The Color Run

"Color run" redirects here. For the manufacturing technique, see Batch production.
The Color Run
Genre 5K run (untimed)
Location(s) International
Inaugurated January 2012
Phoenix, Arizona
Website
thecolorrun.com
thecolorrunlatinoamerica.com

The Color Run is an event series and five kilometre paint race. It takes place in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, New Zealand, Australia, and the UAE. The untimed event has no winners or prizes, but runners are showered with colored powder, made of food-grade corn starch, at stations along the run.[1][2]

The Color Run is an event that is owned and operated by The Color Run LLC, a for-profit company.[1][3]

History

Founding

The Color Run, also known as "the Happiest 5K on the Planet", was founded by Utah native and event producer Travis Snyder in March 2011, in an effort to encourage professionals and novices to run together for fun and to promote healthiness and happiness.[4][5] Its first event took place in March 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona, with 6,000 participants.[5][6] The addition of color to the event is heavily inspired by the Hindu festival of Holi, as well as day-glow events, such as Disney’s World of Color.[7]

International growth

The Color Run has reached more than a triple growth in the number of events held, with more than 300 events hosted in over 50 countries in 2014. Until July 2015, The Color Run have held hundreds of events worldwide including 112 events held in the United States, 7 in the United Kingdom, 6 in Australia and 4 in China. With the increasing popularity of the event, The Color Run has introduced "The Color Run Night" in 2014 which featured a 5K run after dark.

Participants in the 2014 Color Run in Paris passing the green station, located next to the Musée d'Orsay

In 2012, The Color Run held events in over 50 North American cities, with a total of more than 600,000 participants.[4] It has therefore become the largest five-kilometer event series in the United States.[8] In 2013, events were planned for over 130 cities in the United States, South America, Europe, Africa and Australia.[5][9] In February 2013, IMG Worldwide announced a multi-year partnership with The Color Run, LLC, with plans to expand the event series into dozens of countries in Europe and Asia.[10] Hundreds of similar color-themed running events have since launched throughout the United States and internationally.[11]

The Color Run and IMG extended their partnership for the expansion of The Color Run into dozens of countries across Europe, the Middle East and Asia. "IMG has announced an aggressive slate of events across the globe in major markets like Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Singapore, Seoul, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, Barcelona, Madrid, Amsterdam, Brussels, London, Dublin, Manchester, Toronto, Vancouver,Vietnam and many more. IMG continues to add countries to its portfolio with a new focus on the Middle East with the addition of Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon and Egypt."[12]

The Color Run held their first event in Paris, France April 13, 2014.[13] The course ran under the Eiffel Tower.

Course and participants

Runners at the green color station at the Color Run in Munich, Germany, 2013

The untimed event emphasizes fun over competition. Open to first-time runners as well as families and children, each event has a designated walking lane.[14] Registration fees typically start at around $35 US.[15] According to The Color Run’s 2012 figures, over 60% of the participants were running a five-kilometer race for the first time,[8] and over 70% of the participants were women ages 18–40.[5] In 2013, there are expected to be a million participants.[15]

Runners begin dressed in clean white T-shirts, and pass through a color station once every kilometer. Each color station is associated with a different color, with volunteers blasting the runners with dyed cornstarch out of spray bottles.[2][16] At the finish line following the untimed run, there are typically celebrations featuring a dance party and food vendors.[14]

The Color Run currently holds the title of the largest running event in the world. Since early 2011, Travis Snyder has grown The Color Run from a start up to over 200 annual events and over 2 million annual participants in countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Africa, UAE, Australia, and Asia.[17]

Tropicolor World Tour

In 2016, The Color Run launched their Tropicolor World Tour featuring new experiences including the Tropicolor Zone where runners were covered in a tropical array of colors and island scents as they passed through palm trees and island-style music. Each runner received a limited-edition race shirt, finisher's medal, and an embroidered headband to wear in the 5k. [18]

Shine Tour

In 2015, The Color Run created a new tour, the Shine Tour. With the new Shine Tour, the Color Run organizers want to create an immersive and transformative experience beyond anything runners have experienced with them so far.[19] The participants are inspired to be "shined" in the crowd full of sparkles.

