The Color Run – San Francisco

So the website says that the 2013 location is subject to change. Thank goodness. Hands down worst scenary of any race I’ve done. I love the overall idea — that it’s a fun run and it’s intended to get more people out running. I definitely think it worked, this was a very diverse crowd and I could tell this was a first race for a lot of people which is super and I admire that. BUT…
* Please hold it somewhere else. Or if you’re going to drag us out to the hinterlands, let us run along the water at least?
* Have space for spectators to throw color at us too, that would have been a lot more fun. In fact, that’s kind of what I was expecting.
* Play music along the course. That isn’t that hard, and it would really top off the atmosphere, of «Gosh, they’ve tricked us into thinking running is fun!»
* More aptly warn people about the color damaging your hair. This race is like 95% female and we like our hair, thank you. Pink stained the ends of my blond hair for weeks, even after I washed it with dishsoap twice a day. Ended up soaking my (dry) hair in olive oil to remove it which actually worked the best for removing the color. I was desperate, I’m not a college student, and I sure as hell can’t walk around with pink hair.
Those suggestions would totally put this race from ‘WTH, that was a waste of money’ to actually considering running it again. Add in better access via public transportation and a free beer and I’ll be back.

First of all I’d like to thank the volunteer that sprayed colored chalk right into my mouth, that was great…
Not as epic as the YouTube video on their site depicts but still a great time. The best part is you don’t have to run the whole damn thing (and no one really did). It’s more of a 5k walk while strangers dowse you in color every mile or so. Careful where you park your car since half of the run takes place in the parking lot your car might get as colorful as you do. I would urge you to stay for the after party: free popchips, zico water, photobooths, and a concert where they give out even more color packets.
Some SF Color Run tips
— Parking wasn’t as bad as they made it seem in the welcome packet — getting in and out isn’t a nightmare, but it’s not a walk in the park either.
— You’ll be washing color out of your ears for days after the run is over
— Put your cell phone in a zip lock bag if you’re going to be using it, I brought a water proof camera that survived the run
— Bring baby wipes and a towel for the car ride home
— Sunglasses are a must
— I did the 8am run, FREEZING when you start, warms up by the time you’re actually walking/​running — dress accordingly
— The color pretty much washed off my shoes, shorts, and bandana completely but I still wouldn’t bring your nicest clothes.
Next year I’d do another color run in different city, you really only need to do the San Francisco one once.

Really, it should be two stars but the real saving grace here was the post-​race after party, so it gets an extra star because of that.
The race course itself was just a loop around Candlestick park, so it was really just… so plain. Additionally, the run could really use the help of more volunteers! Volunteer coordinator better get on that! At each kilometer, running slowed to a crawl as each runner attempted to get a splash of powdered color on their bodies. Unfortunately, there were far too many runners, and not enough volunteers for maximum efficacy. What my group and I (as well as many other runners) ended up doing was taking powder from the bins and bombing each other with handfuls, and taking a tube of color itself to spray at one another as well as random runners.
The water station was poorly managed as well, with a large buildup of runners having to line up to actually get a sip of water. In the future, pitchers to pour water into the tiny dixie cups is advised, as opposed to manually filling each cup at the spigots. Granted, a 5k ought not merit too much thirst, especially at the halfway point, but given the really nice weather in the afternoon and the drying affect the colored powder has on the nasal and mouth passageways, I felt that the water station should have been better equipped to deal with the huge influx of runners especially since this isn’t the first color run ever.
Post race was great though! My expectations of a color bonanza greeting me at the end of the 5k were in fact replaced by the post race party! The DJ was fun, and tossing more colors into the crowd was great as well! The kindness displayed by all runners was evident in the high fives exchanged during the runs, and in stopping to chat with other runners.
Nonetheless, for it’s inaugural run in San Francisco, there is much to be improved upon logistically speaking. Otherwise though, it’s a wonderful idea to get people who’d otherwise never run to do something active!

The concept in general is a blast! Loved the colors… the people that participated were fab. Happy, positive people. The race however was super unorganized. We waiting an hour & 45 mins to pick up our race packets. (We arrived at 10:50am for the 1:00 race.) One huge line single filed. How about splitting it into sections… ex. last names that start with A-​D in one line… etc. Works for conventions… would be amazing here. Also, candlestick’s parking lot is an accident waiting to happen. I saw people tripping over potholes.

