The Color Run SoCal

To be honest. This is the first time I’ve done a color run with my friends and family. I’m honestly disappointed with the lack of organization and the fact that anyone can come in when ever they want without being throughly checked in if they have proof or not.
Also the VIP package sucked! They didn’t even give everything that was promised. And the run was not 3 miles (5k).
Sadly disappointed. But that’s just my opinion.

Checking out the color run. i think that I will go next time

The colors are not non toxic like they say. The silver color is aluminum. Says so on packet. I posted pics of my unopened packet. Avoid this gate, but the rest of it is super fun!!!

Probably good but plan ahead. First issue — watch the ACTIVE registration procedure you can get signed up for an auto $ 64 charge to your card — we tried to get there over an hour early, parking was ok, but it took over 30 minutes to exit the frwy to get into the event. We didn’t pick up our packet early so we tried to stand in line to pick it up = you have to pay another $ 5 to pick up in person on the event day and although they tell you they have several pickup tents — they only had ONE tent so it was hours till we could pick it up. They only had a few volunteers working (why not HIRE people! you are making over $ 180,000 in «reg fees») so there was no person to ask where to go and what to do. We ended up leaving before the event due to frustration.

First off… Thanks Shanon Y for inviting and having me to be your partner and letting me experience this Color Run for the first time!
Parking was crazy… Jammed pack from exiting the freeway and entering the parking lot. Funny thing is that there’s no handicap parking even if you have the handicap sign.
Despite the parking, I’d always wanted to experience a 5k run, however, I never thought my first would be almost everyone ‘walking’ when it’s suppose to be ‘The Color RUN’. There were blue, yellow, pink, purple and orange station (let’s hope I did not forget a color) but as we went through each, some were ‘running’ out of color to throw because they were running low so had to use the time to ‘refill’. So much for being covered with all the colors. Good thing was that there was a water station. The volunteers handed us the water as we pass by.
The ONLY good thing about the run was the after party. We were pretty hyped up for that instead. Covered in lots of color. Barrels of colors were being switched so all the people can throw it everywhere. The after party was poppin!
NOTE: You will def. get DIRTY. If you are planning to bring your phone, best to keep it in a Ziploc bag. AND bring extra clothes and baby wipes to clean yourself up before you enter your or someone’s car. Trust me, you will thank me.
Will have to see if I’ll experience it again. It WAS a bit disappointing with the non running and running out of color at some stations.

I usually only sign up for races if I know I’m getting a medal, but I thought this looked fun enough to do sans hardware.
* I got there pretty early, so exiting the freeway and getting parking was a breeze. Leaving, however, was a different story. Since there were about 12,000 runners, the traffic was pretty hefty getting out of the parking lot.
* Registration was a breeze. I wasn’t able to pick up my packet the day before, but the morning of, everything was quick and easy.
* Plenty of port-​o-​potties.
* There’s a crap ton of people running this thing, so if you happen to miss your wave, it’s all good. They have people running over the course of 2 hours.
* This event is not timed, therefore it’s definitely a fun run. I saw a dad pushing a stroller while wearing flip flops. People of all different shapes, sizes, and fitness levels are there to enjoy the experience. There is no judgement happening here.
* One of my buddies had the BRILLIANT idea to saran wrap our phones so we’d still be able to take some pics while minimizing the chances of color induced damage. I highly recommend this to anyone wanting to partake in this race.
* The course itself was pretty boring. It’s at an old airfield so there’s really long stretches of cement without much else to look at. They had some music playing at certain color points. 2 water stops was plenty for a 5K.
* The swag included a shirt, some temporary tattoos, a pretty cool bag, a headband (yeah, I rocked that headband the rest of the day), and a wristband.
* Post race festivities were super fun. They have a cleaning zone where someone is blasting you with a leaf blower to get the excess color off your clothes. Vendors were around to give away some goodies. Honest Tea decided that instead of handing out mini bottles, they’d have some coolers for people to fill up their tiny cups. Not exactly the most efficient way to be a vendor here.
I was really happy that I got to enjoy this with some good friends. I’d definitely do this again, but I’d really like to push for maybe less swag and add a medal :)

