7 am..dressed up like a unicorn, white tutus , knee high socks, music blasting, streets blocked off, hundreds of people, d.j. pumping up the crowd. People giving out high-fives and free hugs.

It was fun and exciting. If you are a adult and you want to be a kid again for a couple of hours while getting in a great run then you will like this run.

First Things First

Who is Color Run? The color run is an “event management company” it is not a charity or non-profit I retrieved this from their website. They want to provide runners with a unique experience but they do work with charities and many volunteers and make donations to some charities they work with. The race I attended Thanked the Boys and Girl Club of Greater San Diego and Break the Silence for Domestic Violence . They didn’t say they donated to these causes but mentioned them. They are very clear in their facts section that they are “for profit”.

The Run: 

Arrival: Make sure to arrive early and if you could get your participant kit/packet a day before. I got my parking and packet a day before. This is a great decision because the lines to pick up packets were super long. In your packet you get a t-shirt, wristband, number bib, headband, and 2 tattoos

Start Line: Get in the wave you know you can handle. The d.j. explained if you were walking please stay to the left and if you are running please stay to the right. I started to the left for my warm up and then switched to the right when I started to run. 

During the Race: Be careful because there are lots of people majority walking so if you are at a high speed just watch out for everyone, adults, children , strollers. I made sure to watch out for people, I saw a girl fall and a dad chasing his son because he was trying to chase a bird and forgot about the race, 

Stops During the Race: This race had some roads still open. Every mile you are splashed with color and offered water. I actually stopped once because they let a car pass and I stopped on mile 3 to grab some water. I stopped to dance on every-mile 🙂 when I was running through the colors. 

The Finish Line: You are greeted with cheers, applause, a medal, a color pack, water, Gatorade and wet packaged towel. I didn’t even want any of that stuff I was concerned about my timing for the race which was 

36 Minutes 34 Seconds : A true accomplishment for me. My first 5k It took me 56 minutes and I don’t  know how many seconds to complete so I have come a long way from last year

After party:

Merchandise is available for sale. Vendors selling food and drinks. A stage where there is a d.j. cheering on the crowd and giving away free goodies. There are different photo backgrounds there for use. The music had the crowd moving and I took pictures at 3 backgrounds. I bought a key chain and wristbands . 

My Epic Fails:

Playlist: I spent 1 hour making a great playlist just for this race. I got to the start line and hit play. BUT as I was running all the songs were slow songs then it hit me.. I clicked the wrong playlist. But I didn’t let that discourage me from having a great run.

Clothes: I packed a long sleeve but I had all intentions on wearing a short sleeve. I am super glad I had the long sleeve as a backup because it was 66 degrees in San Diego and it was by the water. ‘

Phone: My phone decided to shut down on its own around mile 3 and I was using a app on the phone to time my run and listen to music. I guess that was an overload because my phone just turned off out of no where.

 

8 Must-Knows: 

1. Read the Event Guide: This pertains good information that you need to know for your race day . They sent it 5 days before the race, it gives you enough time to make arrangements.
2. Bring money: As mentioned above they are “for profit” so their goodies are on sale ranging  from $1 to $36 shirts, wristbands, bumper stickers, jackets, hats and sunglasses. You can buy more stuff beside what comes in your participant packages.
3. Change of clothes/Towels: They give you a wet towel sponsored by Oxi Clean but still bring your own towel or a change of shirt at least if you plan to stay for the after party. If it says it will be warm also pack a cool outfit and vice versa. A towel for your car. My car seats have a yellow butt print because I forgot a towel.
4. Parking: I spent $ 32 on parking . Saturday to pick up packet parking was $15 (but it could have been free)
5. Time: This is NOT a timed race use your own gadget to time your race. I used mapmyrun and it worked amazing besides my phone shutdown and me having to turn it back on at the finish line. Also with mapmyrun if your phone shuts down it pics ups where your distance is at the time you re-open the app
6. Weather: Check the weather wherever your race will be. Dress for that weather and bring 2 sets of clothes if possible. 1 for it the whether isn’t what it said it would be.
7. Not paint: Its not paint it is died cornstarch so its more powdery than wet. You can wear googles or a bandanna to cover your mouth.
8.  Not a competition: Its not about the best time or how fast you run but do your personal best
   Overall it was a great experience. I am looking for another race to attend. If you all have any ideas please share them with me.

 

Have you done any 5K? How did you prepare? How was race day?