I did the Shine tour 2015 Color run this summer and it was a bit of a let down. First of all, it was cloudy at the start line and then the skies began to darken. My friends and i then heard the claps of thunder and then it was like, OH SH*#, its coming down. And then it did. As we started to run, it began to pour! And not just a brief shower, It rained the whole race!!! Not that any of us could control the weather but as Lily Z. had mentioned, the event planners were ill prepared for the rain. Instead of getting a "dusting" of colored powder, you received a heavy sling of colored mud (because the powder had already mixed with the heavy rains) as you ran through each color station. And just when you've hit the 3.1 mile marker, drenched and cold and perhaps starting to get the shakes from hypothermia, you are hit one last time in colored mud... Only this time its GOLD powder!!! Yes people. You're hit with gold colored mud only to be glowing like a sad looking Oscar statue at the end of the finish line. Let's just say it was the piece de resistance to end it all off. My guess was that the crowd either loved and embraced the drenching experience or hated it completely. I'd hear runners say, "This is so BLEEPIN" awesome! Let's do this next year!" And then there were those that were like, "This Fn sucks. I'm never doing this again." And then there were those families with their 2-3 year old crying incessantly because they're all wet... The blowers at the end of the race were of no use to anyone there since you were already covered in rain and powder. The powder just stained you and anything you touched. Luckily i was smart enough to bring a towel to sit on in the car ride home, otherwise i would have had a helluva time time doing detailing on the car seats!!! Post-racers left the event looking like "Carrie" from the movie but instead of blood, you were a rainbow/glittered hot mess... I guess the only consolation prize this year was that they gave you a finisher's medal. Perhaps next year will have better weather. read more

The Color Run - Skies getting darker at the starting line - Races & Competitions Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The most low key 5k ever. This was my first and everything was oh so casual! I wish the different color stations were better prepared because some of them ran out of powder by the time we arrived. Also, I don't know if they were adequately prepared for the rain. The post-it wall was a wreck. The Shout station was closed. I was not impressed with the SINGLE leaf blower for the entire race. The organizers made it seem like the leaf blower was some amazing post-race cleaner. No. it was really a guy with a leaf blower. A bit disappointed but at least the other runners made it fun and energetic. read more

My first 5K! Would definitely recommend to all "sports lovers" that don't like sports! Ha ha It's lots of fun!! Create your own Team to get a special price! read more

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What an amazing and FUN 5k this was. This is a 5K for people who don't like running. It's not chipped and it's pretty much one big colorful playground. My group felt like it wasn't a true 5k but we really didn't care because like I said, this is all about fun. It also benefited Children's Memorial and that's always a plus in my book. Tips for people doing it in the future. 1. Green is the hardest to get off of your skin. So ummm, try to avoid getting green all over your face. 2. I wore a wig and a shower cap under it and it helped a ton. I've got light blonde hair so I'm sure all of the pretty colors would have been sucked right in. My friends that didn't go the same route as me aren't so lucky. They've got some pretty colorful hair now. 3. Ziplock bags help keep color off of your phone and other belongings. 4. Don't put your colorbag in gearcheck. Some people did and they were sad to miss out on the final color ceremony. 5. Baby wipes always help clean your hands and face after any kind of messy run 6. Take public transportation. I saw the line of cars trying to get out of the parking lots when we were walking by. It was a mess! 7. Bring extra clothes to change into if you have to drive your car. 8. Don't bring extra clothes or wash your face if you and your friends are going out afterwards. You'll have an awesome time. Heck, maybe even a 15 person color run team will have a dance party in the middle of Sausage Fest. 9. This is super important, wear something to cover your eyes. Sunglasses worked perfect for me. 10. Don't take this serious. It's the funnest run you'll ever be involved in. Here's a video from my running crew. Enjoy! :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02vEcF0O4gg read more

