Photos: Color Run overtakes downtown Anchorage

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15,000 people participated in the Color Run, a 5k race where colored powder is thrown on participants every kilometer. The event is the largest race in Anchorage. June 15, 2013

More than 15,000 people crowded the streets of Alaska's largest city Saturday for the Color Run, a wild, 5-kilometer race in which participants ended up doused in corn-starched paint.

Despite concerns the massive crowd might present logistical challenges, given there has never been a race of this size in downtown Anchorage, the event went smoothly, organizers said.

The race started at 8 a.m., with waives of 1,000 participants setting out every 15 minutes on the course through downtown. The main draw was the color element. At each kilometer, the race had a "color zone," where volunteers tossed colored corn starch over competitors. By the end, the racers were tie-dyed and splattered with paint.

Color Run, which is in its second year of existence nationally, is a for-profit company, though it partners with local charities. For Anchorage, Color Run partnered with the Alaska Boys and Girls Club.

READ MORE: 15,000 racers create human rainbow in Anchorage