**3.5**
The race itself wasn’t the «happiest 5K run» but indeed the POST-​RACE was. I agree with the others in regards to the lack of organization, transportation to candlestick, and the lack of «color» we received during the actual run. It also wasn’t very scenic. The location sucked period. Attempting to get there via muni was a pain in the ass, and we practically had to wake up at the break of dawn just to get there before 8am bc we didn’t want to drive there and be stuck in the traffic.
The run itself was barely a «run.» As an avid runner, I knew that the 5k wouldn’t be much of workout but i thought i would at least be able to actually RUN. Well when you add people with strollers, people who were literally walking VERY SLOWLY into the mix, it made it really difficult to run. Nothing irks me more than the lack of etiquette or courtesy. If you’re going to walk, move to the side! or at least have the race organized so that those people go last! I agree it should have been timed, bc it just felt like anyone could’ve participated. Hoping the kinks would get fixed in future races, and that they change the location. And increasing it to a 10K would be nice, that way they’d be more color stations and more opportunities to get more color, and that way you don’t feel jipped out of a race.
The post-​race however was a different story. The DJ was awesome, playing music that got everyone juiced. The post-​race festivities was definitely the highlight of the entire experience, and that was when i actually got really down and dirty with the color. Great concept… just gotta work on the logistics a bit!

First off: i did have fun at the event!
But the run itself was poorly organized, and honestly a mess. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I thought this would be a run, not a walk. And I definitely didn’t think I’d finish the first half of it and end up still pretty clean.
Here are a few of my problems:
**1. Check-​in was super super crowded: I came at the earliest time they told us to, and I still had to wait an hour to pick up my stuff! Plus there was no way for them to check if I had actually registered, so this was all based on honor system. Doesn’t seem very legit.
**2. No time tracking: I know this isn’t really a race, but it would have been nice to at least know how long my run was.
**3. SUPER CROWDED PATH: People were walking all over the place, so if you actually wanted to run, you best weave in and around people, because there was definitely no organization between walkers & runners.
**4. Color stations were lacking: Whenever a color point came up, everyone basically slowed to a walk, because there was no way for you to run through and still get color on you. Near the end, you literally had to wait in a line (that at points wasn’t moving) as you walk next to the volunteers as they try to throw the powder on you. Now this isn’t the volunteers’ fault, I really appreciate what they did, especially since they were getting color errrrywhere on themselves, and the constant cloud of color dust could not have been pleasant. But this probably could have been planned better.
But the BEST part was the «festival» at the end. At check-​in, they gave us all packets of color powder, which people threw at each other at the finish. They played music, and everyone gathered by the stage and danced while more color was thrown around. Definitely more exciting than the run!
Overall, I have to say the run only deserves 3 stars, but the finish party was super fun!

Perhaps I hyped it up in my head too much in the months leading up to the run but while the event wasn’t perfect, The Color Run is still good clean fun. Well good fun at least.
I wished the run wasn’t held at Candlestick Park. Getting there is a pain in the ass. Doing so by 8 a.m. is only more painful. Plus running along the perimeter of the stadium is kinda blah. I also wished they could have separated runners and walkers more. Walkers doing the route arm-​locked in a row kinda blocks the route for everyone else. Lastly, I wished instructions for the finale were clearer. I had spent the last few months in earnest anticipation for the race finale and the promised color fantasia. I ended up missing the first few color throws but caught the last one but most folks had already used up their color by then.
Even so it’s a fun run with colored powder. That almost guarantees a good time. Perhaps they’ll iron out the kinks next year and if so, I hope at least it’s not in Candlestick. Well there’s always the Vegas Color Run :)

It truly is «THE HAPPIEST 5K ON EARTH!»
With high 5’s and bursts of color everywhere… what else do you need? I don’t particularly enjoy running but The Color Run made every minute of the 5k enjoyable. I couldn’t wait to hit up each stop so I could get doused with color (*don’t worry it’s only corn starch and dye). Your registration fee comes with a shirt, headband, tattoo, and a small bag of paint that you can throw around with your friends at the end of the race. Also, a part of your registration is donated to charity.
As you cross the finish line, there’s people cheering you on and vendors passing our free drinks and chips. Also, if you stick around there’s a free «concert» and more color being thrown around.
Everyone is welcome — walkers, strollers, children and even dogs! And if you form a 4+ team, your registration has about a $ 5 discount. The 2012 race just ended this past weekend but save the date for the 2013 race :)