My friend and I bought a living social for this place and I had a lot of fun. Getting here was probably the worst part of the whole experience. We left about an hour before race time and were basically caught up in traffic the whole time. Right from the freeway exit until we got to the location, we were just sitting and moving slowly.
Parking took us far back from the entrance, and so we had a bit of the walk to get there. I believe parking was free, but can’t recall for sure off the top of my head.
When we went in, since we had already picked up our race materials the day before, we were pretty much set to join the next wave of runners. It looked like some people were picking up their items the day of as there was a line for something but I’m not sure.
There was a pretty bad smell at the start of the race, something from the nearby field I’m guessing? The run itself was pretty fun, every time you passed one of those color stations you got a certain color powder thrown at you by the people there.
At the end of the race there was an area that sold food, had some samples, and an area to take pictures and to blow chalk off. There was also a stage where music was being played and some guy was talking to the crowd on it.

It’s our first time and probably our last.
We had a group of thirteen participants, nine were late for our 9:30 am start time. We didn’t get to start until 10:45 am.
My biggest issue was getting there. What a big nightmare, After exiting the 5 fwy at Jeffrey Rd at 8 am. It took almost 2 hours to park. Then we had to walked about half a mile to get to the starting line. Oh, we weren’t the only ones late. There must have been a few miles of cars behind us.
The course:
Five stations where you are doused with different colored powder.
There were two water stations.
At the finish line, we threw confetti (that was on the floor) to simulate a celebration. There wasn’t an organized celebration for the finishers by the organizers. Disappointing.
No medal
We got some free granola snacks and a bottled water. The end.
Thankfully getting out was not a problem as it was getting in.
Suggestion: the organizers should get more involvement from the Irvine PD to direct traffic. A couple of miles shouldn’t take 2 hours. If we walked, it would have been faster. IPD was on the other side of the road just watching the traffic nightmare. They didn’t lift a finger to help ease or help clear the congestion. I think IPD wants some of the action for this event Mr Organizers, you should pony up some dough to get them to work for you better.
All that said, We had fun. I got to carry my son for more than half the race. (Note to self, don’t do that again when you are sick. It just makes you sicker, I was down for 4 days after this event, lol)
In my opinion, this is not properly organized event. Poor finish line activity. We basically made it fun for our group ourselves. The activity after the race was very subdued. i had other friends who did the run and they just left after the race as we did. No activity to do post race.
Sorry, but not again.

«Meh. I’ve experienced better» is exactly how I can describe the 2014 OC Color Run.
Unfortunately I ran the 5K Color Run last year with a group and it was SO much better. This year there were a lack of volunteers, sponsors, and overall organization and it reflected in all aspects of the run.
When we first arrived, the traffic spilled into the streets and started building up near the freeway entrance. There was very little direction when we tried to park. Also, there were no signs for check-​in and we had no idea where to start. We had to walk around asking people to direct us to the starting point. Last year there was also an area where they checked bags and so I figured we could bring bags with our clothes inside to change into after the run and to our disappointment they no longer had a bag check area so we had to walk all the way back to the car to drop off our belongings. Throughout the race we noticed that they also ran out of the color powder. What fun is it if nobody is getting enough color powder on themselves during this run?! The whole purpose is to run the course and to end up being covered head to toe in colored powder. At the end of the race I also noticed that they ran out of colored packets that they were suppose to give out to everyone. The only redeeming factor was the after party. The DJ and MC on stage had the crowd going with music and giveaways until around 2pm.
Tips* You will get VERY dirty. Bring makeup wipes, towels, trash bags, water bottles, change of clothes, and sandals

This was a great event and great experience. The race is more organized than what the prior reviews stated. Parking here is free much to my delight. They gave out a lot of goodies. As for the race itself, they let out a group 30 minutes at a time. Each station has a different group with different color powder to throw at you (I tried to run as fast as I could through them but failed). The powder doesn’t really stain you and can be easily washed off after several showers lol. I thought the stations were well designed and organized so I had to trouble pacing myself throughout the event. The only thing that could have been better is actually earning a medal at the finish line. Sadly they did not provide medals but rather color powder bags for everyone to throw in the air at a synchronized time similar to how everyone throws their tassels after graduation. Overall I had a great experience and applaud them for putting on quite an enjoyable event.

