How to do a Color Run for your school

What is a school Color Run?

A color run is a type of fun run that is perfect for schools. Kids start out wearing white T-shirts and by the end of the run they are covered in color.

A color run is usually where volunteers throw color powder at the runners as the run by. These days colored slime is also a great option for color runs.

The main reason to host a color run is to raise funds for a determined cause. The runners will then pay, or get sponsored, to participate in the event. Hosting a color run at your school, is not only a great way to raise funds, but also an effective way to entertain the kids, while keeping them active. It is a fun and interactive way for everyone to get involved and is definitely worth planning.

In this article, we will teach you everything that you need to know about color runs, so that you can host your own color run, fundraising event at your school.

How to set up a color run?

A color run is typically a 5K run (3.1 miles), although the length of the run can be varied to suit the age and abilities of the students.

A color run is usually divided into stations (at least 4), each positioned an equal distance apart around the track. Each station will contain a different color. At each station you need to have volunteers ready to throw color powder or spray slime at the runners as they zoom past. As long as you have a course mapped out, plenty of volunteers, and a good amount of color powder or instant slime at each station, then you are ready to race.

Color Runs with Slime!

While color runs were originally all about color powder, some schools have started to use colorful Instant Slime as well.

Party GOAT® Instant slime is a product that makes a huge quantity of super colorful slime by simply adding water. This slime can be sprayed out of water blasters as the kid's run by.

Instant slime is great to use alongside color powder. If the kid's run through a slime station first the slime gets them slightly wet which helps the color powder to better stick at the next station.

Kid's absolutely love slime so adding a slime station to your color run is bound to be a hit. Click here to learn more about SLIME BLASTER STATIONS.

Buy fun run slime below! Fast and Free Postage within the USA and Australia.

Does Color Run Slime stain clothes?

Party GOAT's unique Instant Slime formula was specially designed to be non staining and easy to clean up. Unlike some color powder products which may stain clothes (see further info down the page), you will have no staining issues with Party GOAT Instant Slime. Watch the video below for proof it is non staining and for some easy clean up ideas.

How much does a Color Run cost?

How much a color run will cost you is directly proportional to the amount of color powder you're going to use for your event. The recommendation is that each participant uses 0.6lbs of color powder. So, for example, if you have 200 kids you should buy a total of 120 lbs of powder (200 x .6 lbs). Then you can distribute the total powder in your color stations. If you have 4 color stations, each station will receive 30 lbs in the example above and you will dispense 0.15 lbs per station per participant. 1 handful of powder is approximately 0.10 lbs - 0.15 lbs.). Please know that these are all approximate figures and it is not an exact science. We recommend to play it safe, the more color powder, the better!

What do they use in Color Runs?

What they use in color runs is colored powder which is non-toxic, free of heavy metals and all certified. The powder is a combination of cornstarch, baking soda and FD&C (food safe) dyes.

Are Color Runs safe for your lungs?

Color powder's should be 100% natural and edible (however eating it is NOT recommended). Therefore people who are concerned about whether color runs are safe for their lungs should not worry. Like any powder substance, you might want to keep it out of your eyes, nose and mouth, as it would be like breathing in dirt. Even though the color powder is safe, it is still recommended to wear glasses or googles for the eyes and a bandanna or dust mask for the nose and mouth. If you don't want to wear any protective gear, try to hold your breath until you get through the color stations. Another good tip is to breath only through your nose, as it has natural filters for the powder. If you breath through you mouth, then the powder has the chance of going directly to the lungs. As mentioned however the powder is a natural product, so should be considered safe. It may just make you cough slightly if you accidentally breathe it in. These are extra precautionary safety guidelines and mostly recommended for people that have asthma or other similar respiratory conditions. It's also important to note, that the volunteers are instructed to dispense the color powder only at the lower part of the body. Some color powder suppliers also supply fun colored glasses for kids to wear while running.

How do you clean up after a Color Run?

Wait! Don't get wet yet, the best strategy to clean up after a color run is to dust and shake off as much color as you can. A good idea is to set up a blow station where you can have volunteers operate leaf blowers, helping the participants to blow away the powder off their bodies. After removing all of the loose powder, you can then use water and wash yourself.

Does Color Run powder wash out?