Kaleidoscope Tour

The Kaleidoscope Tour was The Color Run's new tour for 2014. The planned features were to include kaleidoscope attractions on the course, photo opportunities and "Kaleidoscope fun" at the finish festival.[20] The Color Run Erie, one of 98+ tour stops in the Kaleidoscope Tour, sold out in less than a month with 10,000 participants.[21]

Color Run Night

On Saturday, October 18, 2014, the very first Color Run Night took place in the United States in the Philadelphia area. Around 10,000 people gathered for the event. The run involved glow-in-the-dark powder, glowing color zones, black lights along the course, and a black light head lamp for each participant to run with.[22]

Participants dress in black and get coated with fluorescent powder on this 5k course. The run finishes with a festival that includes more color and light, and lots of music and dancing.[23]

On Saturday September 5 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve at parc Jean-Drapeau, Montreal will host the first edition of Color Run Night in Canada.[24]

Color Run Australia

The Color Run events in Australia began in 2012 and are held in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Townsville, Sunshine Coast, Perth, Newscastle, Wollongong, Adelaide, and Canberra and previously Cairns. The inaugural Australian Color Run took place in November 2012 in Melbourne. The run had 12,000 participants, and over 3,000 kg[25] of colored powder was thrown around the 5 km track at Flemington Racecourse. Part of the money raised was donated to the Australian Paralympic Committee. The second Color Run, held at Sydney Olympic Park in February 2013, had over 20,000 runners.[26] The event raised around $200,000 for Heartkids.[27] The 2014 national charity partners[28] include Australian Red Cross, Beyond Blue, Vision Australia, Cancer Council, Starlight Children’s Foundation Australia, RSPCA, Heartkids and Fight Dementia. The sponsor, Swisse, were planning to generate over AUD$1 million in charitable contributions through all 13 Color Runs in Australia in 2014.[29]

Corporate sponsorship

Finish Festival at The Color Run in Munich, 2013

Different corporations sponsor The Color Run in different locations, for example Chevrolet in the US in 2012 and 2013,[30] Shout in 2014,[31] Swisse in Australia,.[29] and Dulux in the UK and Ireland.

Major League Baseball and the Minnesota Twins teamed up to host the inaugural "The Color Run MLB All-Star 5K presented by Nike" on July 13, 2014, at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in Falcon Heights, Minnesota as part of the festivities of All-Star Week.[32] On hand to get runners started were Hall of Famers Juan Marichal and Dave Winfield; former Twins Scott Erickson and Doug Mientkiewicz; MLB executive vice president of business Tim Brosnan; The Color Run founder Travis Snyder; actor/comedian Rob Riggle; and T.C. plus eight of his fellow MLB mascots, along with Runicorn, mascot for The Color Run. Kat Perkins, the Minneapolis-based singer and top-five contestant on The Voice, performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" before the race.[33]

Mitsubishi was named the “Official Vehicle Partner” of “The Color Run Night” on October 18, 2014.[34]

For the second year in a row, Major League Baseball and The Color Run partnered together during All-Star week in Cincinnati for "The Color Run MLB All-Star 5K, Presented by Nike". The event featured appearances by baseball legends, mascots and other special guests.[35]

Charity partnerships

The Color Run, LLC a for-profit organization, partners with a national or local charity at each event, such as a children’s hospital or a local food pantry in Africa.[5][36]

Global Poverty Project is The Color Run's global charity partner. According to a 2013 Huffington Post article, "Color Runners around the country will have the opportunity to not only run in the happiest race ever, but also get involved in the movement to end extreme poverty through GlobalCitizen.org, where they can learn about issues, take actions, and raise funds for non-profits."[37]

Reception

According to Running USA, non-traditional running events have increased from low six figures in 2009 to 4 million in 2013. About 60% of The Color Run entrants have never run a 5K. Most are brand new runners of all ages with an approximate 50/50 gender split.[38]

Negative criticism of The Color Run stems from the fact they are a for-profit company,[39] and some participants are upset to learn that not all proceeds are given to charity.[40][41]

The Color Run was featured on an episode of ABC’s Extreme Weightloss which aired on September 2, 2014.[42]

Awards and recognition

The Color Run was honored as the "Best B2C Marketing Team" at the 2014 Utah Marketing Awards.[43]

Travis Snyder, founder and CEO of The Color Run, was selected as part of the Utah Business Magazine "2015 Forty under 40".[44] He was the keynote speaker at Running USA’s "The Next Evolution" conference held June 2015 in Chicago,[45] with a focus on non-traditional races.[17] Runners World named Snyder one of "The 50 Most Influential People in Running" for his innovation, social media savvy, and strategic influence in the running industry. [46]

