Sydney Color Run

Overview

Lighten your run with Mizuno, then lighten your spirits at the Color Run after party.

Two rules govern the Color Run.

First, turn up at the start line at 9am, dressed according to the official dress code: a white shirt. The adornment of the rest of your anatomy is a matter of personal choice. Rainbow tutus, crochet moustaches and leg warmers resembling packets of Life Savers are often part of the scenery.

Second, appear 5 kilometres later at the finish line, doused in colour. How you get there is up to you. Even though the event is known as a 'fun run', travelling methods tend to vary from traditional marathon style to human wheelbarrow-ing to commando crawling. The colour part is easy — every kilometre, participants find themselves in a sea of bright cornflour pigment.

None of the usual running event conventions apply. Time keeping, winners, divisions, Personal Bests and the like are all overwhelmed by the focus on having a good time. "[It's] less about speed and more about enjoying a colour crazy day with your friends and family," the Sydney Color Run site reads. Whether you're slower than the proverbial tortoise or fast enough to consider taking on Usain Bolt, you'll feel as though you're a vital part of the action.

The Color Run was established in January 2012 by American triathlete Travis Snyder. Last year, 600,000 people joined in at 50 events around the world. This year, it's looking more like a million participants and 100 gatherings. The Color Run is a commercial enterprise, but the organisers do sometimes partner up with local charities. This month's Sydney race will support the Celebrate Life Foundation and the Cure for Life Foundation.

Excited? Looking for the Registration webpage? We're sorry to have to tell you that the next Sydney run, to be held on August 25, has already sold out. If you're keen enough to travel, however, you can get your rainbow on at 15 other locations around the nation, the nearest being Wollongong, and the furthest away, Perth.