Yes, generally color run powder washes out of clothes and they will come back to their original state. However not all color powders are the same, certain brands, and typically darker colored powders, are more likely to stain, so check with your supplier before ordering. After you remove as much color powder as you can, rinse your clothes in cold water before a normal washing cycle. If the clothes are still colorful after the washing, then try washing it one more time, and that should do the trick.

Does the Color Run powder stain your hair?

No, the color run powder won't stain your hair. With some hair types, the color run powder might be a little more difficult to be removed (like blond hair), however with enough washes, the color run powder will eventually all go. Here's a few tips for removing color run powder from your hair:

Consider wearing a head cover, bandanna or hat during the color run. You can also use some leave-in conditioner before the event, especially for bleached or highlighted hair.
After the event, make sure you dust off all the colored powder before jumping in the shower.
Wash your hair as usual, repeat if necessary.

Does Color Run powder ruin your shoes?

The color powder should wash out mostly after the event and shouldn't ruin your shoes. However, like anything colorful, it may cause staining depending on how much time it has had to set, so the sooner you wash it the better! Give your shoes a good scrub with warm soapy water and they should come out fine. If however, you are still afraid that the color powder may stain or ruin your shoes, it's recommended to wear items that you don't mind getting dirty!

What happens if there is bad weather in a Color Run?

Weather is something that no one can control, so what happens if there is bad weather in a color run? A little rain will actually make the colors look brighter, so it's fine to continue the event even with forecasted rain. The cleaning up will most likely be a little more complicated for the participants, but at least the course will be self cleaned. If a more severe weather warning occurs, it is obviously recommended to postpone the event for the safety of the participants and volunteers in the color run event.

How to make your Color Run more fun!

The whole purpose of a color run is the FUN, so is it possible to make it even more fun? Yes, it is! Here are a few ideas below on how to make your color run even more fun:

1 - White is a must! That's a very important tip when organizing a color run. The participants should wear white clothes as the color powder will show up better on white. Other colors don't have the same effect as they do on white.

2 - You can have a group warm-up/warm-down session before and after the event, so people can start having fun as soon as they enter the event and also continue having fun once the official run is over. It might be a good idea to hire a DJ to get people excited about the event and dancing.

3 - Enhance the color run experience and buy our PartyGOAT™ products to make your event unique.

Party GOAT Instant Slime

Party GOAT Instant Slime allows you to make huge quantities of super colorful slime by simply adding water. Each bag of Instant slime mix makes 25 Gallons of slime. The Slime is colorful making your participants look awesome plus the color powder will stick better.

One of the best ideas is to create a Slime Blaster Station in between the color powder stations so the participants can get slimed when they pass through the section.

Party GOAT™ Instant Mud

A fun alternative or addition to a color run is hosting a mud run. Check out this guide with ideas on How to do a mud run. Party GOAT™ Instant Mud takes all the hassle out of creating a mud pit for a mud run event. Each pack makes a huge 60 gallons of a clean mud like substance that the kids will love diving into or crawling through. Dirt that you dig straight from the ground can have sharp objects in it like sticks and rocks and harmful bacteria. It also takes a fair bit of man power to dig up enough mud for your obstacles as well. Party GOAT™ Instant Mud creates bulk mud with ease. A dark and safe mud to make your event even more fun. Located in Australia? Click here for mud run supplies Australia or here for our complete guide to school colour runs.

How to clean up the Color Run powder off your school after the event?

I'm sure one thing that you are wondering is how to clean up all the color powder off your school after the event finishes. Please know that this is quite an easy process and there is nothing to worry about.
Be mindful that all the color powder will
be concentrated where the color stations were.
The procedure consists of 2 simple steps -

1. Blow or sweep off most of the color powder in all areas.
2. Then turn on either sprinklers or hoses to wash down the area (you can also use a pressure washer for a faster approach).

The PartyGoat instant Slime and Mud is also biodegradable and soluble in water so your school can be washed down clean by using the same cleaning method above.

What do you think about hosting a Color Run for your school?

We would love to hear what you think about hosting a color run for your school! Let us know in the comments below. Any other doubts? Are there other fun run themes that you're interested to know more about? Which fun run theme would you most like to participate in? Does your school do a yearly fun run for the kids? Tell us about it!