How to Organize The Perfect Colour Run?

What is a Colour Run?

A Colour Run is an event were the participants have to run a given distance (example : 1km, 3km or 5km) and where they are going to be sprinkled Colour Powders all their way to the end of the run.

The benefits of a Colour Run are the following:

1. Easy to organize
2. Not much material is required
3. Really attractive and trendy
4. Affordable (about 5$ per participant of colour powder)
5. Easy to wash
6. Ecofriendly (100% natural, non-toxic, biodegradable and compostable) To know more, read our article on What is Colour Powder Made of?
7. Safe for kids
8. Being able to organize a big event (alot of participants) simply and at an affordable price

So a Colour Run is perfect for Schools, a Daycares, Day camps, Event Organizers, Municipalities, Fund raisings and more.

What is the progress of a Colour Run?

Globally and depending on the event, multiple runners will run trough many colour stations. Normally, each colour station has a unique colour. Runners get Colour Powder thrown at them by the staff or volunteers in the colour stations and they can also participate at doing it. At the end of the race, the participants gather together for a last big blast of Colour Powders thrown in the air, often done with music and other festivities. For Colour Runs, usually people are dressed in white, or many will be dressed in a fun way. The goal is not really to finish the first, but mostly to get fun with friends and live something extraodinary.

How much Colour Powder do I need for my race?

If you which to organize a Colour Run, there are normally 2 to 5 stations of colour, depending on the type of run and the length of the race. Like said before, a colour station is where the volunteers will throw the colored powder at the runners. A colour station is generally prepared with a table on each side of the trail with boxes of 25Lbs Bulk Premium Colour Powder and with about 4 volunteers throwing the colour powder at the runners.

So, it is difficult to know the exact amount of Colour Powder that will be used for the race because the generosity and the passion of the volunteers throwing the colour powder is unpredectible. Although, we have a way for calculating the approximate needs of colour powder based on those 2 informations :

• The number of runners
• The number of stations

Considering this, for every 100 runners, you will need 25lbs of Bulk Colour Powder per station. So, if you have 1000 runners with 5 stations, you can make the following calculation :

• 1000 / 100 x 5 = 50 boxes of 25Lbs Bulk Premium Colour Powder.

If you need more help evaluating the right amount of Colour Powder needed, don’t hesitate to Contact us.

How to throw the colour powder?

There are different ways of throwing the Colour Powder. You can simply use your hands, but you can also use bottles or cups. Our favorite way is to use a dustpan to throw the Colored Powder because of its “V” shape. It is a really effective tool to create a large cloud of colour which will slowly drop on the runners. You will also reach more runners that way.

Also, if you which to create a big blast of colour at a key moment like the kick-off of the race, at the finishing line with the frists to cross it or simply to entertain the crowd, you can use our Colour Powder Blasters which are exactly meant for that reason. Different sizes are available depending on the size and the duration of the blast you need. If you would like to know more about them, don't hesitate to Contact us.

How to organize a Colour Race?

Once you have defined how many colour station you wish to have for your race, you should also consider those aspects :

• The setup of the colour stations and the Colour Powder distribution
• The registration desk for the runners
• The starting line
• The finishing line
• The water stations
• The washing stations
• The cleaning of site
• The permits and the security
• The bathrooms and the trash cans
• The music and the sound system
• The other activities for a complete event

The setting up of the colour stations and the Colour Powder distribution

To make sure every runner gets a nice experience with their fair part of Colour Powder when they go through a colour stations, a good preparation is the key. To do so, we suggest preparing the stations to make sure your volunteers will throw Colored Powder pretty much evenly for all the duration of the race. So, every staff member or volunteer should have the Colour Powder portioned and ready to throw for all the duration of the race (boxes opened). That way, they will know and see if they need to adjust by throwing less or more colour powder during the race. Also, you can inform them about the progress of the race, like the waves and the approximate numbers of runners they should expect.

The registration desk for runners

Depending on the type of race and the meaning of the race you organize, you will probably need a registration desk where you will welcome the runners, register them, tell them the guidelines and give them a “runners kit” if you have one. Normally the runners kit will include those items :

• 1 white t-shirt with the logo of the event
• 1 Premium Colour Powder Bag of 50g for the colour blast at the ending celebrations and festivities
• 1 Colored Sunglasses
• 1 label with their runner number on it and the logo of the event
• Other promotional of gift items such as 1 wristband of you event, a temporary tattoo, stickers.