The Color Run - Races & Competitions Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The Color Run was my first 5k, so I have nothing to compare it to...but it was so much FUN! Definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to do a 5k. If it is something you're interested in, make sure you stay updated on it...I remember this one sold out pretty quickly! The color can be a challenge to get off...still have some green on me and some pink hair, but well worth it! Make sure you bring sunglasses or something to color your eyes, the powder can be extra crazy at times! Parking at Montrose wasn't too bad, we got their early though (like 6:45, so we parked without any issues.) For future color runners, have fun and enjoy it! If you are an avid runner who takes runs seriously, this probably isn't right for you...this was definitely just a 5k to have fun with! read more

I plotted out the length of the run after completing and it was less than 4K!!! How can you advertise a 5K distance and simply have us run a whole kilometer length shorter is beyond me. Way to give a bunch of people (especially for some of my friends who were first timers) false impressions that they ran a 5K race! The idea is unique and different but to be that careless about race length is completely sacrilege in the running world and I wouldn't recommend completing this supposed '5K' race next year. read more

My first 5k ever was like one big party!! The colors washed off pretty good and the clothes didnt stain either.I will do it again!!!

TL;DR: don't expect much, don't expect a 5k, don't expect unicorns Sorry. Color me badd. Sorry I had to, I've had some 90s nostalgia lately, which you will see riddled throughout my review. But I'm not going to "sex you up" with this review, instead I'm going to give you the straight dope. I basically paid $38 for a cheap medal, a 4k run, and a cotton t-shirt. I've done races before and even a few tris, but I've stayed away from 5ks as they tend to appeal to mostly walkers. I knew this would be the case with the Color Run (notice I didn't say race, because this is not timed so don't think you'll get a trip to Space Camp if you beat the buzzer) and it was true. However, if I was going to do a 5k, shouldn't it be the most colorful one of all? Like In Living Color? but no fly girls obvi... I went to check-in the day before (I strongly suggest doing this) and there were some nice volunteers there (average age of probably 16) who helped you get your bib and t-shirt. However, they will not know anything about the run. So asking them seemingly important questions like "is there water on the course?" is best left to you own guess. I only asked because the forecast was about 85 degrees. In your check-in bag you get a white cotton t-shirt, a sweatband, and a fake tattoo, and the obligatory sponsor ads. The tattoo was glittery so that was cool. The morning of the run is an early one. If you plan on running/jogging I would suggest getting there early. According to the race day packet, you must cross the start line by 8:45am which was consistent with what I saw because I was literally at the start line at 8am and finished 22 minutes later (more on that in a moment) and there were still people who were just starting and walking the course. There were definitely people still in the check-in line after 8am. That being said, it seems like anyone could have just walked in. There was actually a woman who walked her bike and some tourists who walked through the field and could have entered the corral to start. I was in the first wave and we basically ran up and back Columbus turning around at the AON building and then not too far south. I didn't wear my Garmin but I had my Timex and I was timing myself for fun. We probably went about a third of a mile before we hit the first station (green!) and I totally felt like Slimer. I strongly suggest you wear sunglasses but even if a little bit gets in your mouth it's just cornstarch. The color stations are basically volunteers dressed like banditos (to avoid too much cornstarch in their mouths) shaking powder on you. Before you know it, you'll be at the mile 2 marker, which definitely was not a mile away from the mile 1 marker. You go through the pink, violet, and then gold stations (there's one water station on the course) and you hit mile 3 (really short second mile) and then there's the finish line. This course is clearly not accurate as I assure you I did not run a 22 minute 5k (I would have expected a 29 minute time on an accurate course). Then some kid who is maybe all of 15 years old at the end hands you a cheap unicorn medal. Word. The after party was actually kinda fun. My inner 10 year old from 1990 came out and remembered how paint splattered clothing (I think I had bike shorts like that) and hypercolor etc was popular. I stayed for 2 color jumps- when the crown throws up powder packets, even I opened a pouch and doused myself and those around me- oops did I do that? It was kinda fun but then I remembered I'm 37 and I had to clean up somehow. So I went to find the fans that were advertised in the event packet. On the edge of the field there was a guy, no joke, with a leaf blower. It got none of the powder off me as advertised, even when I could see lose powder on my arms. Ugh, as if. I took the pre-run packet advice and put coconut oil in my hair to keep it from staining my highlights. But be forewarned any perspiration will cause some interesting coloration, so don't go chasing waterfalls. For example, apparently I sweated a bit (even if you wear your Teen Spirit!) under my arms and one pit was pink and blue and the other one was orange and brown. Because yes, boys and girls, when you mix all the colors of the rainbow you get a muddy orangey dookie brown. However, cleanup was easy and I had no staining anywhere on me, not even on my nails. No mess in the shower either, but you may want to leave your Blossom hats at home or your new outfits from Delia's. I think if you're on the fence, you might want to pass this one or do it as a one and done. I see this as a novelty that after one time would lose the fun by the second time around. The course itself is pretty lackluster, but you could hear music throughout most of the course. I think it is just overhyped and not as much a Full House as you might expect. read more

