How To Throw A Color Run

Having exploded in popularity in recent years, and continuing to grow, color runs remain the undisputed king of the fun run.

And then what is it well-nigh getting drenched in color pulverization that gets people so excited and how can you get a piece of the action by organizing your own color run event? Stick effectually - nosotros're about to observe out.

Color runs in a nutshell

Color runs take evolved a bit since the original first hit the market back in 2011, but the basic concept has remained pretty much the same:

Get a bunch of people (the participants) to run around a class, typically 5k or smaller for kids courses, wearing a white shirt and cheap sunglasses
Get another bunch of people (the result coiffure and volunteers) to sit in waiting every 1km or so to pelt them with colour powder, typically a single color for every station
Get everyone to finish in their own time and accept enough of selfies - and then throw more than colour powder at each other

Color run - pink station That would exist the pink station then!

Primal to the whole concept of the colour run is having fun. And so almost runs are untimed events where in that location are no winners or medals awarded. Usually, the run itself is followed upwardly with a music festival where participants get a total DJ music feel, as well as more than opportunities to embrace themselves in more color!

This sounds a chip like some people'southward worst nightmare. And then why have color runs been then successful?

Information technology'southward probably a number of factors:

Color runs more often than not entreatment to a much younger, and less competitive, audition than traditional races. That makes them a lot more accessible to a broader audition.
They combine a fairly brusque run with a music festival and other fun happenings, making them much more than just a race.
They offer an all-round amazing experience that participants tin can share with their friends - and something to mail service well-nigh on Instagram ;)

As we'll see later in this article, colour runs have been picked up past both nonprofit and for-turn a profit organizers for the fantabulous opportunities they offer for fundraising besides equally commercial event management.

Organizing a colour run: The basics

If yous've never organized a mass-participation consequence before, there are a few things y'all should consider earlier even going into color-run specific advice, things similar:

Picking a name for your result that works and a date that makes sense
Mapping out a form
Building a squad of people you can trust that will help you lot deliver the event
Working out a budget etc etc

All of these and more tare covered in detail in our guide to organizing a 5k run. We won't repeat them here, but y'all should definitely check out our 5k guide earlier anything else.

In improver to all that, yous should take a look at our race director checklists. Non all items there will be applicable for colour runs (for example, you probably won't need to worry well-nigh timing). Only these lists will serve you well before, during and after your issue.

With those ii as your foundation, let's await at those aspects of a color run that make this type of event fairly unique.

Making your color run FUN

Injecting your colour run with a big dose of fun is a key priority as a color run organizer (well, rubber and all the boring stuff existence taken intendance of first, of course).

In that location are many things yous can do for that - like:

Brand sure people wear white! Pretty of import particular when it comes to color runs, otherwise color doesn't quite have the same impact. Either upshot participants with your own simple white T-shirt (branded with your event logo and tagline, of form) or enquire them to come dressed in white. That way, anybody goes home looking nice and colorful!
Do a fun grouping warm-upwardly before the run. Although the run starts at the first line, the result starts the minute people striking your venue. Do a group warm up with your DJ or announcer before the run starts to get people into the right mood and all fired-upwardly to go going!
Get a DJ at the start/finish line. This is an absolute must if yous're following up your run with a music festival (which highly recommended, if you lot have the resources).
Exercise one or more color tosses/countdowns. The color inaugural (besides known as a colour toss) is i of those features the original Colour Run introduced where all the finishers count down to a huge color powder toss (encounter epitome below). The whole thing is quite fun and pretty spectacular and a picture-perfect promo shot for your event. So try to do at to the lowest degree one of those, if not more.

Color run - color toss The toss at The Colour Run Brighton

Color powders

You probably have a lot of questions about the kinds of powders that are used in color runs. So information technology'south important you know a bit about what you're getting into.

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Y'all may also observe color powders described online as Holi powder, as these powders are also widely used in Hindu Holi festivals. These are the verbal same matter yous'd use in a color run.

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The vast majority of colour powders currently beingness marketed for use in colour runs are based on corn starch. From that point of view, these powders are similar to starch paints used in trail marking, and so they are non-toxic and can exist easily dissolved in (and removed past) water.

That said, although these powders are usually colored with FDA-canonical food dyes (or equivalent, depending on your country), you are strongly advised to accept annotation of the following:

Never throw powder at participants' faces directly. Always instruct your crews to aim below the neck. These powders may not exist toxic, merely they are basically the equivalent of inert dirt. And no 1 likes having clay thrown in their face, do they?
Encourage participants to clothing sunglasses or goggles. This will lessen the furnishings of the powder on the eyes and probably make everyone look a fiddling bit cooler in the process! Here's some cheap sunglasses y'all can buy in bulk from Amazon at less than $1 a pair.
Instruct participants to avert breathing in pulverisation. A small amount is ok, but repeat and prolonged inhalation volition crusade irritation and possibly even worse. Where possible, enquire participants to use a buff or similar to embrace their mouths (Colour Run includes a branded buff in their race kit that people can use every bit a rima oris cover). Information technology's also probably all-time to discourage people with asthma from joining.