Criticism

Color Runs have been criticized for misappropriating the ancient Hindu spring festival Holi, which also features brightly colored powders. Their events initially made no mention of the traditional Hindu practice, and attempt to profit from adopting some aspects of Hindu culture.[47] As of 2016, the official website acknowledges that the event "was inspired by several awesome events, including Disney’s World of Color, Paint Parties, Mud Runs, and festivals throughout the world such as Holi".[1]

Safety concerns

On 27 June 2015 a serious outdoors dust explosion occurred in Taipei (Taiwan) due to colored cornstarch powder, injuring over 500 participants and causing 15 deaths. This brought public attention to the possible health and safety dangers of airborne powders[48] such as the combustible starch powder used by The Color Run. The Taiwanese authorities have since banned events islandwide involving combustible colored powder.[49]

On 30 June 2015 the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a joint statement that they will assess all safety aspects associated with the use of colored powder before granting approval for the upcoming Color Run event to be held in Singapore.[50] Additional measures such as changing the colored powder to non-combustible materials such as colored water mist may be required before the event is given approval to proceed.[51]

Due to ongoing safety concerns, Shanghai called off its Color Run.[52] On 2 July 2015, Shenyang also decided to call off its Color Run and promised full refunds to all participants.[53]

Hong Kong officials also considered banning the use of colored powder spray in public events, and the cancellation of two upcoming events that employed the use of these colored powders - a music party called “Life in Color” scheduled to be held on 25 July, and “The Color Run” set for 6 December 2015.[54]

