Are colour runs are a faux-charity scam ??

[Spirit Unleashed]

I go in races because I want to. I hardly care if a charity is involved or not. If I volunteered at a for profit race, there should be a benefit to me. Like one race series gives discounted entries if you volunteer.

I don't want to be in a color race. Not even for Habs.

[La]

I go in races because I want to. I hardly care if a charity is involved or not. If I volunteered at a for profit race, there should be a benefit to me. Like one race series gives discounted entries if you volunteer.

Thanks for the reminder: yes, I've volunteered at a for-profit race in exchange for a free entry to a subsequent race. Many of the volunteers at races here are students who need to fulfill their community service hours to graduate, so I guess that's how they're compensated.

[Habs4ever]

I go in races because I want to. I hardly care if a charity is involved or not. If I volunteered at a for profit race, there should be a benefit to me. Like one race series gives discounted entries if you volunteer.

I don't want to be in a color race. Not even for Habs.

I'd never go in a color race either, so you're off the hook.

[dgrant]

Honest question: Is it bad for you to inhale all that airborne powder?

[Engmomma]

Honest question: Is it bad for you to inhale all that airborne powder?

I read one article that said it was coloured corn starch.

From a H&S standpoirnt....have you ever lit a match to a airborne flour?

[Spirit Unleashed]

Honest question: Is it bad for you to inhale all that airborne powder?

I read one article that said it was coloured corn starch.

From a H&S standpoirnt....have you ever lit a match to a airborne flour?

(I used to work in a starch plant that blew up every other year)

[HCcD]

lol. did this and the electro-dash for fun. found discounts on both, I think they cost me ~$15-20 each. Got a cool shirt, had fun, brought friends who otherwise don't run. Most importantly, they were a lot of fun.

My only gripe is both measured out ~4k, not 5k. But whatever. Cheap and fun. And great photos for Facebook. Why not?

(sidebar, the official race photos were something like $6 for both of them - I wish other photo companies would take note - I'd be willing to bet they more than hit their breakeven because more people bought them)

There was an article / posting on FB earlier this summer from a Camera Shop that rented equipment and the owner/manager basically said a lot of photographers had almost ruined their cameras and lenses from all the micro dusts of the powder, somehow getting into the lens and inside of the camera ... Had to ship them back to the manufacturer to get it cleaned / repaired ...

[fingerboy]

"There's a sucker born every minute"

[Pat Menzies]

You know world hunger is a problem when using food products for charity fun runs is considered a good idea.

[Jo-Jo]

Honest question: Is it bad for you to inhale all that airborne powder?

I read one article that said it was coloured corn starch.

From a H&S standpoirnt....have you ever lit a match to a airborne flour?

(I used to work in a starch plant that blew up every other year)

[Jo-Jo]

I go in races because I want to. I hardly care if a charity is involved or not. If I volunteered at a for profit race, there should be a benefit to me. Like one race series gives discounted entries if you volunteer.

Thanks for the reminder: yes, I've volunteered at a for-profit race in exchange for a free entry to a subsequent race. Many of the volunteers at races here are students who need to fulfill their community service hours to graduate, so I guess that's how they're compensated.

I don't consider the charity when deciding what race to enter.
I've volunteered at K-Town Tri since 2004......the main benefit is that I get to see people in spandex ...and unleash Hula Girl
La...lots of the volunteers I've recruited for K-Town have been students needing volunteer hours.

I'm not interested in doing events like the Colour runs but I have no problem with people making a profit.

[dgrant]

Honest question: Is it bad for you to inhale all that airborne powder?

I read one article that said it was coloured corn starch.

From a H&S standpoirnt....have you ever lit a match to a airborne flour?

In an outdoor environment, would the concentration be high enough to be combustible?

I was thinking more about lining your airway and lungs with that stuff. If you're breathing mostly through your mouth while jogging, does your body have a mechanism for filtering that powder? You don't hear about thousands of people hacking up coloured goo for days after one of these events, but I still wonder.

Premise for my next futuristic dystopia novel: It turns out this stuff is lethal long-term, and in five years the most fun and coolest 10% of the North American population drops dead. With the other 90% left behind, minivan sales skyrocket. Eight new CSI shows get greenlit. Costcos spring up on every block.

[Mark.AU]

Honest question: Is it bad for you to inhale all that airborne powder?

I read one article that said it was coloured corn starch.

From a H&S standpoirnt....have you ever lit a match to a airborne flour?

I was thinking more about lining your airway and lungs with that stuff. If you're breathing mostly through your mouth while jogging, does your body have a mechanism for filtering that powder? You don't hear about thousands of people hacking up coloured goo for days after one of these events, but I still wonder.

It's simply another way of taking in carbs.

[O Z D]

Playing a little devils advocate here, but its sort of ironic to see all the "oh no someone is making money" sarcasm, because I am sure in a couple months when SportingLife and YongeSt 10k registrations open we will be back to the good old "Who cares if Sportinglife10k is a disaster, they give more money to Camp Ooch than evil old CRS"

[La]

Playing a little devils advocate here, but its sort of ironic to see all the "oh no someone is making money" sarcasm, because I am sure in a couple months when SportingLife and YongeSt 10k registrations open we will be back to the good old "Who cares if Sportinglife10k is a disaster, they give more money to Camp Ooch than evil old CRS"

Not me. If I'm going to pay $60 (or more!) to enter a big race like that, I want a quality event. That's why I register for the CRS event and not the SL10K event.

I already donate to charity directly, so I feel no guilt over not donating through race registrations.

