us any, she could have told us, so we could quit begging and join the race again. Color washed off easy, except for a few stubborn places. Nose full of blue boogers!

I LOVED THE COLOR RUN!
Whew! I’m am so glad I participated in the San Diego color run. My boyfriend and I ran in October 2013 and this event surpassed my expectations. We arrived about an hour early before the first group ran and we easily found parking with no traffic what so ever. There were plenty of booths around (some with free merch) and a small stage with two hosts. After about 20 mins a local Zumba instructor helped us warm up before we made a massive congo line and headed towards the start line.
When we were waiting to run workers and volunteers were throwing free «swag» into the crowd which was fun. Also, at the end of the race, volunteers are very liberal with color packets so you will have more color at the end of the race for the final color cloud.
During the run, I highly recommend you take your time going through the color check points. I personally danced VERY SLOWLY in order to get as much color on me as possible. I think it worked!
Overall, I have only good things to say about the color run. It was an adventure that made me smile, even if i had to wash purple cornstarch out of my hair for a week. It was totally worth it. I suggest everyone try a run like this at least once in your life.

The Happiest Run! YES It IS!
I participated in The Color Run in Honolulu last year. It was good time for all involved.
Be prepared to be blasted with colored powder! The event is like a festival of fun. You run to the color stations and get your Colors on.
(additional color packets are available for purchase) ** note certain parts of your body could end up in a smurflike hue after the run**
Overall the event is well organized. From the packet pick up to the days events.
Parking was available for free at Qualcomm. Arrive early for the parking.
I am down to do the next run. why not?! Its a pass to be able to throw powder and people. no brainer folks! LOL step out and do The Color Run, you’ll have fun!

Pros: They played good music and got the crowd pumped up. It looked really cool when everyone would release their color packets at once (at the end of the run).
Cons: I didn’t really like breathing in the colored powder. It also took several showers to get all of the colors cleaned off.
My 6 year-​old enjoyed herself, but said she preferred the Bubble Run earlier this year over this one.

My expectations for the Color Run were more or less met, except for the fact that I thought that I could run longer than I actually can. I was tired about halfway through and was in a group of people in better shape than I am. So naturally, I made them slow down with me.
BUT whether you ran the whole thing or walked with your kids in fairy costumes (Saw it, loved it), you can have a lot of fun! The event is well-​organized and thought out. They keep you entertained until the end, also, which is kind! There was some MC type of guy pumping people up before the race and also congratulating them after. You get a color packet with your registration bag and you can use however much of it at any time. Most people seemed to use it before the race even started, which is fine if you want to do that. We saved a goooddd portion of ours and just used it at the end, which was fun too!
There are volunteers who give you a good splattering of color powder every kilometer or so, which are good checkpoints. The scenery is not at all desirable, however. You run through a huge Qualcomm parking lot. Really ugly. BUT fun nonetheless.
You’ll have color powder in your belly button, on your neck, torso, in your socks, on your face, in your hair. You’ll have it everywhere. And it took a lot of scrubbing for a long time (a shower didn’t get it all, but a day of swimming took care of it!) to get all the powder off. All in all, I had a lot of fun and would recommend it so long as people know what to expect: a 5k where you run and get powder thrown at you. Only in America would people pay to run 5 kilometers while having stuff thrown at you. And then visit the funnel cake stand afterwards.
Tip: Wait for a Living Social or Groupon deal. They are ALWAYS on living social, groupon, and facebook. You never have to pay full price! I paid $ 25 for admission and I believe it was available as low as $ 20 at one point!

My 6 year old and I ran the entire 5K the other day… I was very proud as it was his first completed 5K RUN.
With that said– that was about it! You were plastered with color 4 or so times as you ran but before the race even started most people were already covered in color. We were told to keep our bags to the end and in intervals you could release them– never happend. It was low key yet I don’t know what purpose it really posed. I had fun with my son but honestly we won’t do a repeat of this one.
I also have mixed feelings about some of the staff. When picking up materials, we were helped sufficiently but my son asked an employee at the race after it was over a question, and they were very rude to him. so that was disappointing.