As soon as this pops up on my Facebook feed I immediately tag everyone I know who'd be down and write LET'S DO IT. We get a group of twelve together (me, The Girlfriend, Taz, Genevieve, Luka, etc.). We register our team (Harder-Than-Your-Crew Crew) and immediately geek out in anticipation of race day. Just a heads up: this isn't a legit "run" run. A lot of people are just there to soak up the colors and dance around. Lots of walkers, joggers, parents running with strollers, kids dressed up as superheroes. This ends up bothering The Girlfriend slightly, as she's using this as a short run in her marathon training, but the rest of us have a blast at the color checkpoints, absolutely getting turnt as volunteers spray us with red and blue and green and yellow powder, EDM music keeping us pumped and in good spirits. Van brought his GoPro and choreographs us throughout the course, getting us to jump on top of each other or roll around on the ground. I admit it's a little silly but I know the footage will look great once it's edited. And hey, it's for a good cause. The Color Run helps bring awareness to local charities, so your registration fee pays for more than just your race packet. A Couple day-of things: Bring eye wear. And you'll need a change of clothes for after, or you can rock your new colors and head to the closest bar. A group of peeps covered in color immediately attracts attention. Even the cabbie we flag down enjoys our look, not even worried that we're getting his backseat all dusty. He's actually excited to see us. I hop in front and The Girlfriend, Lillian, Auden, and Ash cram into the back. The cabbie slaps my shoulder and a cloud of purple, blue, yellow, and orange wafts up. He's practically giddy. "Holy," he keeps saying. "Holy, holy!" Holy is right, except when I say it, he purses his lips ("No holy, H-O-L-I. Holi, Holi festival, Kacy Dahan."). I laugh a little and say, "Nah man, Color run." He's kind of dazed a little bit and sits back into his seat. I explain the Color Run to him and he keeps nodding and smiling politely, so I think he gets it, except he never says a word to us after that. All in all, a great time to be had with friends and family, a great way to get some cardio in and enjoy the day. Salud! read more

This really is "The Happiest 5K On The Planet"! If you don't consider yourself a runner but you love to have fun, this is the 5K for you. I walked and skipped (and tripped and fell down) and had so much fun. If you are interested in this race get on the mailing list, add The Color Run on Facebook and get your admission for your chosen city (or cities) as soon as they go on sale because spots will sell out! I can't say enough good things. Packet pick-up was fun, even if mailing them to us would have been more convenient. The volunteers are so nice and excited. We got to Montrose Harbor by about 7:15am and we were able to park in the lot but spaces were becoming scarce and street parking was completely full already. We were in the first wave of Color Runners and things went by so quickly from there! There were runners, joggers, walkers and kids in strollers and people dressed up in festive costumes. Teams and also folks who came by themselves. All ages. All shapes and sizes. All fun. Everyone has a place at The Color Run and I think that might be the true beauty of the whole thing. Can't wait for next year. read more

This was truly the most fun I've had in a very long time. I cannot wait until next year. The photos turned out awesome and everyone just looks like they had a wonderful time. Definitely make sure to sign up early next year as I am SURE now that this has become more publicized, it will sell out quicker than it did this year! Thanks to all of the volunteers and staff. They did an outstanding job! read more