As mentioned earlier, starch-based color powders are water-soluble, and so whatever powder tin't be dusted off (or diddled off with the help of a leaf blower), people should be able to wash off with a vigorous shower. Even if stains persist, particularly in hair, they besides should come off within a couple of days.

Color Run - leaf blower powder removal Leaf blowing stations are really quite common in color runs. Helps get near of the powder off people. (Photo credit: David McGaughey)

The powder should also wash off clothes and shoes quite easily, but just to be on the safe side, ask your participants not to come wearing their Gianni Versace whites! If some of your participants really want to keep the stains on their white shirts as a souvenir, they tin do so past spraying the stained clothes with vinegar and ironing, before putting them into the wash.

Cleaning upwardly after your color run

One of the more mutual questions from potential color run organizers is cleaning up after the event.

Actually, that's not as big a deal as it may seem. Start, make certain you sweep away as much of the pulverisation equally you tin can from the course. This is dry pulverisation so you lot should be able to sweep most of it same way as you would with clay or grit.

If pulverisation remains, y'all can follow upwardly with a good hosing of your course. Rain volition do this for you, just if yous've got none forecast after your issue, yous can do it yourself with a saucepan of water and a broom or - even better - a power hose.

Promoting your color run

Promoting a colour run is a lot like promoting whatever blazon of run. In that regard, going through our super-comprehensive race promotion guide is a good place for you lot to start.

Considering, still, colour runs are a lot more popular with younger audiences and a lot more "visual" than nearly other running events, there'southward some additional tips you should take onboard:

Become big on Instagram. We don't actually talk a lot about Instagram in our race promotion guide, mostly because your typical race would do improve being promoted on Facebook. But in the instance of colour runs, Instagram is a key channel. You lot should set yourself up on it and shift a good chunk of your ad budget and organic marketing endeavor in that location.
Apply eye-communicable visuals. That'south true of any event, but, again, more than important in the example of a color run. Let colors and happy faces exercise your marketing for you. If this is your first event, use some free stock images from places similar Pixabay to go your promotion going before shooting your own.
Use viral marketing. People usually sign upwardly for color runs and other fun runs in groups. Then use incentives and other online promotions to get your participants to do your marketing for you by referring friends and family unit to your run.
Come up up with a hashtag and use it everywhere. The Color Run has #Happiest5k. Make up your own. Then add together information technology absolutely everywhere: to your website, social media posts, on your event bibs, T-shirts - everywhere! Make sure every person in your event knows that's the tag to use when posting anything virtually your event online.
Hire a professional person lensman. Goes back to the point nearly focusing on quality visual content. For your kickoff run, make certain yous hire a professional lensman and think about giving away the images for free to your participants. They will appreciate that a lot and give your race tons of exposure by sharing the images online. And that's your next twelvemonth'southward marketing washed for yous!

Getting sponsors for your colour run

Color runs can be a sponsor's dream come true. But finding the right sponsors that lucifer your participant demographic is key.

Thankfully, there'south plenty of examples out in that location of the kinds of sponsors that tend to take an interest in color runs. These are brands which are extrovert, probably newer to the market trying to brand a proper noun for themselves, and definitely brands with products or services aimed at a younger audience.

So where should you expect for good sponsorship candidates? Try the following:

Fitness class brands and fitness studios: Go with whatever is the trending class or fettle program of the mean solar day, ideally something that also shares a fun, social or experiential chemical element that would resonate with your colour run participants (one of The Color Run's principal sponsors, F45, is one such make). Fancy gym concepts also come under this category.
Consumer electronics: Sports headphones/earphones, portable speakers, sports smart watches and other sports wearables all are a perfect match for your color run audience.
Fancy new drinks/food concepts: Exotic energy bars, infused waters, any might be the new thing on the market that could use the onsite sampling, social engagement and brand feedback your event can provide.
Coffee shops: Ok, possibly it'll take a fleck of time to state Starbucks as your official coffee sponsor, like The Color Run did, but you can yet piece of work to get a local coffee store or chain onboard as your effect'southward coffee sponsor. Maybe an exciting new bakery concept as well.

