# The Color Run

> The Color Run expanded worldwide; its organizer reported over 8 million participants.

- Owner: The Color Run / Bigsley; Y11 / Thematic Runs (2025 master license)
- Kind: Activity
- Sector: Health & fitness
- Seed date: 2012-01-28
- Peak date: Week of Jul 21, 2013
- Date basis: Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.
- Spread Score: 29 (Niche, provisional), v1.2
- Mechanics: Real-world spectacle, Press loop, Dupe economy, Sell-out loop, Controversy

## Summary

The Tempe run sold out, then expanded its city tour as participants shared photos and recruited friends. Worldwide search interest peaked in July 2013. Sponsors, paid campaigns and IMG supported international growth; Y11 announced a relaunch in 2025.

## Timeline

- 2012-01-28 — The Color Run (Open web) — The first run took place in Tempe; the organizer later reported 6,000 participants.
- 2012-05-11 — The Color Run (Open web) — The organizer said demand had expanded its planned tour from 18 cities to more than 40.
- 2012-05-11 — The Color Run (YouTube) — The owner linked a compiled event film for the coming weekend; its exact upload date remains unknown.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/the-color-run

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “The Color Run.” Case HIS-00767. Spread Score v1.2: 29/100. Updated 2026-10-17. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-00767