Photo | Color Run © 鹤立 宋 | Dreamstime.com
For a while there, you couldn’t drive across town without coming across barricades for a themed race. Consider:
- The Bubble Run, where participants were hosed down with foam.
- The Tomato Run, where people were pelted with fruit at the end of the race.
- The Ugly Sweater Run with its Christmas theme.
- Cupid’s Undie Run, where you could run in your skivvies.
There were even races mimicking the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona except that in this stateside event, the “bulls” were dressed-up shopping carts (complete with cardboard horns) pushed along by volunteers who mooed loudly and gave chase to runners, who pretended to be scared to death
And all these had a common denominator: A novelty hook designed to create user-friendly events and draw non-runners onto the streets. And it worked. In fact, there were so many races being staged at once that it was hard to choose between the one offering the opportunity to be chased by zombies and the one where runners could wear old wedding dresses.
At the same time, there was a steep climb in the number of obstacle course races (OCR), also known as mud runs, on the market. Spartan Race and Tough Mudder were the biggest in the category, but there were also plenty of others, like Rugged Maniac, Critical Mud, Battle Frog and Warrior Dash. The offbeat race sector was exploding.
Now, that marketplace is strangely silent. Regular non-themed 5K events (no costume required) dominate the weekends. The two main mud runs, Spartan Race and Tough Mudder, are holding court in their sector – but not many others are challenging them.
The question, of course, is the cause of this contraction in the market.
While it’s easy to blame the pandemic, the reality is that theme runs were in decline before then. By 2019, the fall of these races was remarked upon in an article in the SDM Blitz.
The numbers were borne out in the Running Trends Report, a survey done in 2018 by Running USA.
The survey found a contraction in the number of events offered, the largest part of which was a dramatic drop in participation in non-traditional races (themed runs, mud runs and others). Those races declined 12 percent to 4.96 million from 5.55 million.
According to Rich Harshbarger, then the CEO of Running USA, “the novelty simply is no longer there” for the theme races.
Additionally, over time, many of the upstart organizations that had jumped onto the mud and theme bandwagon hopped back off, resulting in fewer non-traditional events being offered and ultimately, an overall return in the industry to more traditional races, hosted by the companies who’d been in the industry for years and who already had a base of athletes.
Some companies who were offering themed or mud events expanded too quickly, promising races in multiple destinations – but in a crowded marketplace, did not find the registrants necessary to fund future races. Other races might have seen the writing on the wall and tapped out in time to avoid the decline.
Then, of course, there was the cost. Putting on a road race is a complex undertaking, requiring permitting, logistics, professional management, insurance, promotion, security, course sanctioning, registration, sponsorship acquisition and multiple other factors. It’s not for the uninitiated. Add in a theme and the costs increase.
OCR includes all these factors, plus the construction and placement of obstacles, upgraded security and safety personnel, special insurance and the acquisition of a venue, creating an even more significant investment and a more complex undertaking than had been considered by inexperienced operators who simply saw such events as a way to make money. In fact, there were cases where would-be event owners vanished into the night – without returning race fees.
The market, said pundits, was correcting itself. Some themed events simply disappeared. The Ugly Sweater Run posted a message on its website, noting that it was taking a hiatus for 2018; it has not returned since that time and the website no longer operates. Some theories were floated about the event but no official reason for its cancellation was given. (Many destinations still hold their own independent Christmas attire-themed races; however, these are not affiliated with that syndicate.)
Strong events offered by experienced operators are still around.
Recently, The Color Run (you remember them, right?) announced that it had revamped its races, and that it would be releasing a slate of events for 2026.
According to Endurance Biz, the event is under new ownership. U.S.-based sports entertainment company, Y11 Sport & Media, has secured the international master license from event company Bigsley, the original creator of the fun run series.
The relaunch will be led by Thematic Runs, a new division of Y11, which will manage and expand the event’s footprint in the United States and into select international markets.
The first U.S. events for the so-called “happiest 5K on the planet” are scheduled for later this year. The series kicks off in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 1, 2025, at Dignity Health Sports Park, followed by a second event in Dallas on Saturday, November 22, 2025, at Fair Park.
The Color Run has had a tough decade, though. Like many events, it was hit hard by the pandemic. But trouble started before that. Wikipedia notes, “On June 27, 2015, a serious outdoors dust explosion occurred in Taiwan's New Taipei City due to colored cornstarch powder, injuring over 500 participants and causing 15 deaths."
This brought public attention to the possible health and safety dangers of airborne powders such as the combustible starch powder used by The Color Run. In Taiwan, events were banned. Shortly afterwards, a Sacramento school cancelled its own Color Run over safety concerns.
The relaunch of the Color Run includes its upgraded website, with an extensive FAQ section designed to address runner concerns; some of these are:
- Is the Color Run Safe?
- Will running through the Color Zones affect my vision or breathing?
- What if I am pregnant?
- Can children participate?
- Are strollers allowed?
The relaunched Color Run could serve as a litmus test for interest in future themed races; however, some indicators are positive. Turkey Trots, those Thanksgiving Day 5K runs, top the race day calendar nationwide in terms of participation.
Some people dress up, some people wear seasonal shirts or headgear, some go full-on turkey with inflatable costumes but the bottom line is this: everyone shows up. It’s an excellent example of a user-friendly event meant to draw in non-runners.
There are also usually spikes in participation around Halloween, particularly when an event encourages participants to wear, and awards prizes for, costumes. Races that precede Fourth of July parades have also found popularity.
Perhaps reports of the theme and OCR market’s death have been greatly exaggerated. SDM will continue to follow the issue.
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