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How virtually matching sponsors to color stations, and fifty-fifty naming color stations after your sponsor's business organization or brand? For example, you lot could friction match your blueish color station with a sponsor whose logo is blue and name that station afterward them. This volition help contain your sponsor's brand straight into your participants' event experience and brand your sponsorship offer a lot more highly-seasoned.

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Apart from cash sponsorship, there's much yous can practise to cut costs and improve the overall profitability of your event through in-kind sponsorship. This can hateful anything from sponsors providing the materials and services you will need for your race to contributing straight towards your purchase of race supplies.

For more ideas on seeking and converting in-kind sponsors, bank check out our in-kind sponsorship guide.

Making the virtually of your festival area

Part of the massive entreatment of colour runs to younger audiences is the combination of running with other mail-run activities. Which is why many color runs follow up the run with a festival in and around the finish expanse.

Your festival can be a corking opportunity for your event to develop an additional acquirement stream while enhancing the overall event experience for participants. And although putting on a festival volition add to some of your consequence costs (DJ hire, barriers, more than volunteers are but a few examples), the potential is there to increase your overall effect bottom line - by a lot.

In terms of things you could bring to your festival that volition assistance raise your result revenue, there's some tried-and-tested ideas that are sure to work for whatsoever event:

Nutrient trucks, snack bars and other nutrient & drink vendors: Burger vans, trendy veggie stalls, beer tents will all go down very well with your hungry/thirsty finishers. Attain out to food trucks and outcome catering businesses in your expanse and get them to come out to your event in exchange for a cutting on sales or a fixed fee.
Clothes brands and other stores: Try bringing some bazaar clothing and accessory brands to your festival expanse. They don't have to be fettle-related, but they need to be appealing to the younger (and mostly female) audience of your colour run. Strike commission deals with them or endeavor to entice business owners with introductory rates and then they will give your event a attempt.
Photo opportunities: Fix a selfie frame or a photograph centerpiece your participants tin accept pictures with at the festival area - and accuse a small amount for them to do and so. Remember, color runs are all most the pcitures and then notice a way to appeal to that need in your festival. (💡 Do you have a charity or outcome mascot? That's your photo centerpiece!)
Your ain merchandise store: Sell additional color bags, event-branded soft toys, witty T-shirts and other souvenirs in your own merchandise stall. Offer a T-shirt pressing service to help participants stamp color stains on their T-shirts. On the the end, sell baby wipes and even dispensable ponchos for people who haven't thought about getting in their motorcar all covered up in color powder!

Organizing a color run fundraiser

Because of their fun nature, colour runs make excellent fundraisers, whether it'due south raising money for a school fund, cause or clemency.

You can add a fundraising element to your color run in two means:

Past adding a donation corporeality to the colour run registration fee. That manner, a portion of the registration fee is guaranteed to become direct to supporting your cause (make sure the remaining role can embrace upwardly all your event expenses though!)
By setting upwards donations/pledges pages for registered participants. By enabling each participant to raise funds through donations from friends and family, you are profoundly increasing the pool of people that can contribute to your event'south fundraising pot.

Ideally, you'd desire to do both: participants contribute something to the cause through their registration fee and then help fundraise further through pledges/donations on their personal fundraising page.

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Give fundraisers something to become competitive about with a prize for the highest fundraising participant!

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If you do enable crowd-fundraising (option two), you should definitely consider signing up with a fundraising platform. These platforms volition help your participants create their own personal fundraising pages with all raised funds (cyberspace of platform and payment processing fees) going to your nominated effect bank account. It's well worth it and will aid your fundraising go a lot farther.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I offer timing in my color run?

You can, but most color runs don't. People don't have part in color runs for the time. They do it for the feel.

Can I phone call my run "Color Run"?

Y'all definitely can't call information technology The Color Run, every bit that is trademarked past the original color run organizer. Various other names, similar Color Dash, accept also been trademarked by other events, and so make sure you check your preferred proper name doesn't get you into trouble.

What if it rains during my run?

That shouldn't be a problem. Washing up volition be a bit trickier for participants, but you may get a self-cleaning course, which is great!

How much color powder will I need?

Between the color y'all'll need for your color stations and the powder bags you'll requite participants for color tosses, you lot'll probably need between 1/two and i lb per participant, based on a 3oz cup throw per participant per station. But do check with your color powder supplier, they'd be able to provide a much ameliorate approximate.

Where can I buy colour powder for my run?

There'southward lots of places you lot tin buy colour pulverisation online (as well called Holi pulverization). You lot can discover a range of specialist color pulverisation products at great prices on Color Blaze, or fifty-fifty cheque out Amazon, if that's easier for you lot.

Wherever you end up getting your color pulverization from, make certain the powder yous buy is food-class, FDA-canonical (or similar) and non-toxic.