Idaho fun runs
24 seasonal, themed and one-of-a-kind fun runs in Idaho.
Holiday and seasonal: 10 · Food and drink: 6 · Novelty course: 3 · Iconic tradition: 2 · Mud and obstacle: 2 · Quirky format: 1
- Holiday and seasonal Great Pumpkin 5K Fun Run/Walk Costumed 5K on the College of Southern Idaho campus with Halloween-themed aid stations run by the nationally ranked cross-country teams.
- Holiday and seasonal YMCA Halloween Run presented by Micron Boise's costume run where the Freaky 5K and Monster Mile end in a Micron-sponsored trunk-or-treat.
- Holiday and seasonal Halloween Hustle Costumed runners take a lakeside Coeur d'Alene course with candy along the way, from a Haunted Half to a Goblin kids' run.
- Holiday and seasonal Boise Turkey Day 5K Boise's biggest Thanksgiving trot starts on the steps of the Idaho State Capitol, with a sister race the same morning in Caldwell.
- Holiday and seasonal Idaho's Ugliest Sweater Run A 12 Days of Christmas course with a new station every quarter mile, from eggnog chugging to fruitcake eating, and fake snow at the finish.
- Holiday and seasonal Santa Run A downtown Coeur d'Alene holiday race where every finisher gets a Christmas-ornament medal plus cookies and cocoa.
- Holiday and seasonal Run Santa...RUN! Fun Run A Santa-outfit 5K run across a municipal golf course in December.
- Holiday and seasonal Tesh 5K Fun Run A New Year's Day tradition reaching its 50th year in 2027, run, walked or rolled along the Spokane River on the Centennial Trail.
- Holiday and seasonal CBH Hearts Across the Valley Love Run A Valentine's-weekend Greenbelt run for couples and families dressed in red and pink.
- Holiday and seasonal YMCA St. Patrick's Day Run presented by ICCU Boise's St. Patrick's race weekend tradition with a Leprechaun Mile and a 5-mile River Dash along the Boise River.
- Iconic tradition Race to Robie Creek A cult Boise half marathon that climbs over Aldape Summit at high noon, sells out in days, and picks a new costume-friendly theme every year.
- Novelty course Long Bridge Half Marathon Run more than three miles over a mountain lake on the historic Long Bridge across Lake Pend Oreille.
- Mud and obstacle Boise Spartan Trifecta Weekend Idaho’s Spartan Trifecta on a high-desert ranch above the Snake River Plain, known for steep climbs and deep dust.
- Novelty course Baldy Hill Climb 3,140 vertical feet in 1.86 miles straight up Sun Valley's Bald Mountain, then a free chairlift ride back down.
- Food and drink Duck Donuthon Eat one donut per mile: the half-marathon 'Ducky Beast' means 13 miles and 13 donuts, with a 'pig pen' where you stay until you finish eating.
- Food and drink Huckleberry Trot 5K A library-fundraiser 5K run during Donnelly's Huckleberry Festival to the historic Roseberry Mercantile and back.
- Quirky format Instant Gratification Zero Mile Fun Run A 'race' where the start and finish line are the same spot, so everyone finishes instantly and gets a first-place ribbon, water cups and a post-race massage.
- Mud and obstacle LC Valley Down & Dirty Mud Run A homegrown 3-mile mud course with about 20 obstacles in a city park, which has raised more than $100,000 for Lewis-Clark Valley charities.
- Food and drink PRR Donut Dash 10K (Solo and Relay) Six trail loops, and each runner must eat a whole donut in the start area before every loop, solo or as a relay team.
- Novelty course Rim2Rim Race4Homes Climb out of the Snake River Canyon, cross the Perrine Bridge, drop back in and cross the river on a water-pipeline bridge.
- Food and drink Shelley Spud Run (Idaho Spud Day) The morning race that opens Idaho Spud Day, a small-town festival dedicated entirely to the potato.
- Food and drink Telaya Wine Run 5K A flat Greenbelt 5K that starts and finishes at a riverside winery, with a pour of wine for finishers.
- Food and drink Wallace Huckleberry Festival 5K Fun Run 'Get your purple on' 5K through a historic silver-mining town, with a huckleberry breakfast or lunch included and a prize for best costume.
- Iconic tradition YMCA Famous Idaho Potato Marathon & Fun Runs Boise's long-running potato-branded race, presented by the Idaho Potato Commission, turns 50 in 2027.