This 5k was suuuuper fun.
Tip: store your phones in ziploc bags cause it gets cray.
If you’re not fit, but still want to join in on the fun there’s seriously nothing to worry about. There were people wearing jeans and some in flip flops so if walking is your thing, no one’s judging. I don’t even think I got a time at the finish line. Children are in strollers so… Yeah. You get the picture.
There’s plenty of free swag at the end like beef jerky, water, mcdonalds mini smoothies and even speck phone cases!
If you want a medal for completing, you won’t get it. I kind of wanted a finishers medal, but all the different colors on your face is proof enough of completion.
Bring a spare shirt and make up wipes if you want to eat lunch afterwards. I had everyone staring at me like I was crazy.

I thought this was a great event, great atmosphere. I read that people had problems with traffic so we got there early– about 8:15 ish and had no problem parking, probably took about 10 minutes. We also left around 12:30 and didn’t have much trouble getting out either, maybe another 10 – 15 minutes but honestly we didn’t really notice b/​c we were still buzzing about the run.
I took away a star b/​c even though the run was fun it was a bit anti-​climactic. After the run we were asking, ‘ok, what now?’ It was fun the first time but I don’t know if it’s a thing I’ll do again for $ 50.

You would assume the color run would involve paint being splattered on you. Nope, it is dusty and baby powder consistency being thrown at your face as you run/​walk by. If you have any type of breathing condition, stay far far away from this race. When you are breathing hard, one of the last things you want is powder thrown at you. The stations for the «colors» were few and far between. I would say skip this race if you are looking for a fun and challenging race, otherwise it’s seriously a walk in the park with a few dustings of powder.

A fun run for everyone! You can do this event even if you have never run a day in your life. to be honest you actually see very little people actually running this course with a majority of people just walking.
This race is awesome and i love the concept of having to wear as much white as you can so you come out looking oh so colorful. They have color stations every 1k and music along the route as well. Definitely something you will want to do with your friends for a fun day.

This 5k really does live up to its slogan– it is a very happy environment! If it were just the run itself, I would give it 5 stars, but the parking situation was so bad… just so bad. It took about an hour & a half to drive in and park, and it felt as if our parking spot was a mile walk itself to the start of the race.
But, once you are there, parked, and ready to run, it is SOOO much fun! This is not a serious race– most people walk it, and if you want to jog or run, be prepared to weave in & out of crowds. Everyone is there to have fun– and it shows! In every picture I took, everyone in the background is smiling, high-​fiving, jumping up & down. It is a great way to promote fitness and spending time outside. It is a family friendly event, and it is just about the most colorful thing I’ve ever seen.
There was one water station on the course, about halfway through. The color stations were pretty good about throwing color– but you have to work for attention. If you run through quickly, yes, the throwers will likely miss you. If you cheer and wave and high-​five your way through– you will get DOUSED in color. The DJ/​dance area after the race was a lot of fun– and awesome to see the color cloud fly up every once in a while.
If they can figure out a way to direct traffic in the parking lot and in Irvine by having multiple entrances and exits, there would be absolutely nothing at all to complain about. The color run is a celebration, and a festival of colorful fun that I will definitely be returning to next year!

Ok, my rating on this is mixed. The race –I’d say 4 stars – it’s a LOT of fun!
2 Stars – However, for the snacks/​water after the racke is very lacking!!!
1 Star – for Exiting!!! I’ve done it here at the Great Park for 2 years now. And both years, the parking is AWFUL!!! Both years, it took me an hr to exit, I thought they might have had it organized better this year b/​c it’s their 2^nd yr, but no!!!
If I do it again, I’m riding my bike & bringing my own snacks.

