Color Run

I entered a giveaway for two entries to this race via Quarterlette. I only entered the giveaway because the prize package came with two boxes of KIND bars, and I LOVE KIND bars. When I actually found out I won, my first thought was, «Oh, damn. Now I actually have to run.» I literally haven’t ran since we were required to in high school, and that was 10 years ago.
As stated in the previous reviews, a lot of people do walk, but reading that made me feel more comfortable. I knew I wasn’t going to go from running 1 block to catch a bus to running 3 miles in under three weeks, so my only goal was to jog most of it.
My friend and I left from Old Town Alexandria to National Harbor around 8:10, and it probably took us a total of 40 minutes until we were finally parked inside one of the parking complexes within National Harbor. Even though it took a long time to park, everything was well organized, as there was a lot of security moving us forward until we got to the appropriate level of the parking complex.
Once we parked, it only took us a few minutes to get started racing, though we technically cut the line. The line to the start was a little confusing, as there was two of them when there only should have been one. We stood in the middle trying to meet up with two other people, but gave up and joined the line from where we were standing.
All the color stations were fun, although sometimes I would have preferred the volunteers squirt more color instead of giving high fives. I know it’s supposed to be «the happiest 5K on the planet,» but it’s not the «High Five Run.» It’s The Color Run! More color and less high fives please! I did get quite a bit of color on my shirt during the first purple station, but after that I didn’t get much color on me until the finish line party. My hair was completely yellow, with speckles of blue, orange, pink, and white in my hair (not sure who threw that-​white doesn’t count as a color!!!)
Oh, and I did end up eating some of the powder, but it wasn’t awful!
Thanks to The Color Run for making me hit the gym for a few times a week for the past three weeks! I do think I will actually try to continue running, though I will no longer feel guilty when I don’t run on my «run day» per my 5K training plan.

This is probably good for kids and people just wanting to hang out with friends while being peppered with colored cornstarch. They should call this the Color Walk as 95% of the people were walking and not yielding to people running on the left. This wouldn’t be a problem if 1.2 miles of the course wasn’t restricted to a 5′ wide walking path. Not very well thought out or regulated even after staggering groups of runners from the start line. Having paid ~$ 50, I wanted to at least run a little and I’m not even a runner. Parking was free and traffic was controlled by police. It was nice to cross this off my list, but I wouldn’t do it again.

This thing could be fun mostly for kids and teenagers… but the fun is spoiled when u have to avoid inhaling the color powder… did it once, but not for me … I wish somebody told me. It was a waste of money and a kid/​teenagers fun thing.
Also, I realized they delete facebook comments that are not very positive. I am not even bashing and they deleted mine!

Hey, guess what?
I just sneezed a rainbow! That’s right, I tasted the rainbow and my body spit it out! If you run the color run, be prepared to have colored chalk in places you didn’t think of. Ears, nasal passages, coating the cilia in your lungs (like asbestos fibers do and then develop into mesothelioma).
After the Hot Chocolate 15k, I was hesitant to run another race at the National Harbor, but this race went off without a hitch. Parking was free and plentiful with police guiding us to the correct garages. The race started early, the course was fun, and the volunteers were great. Also they had unicorns.
Please note this race is just frivolous fun. It’s not timed, very few people are legitimately running, no elite runners flew in from Kenya, so just get your friends together, wear your nastiest and oldest set of sneakers, get the kids and make a fun Sunday morning out of it. Stick around for the after party too, it feels like a rave. Be sure to register early too!

My friends and I had so much fun doing this race! I was skeptical at first about doing it, because the last race I did in National Harbor, the Hot Chocolate 15k, was a complete disaster. But unlike the HC race, this one was very well organized! Getting in and out of National Harbor was painless (we left about 1.5 hours before the race started) and the race ran very smoothly. They let people cross the starting line in small waves, which definitely help keep the race course from being over crowded. There was one water stop during the race and then at the finish line.
Your registration includes a white t-​shirt, headband, and a color packet. Throughout the course they have stations where you get sprayed with a specific color. By the end, we looked like walking tie dye shirts. It was awesome! Save your color packet for the finish festival, where everyone sprays each other at the same time. They were also giving out free stuff to the crowd. My friend caught a bag with a bunch of goodies. We would definitely do this race. Registration sells out quickly, so be sure to sign up as soon as you can!

I don’t know how they did it but Color Run had me paying $ 35 bones to run: a free activity that I usually avoid like the plague. But I took their promise of it being «the happiest run on Earth» seriously and was pleasantly surprised for being fully satisfied with my experience.
A few things to note:
— Sign up early! This event sold out within forty five minutes.
— Pick up your packet up before the event to avoid a major headache.
— Arrive early — traffic getting into the National Harbor is horrendous!
— This event is not timed so if you are more of a walk with swagger kind of gal like myself you won’t feel uncomfortable. They also release participants in waves so you won’t get trampled by crazed speed demons on the way out.
— Stay for the color party on the way out, spectators can join in as well!
I had so much fun running in and out of the color sprays at every kilometer and then throwing the color packets at the dance party at the end. What’s better is that the color fun lasts for a few full days! Imagine my surprise when my sister coughed and purple dust came flying out of her mouth or when I cleaned my ears out and found an orange and green Q-​tip surprise! This is the closest thing I’ve gotten to becoming an actual rainbow breathing unicorn in my entire life.