[DLS]

Yeah, the colour race is cheesy and silly, and isn't a non-profit. I would never have run it.

Except that my 13-year-old daughter asked me to run it with her. We talked the whole way, and then danced together at the end.

Call me a sucker. But for that -- I'll happily slap down my $20 per entry.

[eme]

Yeah, the colour race is cheesy and silly, and isn't a non-profit. I would never have run it.

Except that my 13-year-old daughter asked me to run it with her. We talked the whole way, and then danced together at the end.

Call me a sucker. But for that -- I'll happily slap down my $20 per entry.

Yup, if people have fun and are active, who cares that it is for profit? As long as they are upfront that they are not donating 100% of the proceeds (i.e. not misleading people), then have fun!

I do many things (i.e. go to movies) that are strictly for profit. Do I enjoy them less since I know that the industry is making billions? Nope, not really.

[turd ferguson]

Yeah, the colour race is cheesy and silly, and isn't a non-profit. I would never have run it.

Except that my 13-year-old daughter asked me to run it with her. We talked the whole way, and then danced together at the end.

Call me a sucker. But for that -- I'll happily slap down my $20 per entry.

Yup, if people have fun and are active, who cares that it is for profit? As long as they are upfront that they are not donating 100% of the proceeds (i.e. not misleading people), then have fun!

I do many things (i.e. go to movies) that are strictly for profit. Do I enjoy them less since I know that the industry is making billions? Nope, not really.

But many people do. They make exactly the same argument as the author in the story does "you put six cents worth of popcorn and one cent worth of butter in a giant paper tube and charge four bucks for it" and mention how much profit the movie industry makes and hope that it gels into a cohesive argument.

[Jwolf]

Yeah, the colour race is cheesy and silly, and isn't a non-profit. I would never have run it.

Except that my 13-year-old daughter asked me to run it with her. We talked the whole way, and then danced together at the end.

Call me a sucker. But for that -- I'll happily slap down my $20 per entry.

Was it really only $20? It's hard to see how they even are turning a profit at that.

At least one of them here was $50 (I can't remember which because each brand has been here in Vancouver).

[Pat Menzies]

Yeah, the colour race is cheesy and silly, and isn't a non-profit. I would never have run it.

Except that my 13-year-old daughter asked me to run it with her. We talked the whole way, and then danced together at the end.

Call me a sucker. But for that -- I'll happily slap down my $20 per entry.

Was it really only $20? It's hard to see how they even are turning a profit at that.

At least one of them here was $50 (I can't remember which because each brand has been here in Vancouver).

That's because Vancouver is not in corn country. The price of starch goes up in places like that.

[turd ferguson]

Yeah, the colour race is cheesy and silly, and isn't a non-profit. I would never have run it.

Except that my 13-year-old daughter asked me to run it with her. We talked the whole way, and then danced together at the end.

Call me a sucker. But for that -- I'll happily slap down my $20 per entry.

Was it really only $20? It's hard to see how they even are turning a profit at that.

At least one of them here was $50 (I can't remember which because each brand has been here in Vancouver).

That's because Vancouver is not in corn country. The price of starch goes up in places like that.

That's what big starch wants you to think

[deerdree]

Yeah, the colour race is cheesy and silly, and isn't a non-profit. I would never have run it.

Except that my 13-year-old daughter asked me to run it with her. We talked the whole way, and then danced together at the end.

Call me a sucker. But for that -- I'll happily slap down my $20 per entry.

Was it really only $20? It's hard to see how they even are turning a profit at that.

At least one of them here was $50 (I can't remember which because each brand has been here in Vancouver).

Wait for a groupon!

http://touch.groupon.com/deals/color-me ... obile=true

[Engmomma]

Honest question: Is it bad for you to inhale all that airborne powder?

I read one article that said it was coloured corn starch.

From a H&S standpoirnt....have you ever lit a match to a airborne flour?

In an outdoor environment, would the concentration be high enough to be combustible?

I was thinking more about lining your airway and lungs with that stuff. If you're breathing mostly through your mouth while jogging, does your body have a mechanism for filtering that powder? You don't hear about thousands of people hacking up coloured goo for days after one of these events, but I still wonder.

Premise for my next futuristic dystopia novel: It turns out this stuff is lethal long-term, and in five years the most fun and coolest 10% of the North American population drops dead. With the other 90% left behind, minivan sales skyrocket. Eight new CSI shows get greenlit. Costcos spring up on every block.

Ok skip the match and throw flour over a camp fire. Just stand back.

Edit: YouTube Campfire + flour =explosion

[Jwolf]

Yeah, the colour race is cheesy and silly, and isn't a non-profit. I would never have run it.

Except that my 13-year-old daughter asked me to run it with her. We talked the whole way, and then danced together at the end.

Call me a sucker. But for that -- I'll happily slap down my $20 per entry.

Was it really only $20? It's hard to see how they even are turning a profit at that.

At least one of them here was $50 (I can't remember which because each brand has been here in Vancouver).

That's because Vancouver is not in corn country. The price of starch goes up in places like that.

I haven't heard of the Chilliwack Colour Run.

[jonovision_man]

Not to sound like a variety of 4-7 letter expletives, but I do these things for myself. Yeah, it's nice when there's a charity that benefits, but mostly, it's something I do for me. It may sounds selfish, but I don't think I'm the only one.

+1... I'm with you. I pick races based on a lot of criteria, but which charity affiliation they have (if they have one at all) is pretty far down the list. I suspect most of these charity affiliations aren't that lucrative for the charity and are used more to grease the wheels for approvals and such.

jono