Run the Rainbow! : A Review of The Color Run in NYC

The Color Run just blazed on through Brooklyn, hosting a two-day, sold out event. I was fortunate enough to snag a spot on the starting line and join in on some of the fun with a team of friends.

For those of you who have not heard of The Color Run, it is a 5K race where all runners start off wearing white. As you run through the course, volunteers splash you with colored powder (that is natural, non-toxic and eco-friendly) at every kilometer mark. After 3 miles of being splattered there is a big party at the end of the race with snacks, music and a chance to create a color cloud with the rest of your fellow runners. After attending the event, I must say that their slogan of being “the happiest 5K on the planet” is definitely true and here are 4 reasons why.

1. It’s fun for everyone!

It doesn’t matter whether you run everyday or once a year, if your 2 or 90 years old. The Color Run has nothing to do with speed or winning, it has everything to do with having fun! While on the course, people were rolling around in the color on the floor with a smile to soak up all of the colorful fun. After finishing the race once, some of the runners wanted another 3 miles and ran the race again. There were parents there with strollers and mid 20 year olds wearing tutus. I’ve never seen a crowd full of New Yorkers so happy at 7:45 on a Saturday morning.

2. The staff is energetic.

From the packet pick up at the Brooklyn Bridge Marriott to the starting line that corralled 10,000 other runners, each member of The Color Run staff was energetic and very helpful. They set the mood for the entire race by pumping up the crowd and volunteers, which made the atmosphere very welcoming and magical. In order to keep your mind off of the 15-minute wait at the start line, the staff handed out prizes and encouraged runners to dance their way to the starting line with the pump up music playing in background. After encouraging everyone to loosen up that’s exactly what happened. This would not have been possible with out the energetic staff running the event and pumping up the crowd.

3. There’s music and color at every kilometer.

The obvious incentive to sign up for this race is because it gives you a reason to be a colorful mess for an entire morning. As mentioned before, you are splashed with a different color every time you finish a kilometer and at the end you are showered with the color cloud, as shown in the image below. Everywhere through out the run there was music so, leave the headphones behind for this race (we brought ours and regretted carrying them around).

4. It’s a race on wheels and is coming to a city near you!

Brooklyn is not the only spot where you can experience The Color Run. There is a whole list of cities on thecolorrun.com showing where the run will be heading next. One of their newest destinations being down unda’ to tour Australia! No matter where you run, I’m sure you’ll find that it’s a great event that allows you to connect with people in your area and gives you something in common with other color runners across the country.

Our team unanimously voted that The Color Run was one of the most fun events we’ve attended this year and are putting it on our list to repeat in 2013. The Color Run has been sweeping the nation, going city to city. Have any of you ran? If so what was your experience like–we’d love to know!