Review for The Color Run SoCal 2013 held on Saturday May 11, 2013.
BREAKDOWN: Wait long to get into parking, long walk into event, start line is always letting people go in waves, walk, walk, walk, get splashed with powder, walk, walk, smell manure, walk, get splashed with yellow powder, take pictures with your camera phones, walk, water station! walk, get splashed with orange powder, walk, walk, walk, get splashed with pink powder, walk, you can see the finish line! Walk, wog, jog, wog some more, finish line!!! yaaay. Now what? OH! There’s a DJ playing some fun tunes, they throw out colored powder packets, then everyone throws them into the air. Get freebies, go to the merchandise store, take pictures, more pictures, high five your friends, get a free air blow to get some of the dust off, and begin the trek back to you car. By the way, please take notice of a clear landmark. By the time you begin to go back to your car, cars are gone and there are lines of cars leaving and things don’t look the same.
The most important thing you must know about this event held at The Great Orange Park: GET THERE EARLY!!! I cannot stress that enough! I exited the freeway around 7:15 and it took me about an hour to get into the parking lot, then another 20 – 30 minutes to get into the event to get to the start line.
Granted, The Color Run (which I will know abbreviate as TCR) has groups go in waves, so it’s ok if you’re late, but if you’re meeting up with friends (like I was) it’s not too cool to make them wait so long for you. Plus it’s frustrating to be sitting in your car trying to get in. In the meantime, make a party of it in your car. Play some upbeat music, take selfies, and just hurry up and wait.
Now, as for the event itself, don’t expect it to be some hardcore, awesome race. This isn’t the L.A. Marathon or a 10K. It’s a flippin 5K and the whole point is to have some fun with friends and get doused with colored powder. There’s music going on, give-​aways (I’m still upset I didn’t get my free Victoria’s Secret color run drawstring sack :(but I’m sure someone has to be selling one on Ebay!), TCR store, etc. Portapotty’s weren’t too disgusting, or maybe I just got lucky.
As for the location itself, it’s next to a manure plant. Yes. Manure. So during certain portions of the 5K, you got a lovely whiff of processed cow dung. Kinda gross. Also the park itself looks like an abandoned air field. The view was not scenic at all. I felt at times like I was on a march versus a fun event. It’s out in the open and there isn’t much to look at except each other or others running by. Thankfully I was with a large fun group and we kept it interesting.
A 5K isn’t too bad, but if you know you’re not a fit person or the most walking you do is from your couch to the bathroom, then be prepared. You might get tired. But it’s doable. I saw a woman with lymphatic condition (he legs were extremely huge) and she did it! I saw people in wheelchairs too.
Lots of people went the extra mile and dressed up, wore tutus, rocked a few wigs, some wore coordinated outfits and accessories. I saw people of all ages, both genders, groups, couples, families with kids and some with babies (why? I don’t know.)
I had fun. I definitely recommend going with friends. You don’t have to run it, as with most 5 Ks. Running is optional. The majority walked TCR. When we saw people running, I asked «Where are they running to??» I registered early and made a team, so we all got in on the fun for $ 30 ! Not too shabby. I was able to pick up my entire team’s packets two days before the race. Each packet came with a color run t-​shirt, a bib, safety pins, a wristband, color run tattoo, directions, a colored powder packet.
I would definitely do TCR again! I had a great time and so did all my friends. Next time I’ll leave at 5:30 though HAHA.
TIPS FOR ANY COLOR RUN:
— bring your shades even if it looks cloudy
— bring sunblock even if it looks cloudy
— bring a slim fanny pack or drawstring sack for your stuff or leave your things at their check-​in locker area
— bring a large towel to sit on because the color WILL get on your cars interior (unless you really could care less!)
— bring some sandals to slip on for the drive home
— bring some all purpose wipes or baby wipes to clean up
— bring a snack for the drive home or the long wait to get out of the parking lot