If you need those items, we can help you providing them, you just have to Contact us. If you are a School, a Daycare center, or a Day camp, you’ll probably don’t need all of this.

The starting line

Based on the number of runners that you will have for your event, we suggest you to organize starting waves. You can devide them between 25, 50 and 100 runners depending of the width of the starting line. We suggest to wait for about 2 minutes or more between each waves to make sure the runners gets the time to spread and doesn’t jam at the colour stations. That way, everything will be more fluid, funnier and everybody will get colored as promised.

The starting line is where everybody will be exited and all clean. It’s a good idea to take pictures and videos for memories and also entertain and motivate the runners with music and an host speaking on the microphone. Also, you can create a stunning and nice kick-off signal doing a big colour blast using our Colour Powder Blaster like previously said.

The finishing line

The finishing line is the spot where most of the runners will take pictures of them to capture the moment and share it with their friends. It’s a good idea to propose them using a hashtag to make a photo album of the event for everyone to look at after and share it.

Also, we suggest to set up the place accordingly for that reason and prevent people jamming at the finishing line. Once they have finished, the runners should be led somewhere they can take their pictures safely without bothering the other runners finishing their race. You can also seize the opportunity to install some partners and sponsors logos making it more valuable for them to invest in your event.

Also, think about keeping that nice and magical experience the runners are living with your event by playing music and entertaining them at the finishing line.

The cleaning station

There is nothing less difficult than cleaning Colour Powder. Runners just need to shake the clothes and they will be clean to return home. We suggest installing an air blowing system to clean them. A leef blower or a big fan will do the job perfectly. If you do not have one, you can also prepare a danse choreography with the runners and an host showing them some moves to shake their hair and clothes. It would also contribute to the experience of the event and conclude it well.
Although, we suggest to ask the runners to bring a beach towel so they can put it in their car for their return home. Once at the house, a great shower with soap and the clothes in the washing machine will finish the job!

Water station

Most of the runners will be thirsty during the race, specially if it’s a hot day. We recommend offering them water. We suggest 2 water stations for a 5 km run and 1 water station for less than 4 km run. You don’t need something much elaborated, a simple table with about 3 volunteers is enough. They will fill the glasses and give them to the runners.

Cleaning of the site

When it comes to cleaning the site of the race, it is quite simple. You just need to sweep most of the Colored Powder, collect the trash left by the runners along the trail and all the rest will go away easily by watering it with a hose or with the next rain. Colour Powder is 100% natural, non-toxic, biodegrdable and compostable. Actually, it is colored corn starch. So, it is not damageable for the environment, and it will decompose fast.

 

The permits and the security

Depending on where you wish to organize the race, we suggest you to ask the authorization of the authorities before doing it. Normally, the municipality should definitely be contacted and take part of the decisions (trajectory of the race, the choice of the site, etc.) and they can also help with equipments, securing the area and more.

The bathrooms and trash cans

Those are small details that we often forgot. Make sure enough bathrooms and trash cans are accessible for your runners at strategic spots.

The music and the sound system

A good music is really important for creating a lively and festive vibe. Try to play energising music like Zumba or Latin music to create the best experience for your runners. You can hire a local DJ, but it’s also quite simple by using playlist on Spotify, Google Play, Apple Music or Youtube. Also, a good host with a microphone will help a lot for creating a great vibe.

Make sure your sound equipment is appropriate for your needs. It will mainly depend on the area to cover and the size of the crowd. You can contact a local rental company for their help.

The other activities for a complete event

We suggest to think about other activities you should be doing before and after the race. Entertaining the crowd while the runners are arriving to the event and preparing is a really good idea to start the festivities and bring a great vibe. Those are some of our suggestions to do at the beginning or the end of the race :

• Get the runners prepare for the race with a group warm-up
• Organize a group Zumba danse
• Make a draw with prizes
• With the help of your host, do singalong songs
• Organize a funniest costume contest
• A music band can play
• A big blast of colour at the end of the race with all the runners using Colour Powder Bags of 50g,
• Provide outdoor garden games

 
The runners are looking for something fun and entertaining and you are mainly limited by your imagination. If you need ideas or would like recommendations, don’t hesitate to Contact us.

We hope this article helped you creating your pefect Colour Run! For any questions or special request, it would be a pleasure to help. Don't hesitate to Contact us.