The organizers of The Color Run have disclosed that the colored powders they use are "a combination of cornstarch, baking soda, and FD&C dyes".[1] They have said they are committed to staging safe and secure events, asserting that they have "not had any fire-related incidents in over 500 events around the world involving more than 4 million participants".[55][1] They have also stated that "as a professional events company with highly vetted policies and processes, we conduct thorough testing to ensure the safety of our materials and their application, and we are confident in the safety of our events".[56] However, details about the nature and extent of safety and health effects testing have not been publicly released.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Frequently Asked Questions – The Color Run". thecolorrun.com. The Color Run. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  2. 1 2 “Pictures We Love: Best of 2012,” National Geographic, January 3, 2013.
  3. ↑ "FAQs". The Color Run LLC. Archived from the original on August 5, 2013.
  4. 1 2 Demian Bulwa, “Color Run attracts casual athletes,” San Francisco Chronicle, March 2, 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Chris Kaltenbach, “Color Run to draw 25,000 to Camden Yards,” Baltimore Sun, May 9, 2013.
  6. ↑ Jill Reilly, “Warning: Colours may run! Vibrant pictures of paint-covered joggers joining in on craze sweeping America,” Daily Mail, August 2, 2012.
  7. ↑ Frequently Asked Questions - The Color Run - The Happiest 5K On The Planet!
  8. 1 2 Michelle Hamilton, “The Color Run Now Largest 5-K Series,” Runner’s World, February 13, 2013.
  9. ↑ Top Running News Stories of 2013 : Bombings at Boston | Runner's World
  10. ↑ “IMG Worldwide and The Color Run Sign Multi-Year Agreement for Global Expansion,” Archived May 28, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. imgworld.com, February 26, 2013. Archived May 28, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
  11. ↑ "Who else wants a list of ALL the color runs?," Gametiime, May 9, 2014.
  12. ↑ IMG Worldwide and The Color Run Extend Multi-Year Agreement for Continued Growth of "The Happiest 5k on the Planet" - Yahoo News
  13. ↑ |url=http://www.aol.com/video/color-run-transforms-the-city-of-lights/518195790/ |date=20140417041029 AOL.com Video - Color Run Transforms the City of Lights Archive copy at the Wayback Machine
  14. 1 2 Michele Foley, “A 5K That Challenges You to Color Outside the Lines,” Health, March 19, 2013.
  15. 1 2 Kevin Trahan and Kevin Helliker, "Events for Weekend Warriors Become a Gold Mine," Wall Street Journal, August 9, 2013.
  16. ↑ Alexandra Sifferlin, “The Color Run: For the Young-at-Heart Runner,” Time, August 22, 2012.
  17. 1 2 Running USA Hosts The Next Evolution Forum – Chicago, June 28-29 | Running USA
  18. ↑ The Color Run brightens up downtown Las Vegas | News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | KSNV
  19. ↑ Color Run sold out - Keep Me Current: News
  20. ↑ |url=https://www.thecolorrun.com/boise/2014-08-23/ |date=20140318015301 Boise, ID Official Page - The Color Run - The Happiest 5K On The Planet! Archive copy at the Wayback Machine This is the home page for the Boise Color Run and currently (~~~~~) is all about the plans for the 2015 run, with no apparent link for last year's run information.
  21. ↑ The Color Run Is Officially SOLD OUT - YourErie.com - Powered by JET 24 and FOX 66 Erie PA
  22. ↑ Thousands Gather in Camden for The Color Run Night | NBC 10 Philadelphia
  23. ↑ The Color Run Night takes over city streets
  24. ↑ The Colour Run Night in Montréal - Montreal Times - Montreal's English Weekly NewspaperMontreal Times – Montreal's English Weekly Newspaper
  25. ↑ "The color run 2012". October 17, 2012. Sydney Morning Herald. Accessed 18/06/14
  26. ↑ Color Run – Mega Events.” Archived July 14, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.. The Color Run Blog. Accessed 18/06/14. Archived July 14, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
  27. ↑ Alison Stephenson, (February, 2013). “Color Me happy: The run that transformed 20,000 joggers into rainbow racers”. News.com.au. Accessed: 19/06/14
  28. ↑ “Charity partners” Archived July 14, 2014, at the Wayback Machine., The Color Run. Accessed: 18/06/14 Archived July 14, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
  29. 1 2 “Swisse Color Run – Sold Out – Volunteers Required”. Heart Kids. Accessed 18/06/14
  30. ↑ "Fit to be Dyed: Chevrolet Spark Suits Up for The Color Run," GM.com, August 21, 2012.
  31. ↑ Suzanne Cohen, "Movin' Right Along: Chasing Rainbows at Shout's The Color Run," Splash, June 17, 2014.
  32. ↑ MLB, The Color Run team up for All-Star 5K charity race | MLB.com: News
  33. ↑ Mark Newman, "Color Run All-Star 5K benefits great causes," MLB.com, July 13, 2014.
  34. ↑ "Mitsubishi partners with The Color Run in Philly this weekend". Archived from the original on October 23, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  35. ↑ All-Star Game adds Color Run race
  36. ↑ Erin Levin, “A Blast of Color For Your Run,” Huffington Post, July 15, 2012.
  37. ↑ John Connors and Lindsay Hadley, "Running to End Extreme Poverty," Huffington Post, August 15, 2013.
  38. ↑ 2014 State of the Sport - Part I: Non-Traditional Running Events | Running USA
  39. ↑ "About," thecolorrun.com. Accessed August 11, 2013.
  40. ↑ Richard Chang, "Sacramento draws a colorful crowd to for-profit run," Archived August 5, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Sacramento Bee, August 4, 2013. Archived August 5, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
  41. ↑ Katrina Condie, (September, 2013). “Claims cast colourful shadow”. Milton Ulladulla Times. Accessed 18/06/14
  42. ↑ 'Extreme Weight Loss' Recap, Season 4 Episode 12, The Drama Coach
  43. ↑ Utah’s Best Marketers Honored at the 2nd Annual Utah Marketing Awards | UtahAMA
  44. ↑ "2015 Forty under 40". Archived from the original on February 8, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  45. ↑ Running USA Industry E-News: The Color Run's Travis Snyder to Keynote The Next Evolution
  46. ↑ The 50 Most Influential People In Running - By Runner's World
  47. ↑ Dye-ing Culture: Color Run, White-washing Holi Since 2012
  48. ↑ Chung, Jake (June 30, 2015). "Water Park Inferno: Details of pre-blaze conditions emerge". Taipei Times. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  49. ↑ Taiwan bans events with flammable coloured powder, East Asia News & Top Stories - The Straits Times
  50. ↑ SPF, SCDF to assess safety of Colour Run event, AsiaOne Singapore News
  51. ↑ Parliament: Police to assess hazards of coloured powder used at events in wake of Taiwan incident, Singapore News & Top Stories - The Straits Times
  52. ↑ Shanghai calls off color run in wake of Taiwan dust blast, AsiaOne Asia News
  53. ↑ Shenyang-The Color Run China 彩色跑中国 Home-The Color Run China
  54. ↑ HK mulls ban on colored powder after 500 hurt in New Taipei fire
  55. ↑ Color Run organiser ‘committed to staging safe events’ | TODAYonline
  56. ↑ Lehigh Valley color runs' powder different from that in Taiwan fireball | lehighvalleylive.com

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