New Holiday Tradition {Santa Run 5K}

I’m hoping to start a new holiday tradition with my family – that of running a Santa Race. This year was my first time, and it was fun … cold … but fun!There were many Santa 5Ks across the country the first weekend in December, and who can resist a race where everyone dressed up as Santa … and well, of course there was one Grinch!

The Race: Kiwanis Santa Run for Kids 5K and 1 Mile Reindeer Dash, Crystal Lake IL. It was held on a cold, Sunday morning (Dec. 6, 2015), but luckily, The Running Depot is right beside the start, and they were very welcoming to runners who wanted to warm up inside until the very last minute before the race. The timing device is on the race bib, and the start is within eye-balling distance.

Course: Starts in the downtown area – main street – and goes through local neighborhoods; mostly flat. There were 700+ runners on narrow streets and so it takes some maneuvering to get out from the throng at first – I almost got taken out by a very excited dog!

Cost: $38.00 + $15 / t-shirt (optional). A pit pricey I must admit.

Bling: All finishers get a participation ribbon, and the Santa gear is included (hence the higher price of the race entry fee). You can also opt to buy a t-shirt to commemorate the race. I placed 9th in my age group (time: 29:53). Interestingly, this race has 5 year age groups – not 10 years like most races – which makes it much easier to actually get an age group award.

My time was slower than I would have liked, but caring (much) about time is not my thing. My goal is to be consistent with running, and I feel like I’m about 75% of the way there, but not quite yet.

Worth it? It’s fun to do this with family and friends – and as a holiday tradition. I did it by myself this year but next year – hopefully – my family will join me.

Race Gear: Santa suit of course! Underneath I wore a short-sleeve Addidas Sequencials Climalite Run Tee, and Addidas Sequencials ClimaHeat Tights. My current running shoes – Brooks PureFlow 4 – were a dream to run with in the cold weather. My feet were warm and toasty!

I also had a pair of Nike Running Gloves I got from Dick’s Sporting Goods Store – but my fingers and hands were FREEZING for the first 2 miles.

Lesson Learned: As silly as it may seem, I learned not to let the cold weather stop me from enjoying life. I don’t want to be a hermit in the winter, so I have to learn to embrace momentary discomforts so I don’t pass up opportunities that might provide wonderful memories for a lifetime to come.


What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?

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// Comments //

  1. I really wanted to do a Santa run this year, but I couldn’t find one in my hometown! I hope it’s as much fun as I think it would be!

    I’ll just have to hold out for a new years run…

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