Ok, late in the review… but better late then never :)
I went last yr in SD.
Pros: Fun, well organized, good location/​space, lots of color, decently priced (when purchased earlier)
Con: Not so much of a run. The scenery is not impressive… you run in a loop around the parking lot. The color zones can be fun b/​c you’re trying to get colored… but the distance between the zones are kinda boring unless you’re with your own group of people making your own fun. Not enough leaf blowers to blow off the color at the end of the race… organizers may want to review how this is done in the end… though for the most part it’s wasn’t a huge deal for me and my friends. We dusted ourselves off as much as we could… if you’re concerned, bring some sheets for the car and don’t get wet.
Heads up: If you’re looking for something that’s more competitive and fast… this isn’t it… this is for families and kids and people just wanting to get out there an have fun and get colored… there’s lots of walkers. Some do jog/​run… but they’re most likely dodging and swerving around others. The color does stain a little. You cannot expect to get colored powder on you, and not expect a little bit of it to stain your white shirt… be realistic… so yes, most of it comes of your clothes but not all so don’t wear your favorite white shirt and pants… and yes it will take a bit of scrubbing to get off your body, but it’s not horrible… don’t overlook your armpits and behind your ears!
It’s great for kids and families. Good for the experience and is very fun… will i do it again? meh… maybe if i get some sort of deal and/​or a lot of my friends are going.

Thought I’d better get this review out since I’m doing the LA Color Run tomorrow!
I was signed up for the 9:00am wave. We picked up our bibs that morning of the event and the lines moved along smoothly. Reading the other reviews, I’m glad I wasn’t in town Friday to make the pick up at the store.
They gave out water bottles that morning with different colored lids and sweatbands for your head.
With so many people, it took awhile to finally get to the start of the line but that was to be expected. Items were thrown into the waiting crowd. I’m sure these were the same items that were for sale.
During the route, we were able to put in some running, dodging the walkers. I did my best to get color on me from the volunteers. If you didn’t get enough color on you during the run, you will most definitely get showered with it during the after party where color is thrown in the air at intervals.
Awesome energy at the post run party but got hit with elbows and arms a few times since my cousin insisted on being so close to the front. The crowd was filled with happy, hyped-​up people that got crazy trying to catch the items being thrown from the stage, which included more packets of color.
It’s crazy standing in there when people are throwing the powder up in the air. The sun gets blocked out for those seconds.
I didn’t see any blowers as we were leaving but I did hear one. My cousin just wanted to get to the hotel and shower so we didn’t bother looking. Make sure to bring something to cover your car seats for the ride home.
Expect your tongues to be colored. I think I was getting over a cold at the time. This is gross but even the mucous from my throat was colored the following day. Don’t worry, it’s all harmless. I’m still alive.
Awesome event and I had a blast but I noticed these color-​type runs are becoming more common now.

The Color Run was awesome! Non-​competitive and a short 5k!
All about getting out and having silly, colorful fun!!! You and your friends can dress up in matching penguin costumes if you wanted to and it’s all still part of the festivities! You got goodies at registration which included a shirt and sweatband to wear and collect as much color on those bad boys to create your very own gear to remember the event.
With that been said, I really can’t imagine why anyone could rate the run less than 5 stars. Whether you thought the event was unorganized, or too many people were walking instead of running, it’s 5 stars across the board if you had fun!!! BOTTOM LINE. I would definitely encourage kiddos of all ages to join as well. Just make sure to take the proper precautions and ask the staff at the time of registration if you’re unsure of how to prepare. Sunglasses and something to cover your mouth so you don’t inhale too much colored corn starch is also recommended.
And if you wanna check out the last run in SD here’s the link. Have fun in color!

The Color Walk (yes, Walk) is the perfect starter 5k. It is not competitive AT ALL, the price is low ($ 35 early bird), and overall it’s a lot of fun (thus, the «World’s happiest 5k» or whatever the tagline is).
Do note that the powdered color does get everywhere, but despite the intial scare of srubbing my Avatar-​esque hands with sink soap and seeing no difference, all of the color washed out fairly easily and was gone by night (save some blue snot the next morning… yay!). In terms of clothing, it took a couple washes, but all of the color also came out of my Color Run shirt, and after a couple runs my kicks look fine. What I did not appreciate though was breathing in a cloud of dust while running through the first color zone (cue gag reflex). Make sure you bring sunglasses and something to cover your mouth (as was mentioned in the pre-​race doc, which I chose to ignore) if you think you may be color-​powder adverse, like me.
Ultimately, I would recommend doing the Color Run at least once for the experience, and doing it with a bunch of friends… I’d imagine it’s slightly awkward and not as fun gleefully throwing handfuls of color at strangers, and there’s no one to get your dance on with at the mini concert at the end.

