Holiday Races - Fun Times with Friends

Have you ever done a holiday run? And, if so, did you dress the part?

Myself? Busted. Every single time.



The Jingle Jog
My first experience doing a holiday-themed run was the Jingle Jog. The year was 2010, and the temps were cold. We had a lot of beautiful sunshine, and there was a huge turnout of racers. Myself and a few co-workers had matching red and green velvet skirts (adorned with jungle bells).

Jingle Jog 2010 with some co-worker runner pals

I had not done much for racing (a few half marathons and a handful of 5K's at the time), so I didn't really appreciate the uniqueness of the course...we ran around Grays Lake (Des Moines, IA) and had the option of doing one lap (a 2-mile distance) or two laps (four miles).

My first-ever First Place!

Low and behold, I actually won my age group! That was my first -1st Place piece of hardware! I went back and ran this event in 2011, 2012, and 2013 (placing 3rd, 2nd, and 3rd respectively). And I dressed (somewhat) in holiday costume each time.

Jingle Jog in 2012 (upper left) and 2013

The Jingle Jam
Another fun holiday run I have done was the Jingle Jog. This was sponsored by the South Suburban YMCA of Des Moines and was a 5K. I ran this race only twice, but was able to win a 2nd place AG in 2012! I also ran it in 2013, and it has since been phased out.

Nothing too festive about this race outfit, but I did make us scarves to match the awesome graphics on the event shirts

The Santa Shuffle
I ran this event in 2014 and 2015. Although they had a time clock at the finish line, it was not a "timed" event. Instead, all the "winnings" came by form of raffle prizes. It has a max capacity of 350 participants. Naturally, it doesn't attract a lot of competitive racers,but this event sells out every year and has a great post-race party.

with Barb and Santa in 2014

In 2015, the temps were warm enough to wear shorts!

Ugly Sweater Run
This was a rather spontaneous event in my home town. A bunch of us gathered on a Friday evening, dressed in ugly sweaters, and ran for about an hour. We marveled at the Christmas lights and took our time enjoying each others' company.

Got friends? Ugly sweaters? Let's run!

Running a Virtual run
Since there is not a huge selection of holiday races in my area, sometimes I have to do my own thing. I have done real "races" as training runs, and I have done fun runs as "virtual events." It's all good. Last year, my friend, Barb, and I got dressed in our holiday running gear and ran a 5K in honor of an event that we weren't able to attend in person. So what if we were the only ones dressed in festive Christmas colors in the middle of the day?

Although it didn't actually rain, it was misting the entire time we were running

 What's so great about all of these crazy outfits? All of them were worn while doing an activity I absolutely LOVE...RuNnInG! Some of these races were for charity, and some of these runs were just for fun with friends. None the less, all were done in the spirit of the holidays...which is a blessed time of giving. A time of giving not only to others, but also giving to ourselves.

So, tell me....do you ever dress in costume for running? Have you done many holiday-themed races? Have you ever sweated (profusely) under a Santa hat?

I'm linking up with several wonderful peeps:

Deb for the Wednesday Word...today's featured word is Giving....

....and  Suzie and  Debbie and Rachel and Lora for the Running Coaches's Corner....

....and Meranda and Lacey and Rachel for the Friday Five 2.0...and we're talking about holiday races and memories.

 I invite you to head over, check out all of these wonderful hosts, and enjoy some great blog reading!