I have attended two color runs. The OC run November 2^nd 2012 and the LA (dogers stadium) run on Feb 2^nd 2013. The OC course was Easy, FLAT and you were just basically running in a tiny enclosed space. Other than that, Id say the event was very well coordinated and planned. They kept you entertained at the start line with beach balls, free giveaways, great music, and an awesome DJ. The color stations were well placed and awesome. They balanced out the waves so there was plenty of space to walk or run. And after you finish you can dance plus participate in the color throw for more color. Dont expect a full 5K. This course was barely two miles.
The LA run had a longer and more varied course. There were hills that made it more complicated (and better) and the course was just shy of three miles. It had a great DJ and you didnt even realize you were waiting at the start line. The course however was too packed. There was little to no room to run anywhere if you are a runner. The end was epic but the color throw plus party at the end was nearly non-​existent and disappointing. Parking was crazy but otherwise easy to get to and find.
Overall I would give the race a 5 out of 5. Every 5k you run will have some kind of tick with it but with the color run, you are experiencing something new every time. I will definitely do this again, as well as «color me rad».
Tip: Run with friends, rather than yourself to make it more fun. I had a group of 4 – 5 every race. I noticed people running ny themselves didnt enjoy themselves as much after the race. This is all about having fun together.

One thing I will never regret doing.
Despite this not really being a serious 5k run, the Color Run concept works perfectly when you’re not racing or running for time. What’s so great about this event is that you can just mess around and nobody will even care. Cut the track. Roll around on the ground for color. Run it twice. You can do practically anything at this run and get away with it. With that being said, it’s highly disorganized in that traffic and parking was an absolute pain, stuck on Trabuco for what felt like FOREVER. Thank goodness I had McDonald’s breakfast in the car otherwise I would’ve been so cranky (mind you, I also hate McDonald’s).
There were NO instructions whatsoever about start times and where to go. You’d think the huge balloon archways would help, NOPE. The 9am run turned into a run starting at 15 minute intervals. By the time I got there at 10:30am, people were already finished and leaving. Would’ve been there before 9am if parking didn’t move so slow.
There are supposedly 5 color stations, but the blue and purple station was combined so there were really only 4 and by the time we got to this station, they ran out of color powder that people resulted in rolling around the ground to pick up any loose color. But what was cool is that they give you a packet of powder to use at the end and some people got colors that weren’t thrown out during the run (like teal!).
I understand why people would dislike the Color Run as it’s not serious at all and it’s really not a run, but rather a let’s-just-play-around ordeal. If you’re looking for a legit motivating timed run, might wanna sign up for a half-​marathon/​marathon or something else. The Color Run won’t motivate you to run at any cost.

the most fun you’ll have while get a good workout!
who knew that exercising could be so fun and artistic! using your whole body as a canvas you run the 5K and finish a colorful masterpiece! each kilometer has a different color station (yellow, green, blue, pink) where you get blasted with colored powder that sticks to everything! your hair, skin, clothes, and shoes will be a mish-​mash of color! when you finally cross the finishline, you’re a beautiful mess!
it was simply hilarious! if you like to get dirty, sweaty and have fun doing it, then this is definitely the event for you!
registration: online registration was quick and easy. updates for the event were sent via email.
packet pick-​up: i went on Thursday after work (about 5:30 pm) and it wasn’t too crowded yet. parking at the running store was difficult, but once you got a stall and into the store, it was very organized.
race day: the organizers were wonderful. there was lots of free parking and bathrooms were clean. the course was flat and not exactly 5K (my iPhone tracked it at 2.75 miles total). Activate and Fuse were passing out free drinks. there was some kind of slushee drink too. of course there was a lot of water and granola bars available.
all the volunteers were very friendly, helpful and happy to be there.
after the race, there’s a Color Throw, where runners get together and throw their color packets (everybody gets a baggie with their packet/​bib). it makes a giant cloud of color! there’s a Color Throw every 15 minutes so you don’t have to worry about missing it.
two start times were available for this day: 9:00 and 12:00. my race started at noon. it wasn’t too hot out, but the water stations were well stocked and very nicely organized.
when you’re ready to leave, you can get cleaned up at the cleaning station where they blast you with an air blower and most of the color gets blown away. the parts of you that got wet/​sweaty sticks, so you’ll have to wash off in the bathroom. but it’s kinda fun to walk around the rest of the day with extra color and see the funny looks you get. (99% of the color will wash out when you take a shower. i still have a bit of green stuck to me after one washing)
i left feeling like i got a good work out (i ran the whole way except to stop to take pictures) and had a wonderful time. when was the last time you smiled the whole time you were exercising?