I signed up for The Color Run with the wrong intentions. My goal was to run as hard as possible and race with my fellow athletes. Unfortunately, this was meant to be the happiest and most fun run ever where the goal is «fun» and not «run.»
That being said, I ran really hard and felt like I almost had a heart attack. I was probably in the top 20 to finish, but no one cares because the run wasn’t timed.
My biggest complaint is that some of the volunteers REALLY GO OUT OF THEIR WAY to put color on you. I know that’s the POINT, but some of them shot the color IN MY EARS, EYES, NOSE, AND MOUTH. I was blinded by colored cornstarch. It was awful. At one point I couldn’t see where I was running and I ran right into a photographer or volunteer and they were slammed into the ground. Was it my fault for running at The Color Run? Or was it the fault of a reckless volunteer member who wanted to handicap my ability to ambulate? You decide.
There are free Clif/​Luna Bars and many other snacks when you finish the race. There is a concert at the end where colors are thrown around and it’s like living an acid-​trip dream.
I had «fun,» but I doubt I’m ever doing this again.

I had a great time at the color run. It’s pretty chill, so if you’re trying to get your non-​running friends out to a run… this one is a good one.
Swag bag — pretty decent! t-​shirt, water bottle, temp tatoo, headband, and pack of powered color!
The course — yea, it’s just in the Qualcomm stadium parking lot, but it’s not the scenery you’re going for. Everyone was very enthusiastic and they were very generous is spraying you with powdered color. I have to say, breathing through the coloring sections was a bit difficult.
The parking — wasn’t as bad as I anticipated! It did take a little bit of time to get in and out, but not bad at all.
The negative — packet pick-​up at RoadRunner. The line was outstandingly long, it was pretty crazy (although volunteers were working hard, and the line moved at a decent pace so it was the best you could expect from that insanity)

I am normally a very clean person so I should have figured that being splattered with colored powder was not going to make me the happiest 5k runner on the planet. On top of which I planned on getting out of the event within an hour because I had other business to attend to, this 5k was just a tinge bit too disorganized and messy for my taste.
Tips:
— Parking is plentiful. Park more towards the outside to exit faster.
— Waiting in line for the staggered start could take a while. My friend and I weaved ourselves towards the front of the massive crowd and it still took us at least 30 minutes of waiting even though we got to the start line at ~1:40.
— Happy wall
— Try not to sweat. The colors get all nasty if you sweat
— Walk next to the colorers and raise your hands and they’ll get you bad
— Shielding your face and avoiding eye contact won’t let you off. I definitely did not want blue on me and I definitely still got blue on me.
The color run is a misnomer — it’s a color WALK.

While I still stand by my previous review, I will say the blue coloring stained my clothing. And after taking 3 showers since the run and scrubbing like mad, I am still finding blue in my ears and blowing blue from my nose. Wear clothing that you won’t mind staining and next year, I might wear a face mask. While they say the coloring is non-​toxic, I am feeling a bit of the effects of it getting in my sinuses.

I signed up for the 9:00am slot for this event with a group of friends back in May for the discounted price of $ 35 and finally had the chance to do the Color Run yesterday.
Result: It was the happiest 5k on the planet just like how the Color Run advertised it.
I woke up at 5:30am, started the drive from Los Angeles at 5:50am and got to the Qualcomm Stdium parking lot at around 8:15am (Parking was free). There were 6 lines for the check-​in and they were all super long, but good thing the staff were all very efficient so it didn’t take before checking in and getting the goodies.
The run started right on time at 9:00am and there were probably over 10,000 of people there all dress in white. They let people went in about a wave of 1,500. For the entire run, there were 4 color stations and two water station (middle and end). There was also a happy wall that you can write stuff on. After about 45 minutes of running, walking and picture taking (the race isn’t timed), we finally got to the finish line filled with color powder. Within minutes, there was also a color throwing party nearby. Basically everyone threw his or her given color powder up in the air to create a rainbow like effect which was extremely pretty.
Color Run Party:
My friends and I hang out around the booths for a bit while getting some free promotional stuff. Since we left pretty late (around 12:00pm), getting out of the stadium took under a minute.
In the end, all of us had such a great time here. I am definitely looking forward to the next year run.