Massachusetts fun runs
51 seasonal, themed and one-of-a-kind fun runs in Massachusetts.
Holiday and seasonal: 18 · Food and drink: 11 · Novelty course: 8 · Costume and theme: 5 · Mud and obstacle: 3 · Iconic tradition: 3 · Quirky format: 2 · Animals: 1
- Novelty course Clam Crawl A 3K or 5K on the soft sand of Sandy Neck Beach, Cape Cod's barrier beach.
- Food and drink Martha's Vineyard Brunch Run and Walk 5K and 10K An island race on Martha's Vineyard that ends with a post-race brunch, drinks and a commemorative brunch glass.
- Food and drink Clarke Runs on Dunkin' 5K A 5K that starts and finishes at Dunkin's corporate headquarters, with coffee and donuts at the finish line.
- Food and drink Plimoth's Cider Donut 5K A fall 5K on the Plymouth waterfront that pays every finisher in fresh cider donuts and a local craft beer within sight of the Mayflower II.
- Costume and theme Run for the Revolution The first 100 finishers get a replica tricorn hat, and cider and cider donuts are served afterward.
- Costume and theme Scary Scurry 5K and Fun Run A Halloween costume 5K and kids' fun run hosted by the Children's Museum of Franklin.
- Food and drink Shuck and Run Oyster Festival 5K+ Road Race A 5K-plus out to Indian Neck Beach on the Sunday of Wellfleet OysterFest.
- Costume and theme Ghost-N-Goblins 5K A Halloween road race in Clinton's Central Park with a brewery and food vendors set up at the finish.
- Animals Muddy Paws 5K A dog-friendly 5K from the Lowell Humane Society that ends in a beer garden and block party.
- Costume and theme HCA Wicked 5K and Wee Wicked Dash A Halloween costume 5K in Hopkinton, the Boston Marathon start town, with a dog costume contest and a kids' dash.
- Costume and theme TREK Sturbridge Halloween 5K & 1K A Halloween trail 5K on the Arbutus Park Trail beside Old Sturbridge Village, with a 1K for kids.
- Food and drink Cider Hill Farm 5K Series (Fall Cider Run) Seasonal 5Ks at an Amesbury apple farm that finish with a cider donut, hard cider and a souvenir glass.
- Novelty course Fenway Spartan Stadion Obstacle 5K through the stands and concourses of Fenway Park.
- Food and drink 5K Beer Run x Epigram Brew Co. (MA Brewery Running Series Turkey Trot) An untimed pre-Thanksgiving turkey trot that starts and ends at a craft brewery, with a free beer and pint glass.
- Holiday and seasonal Feaster Five Road Race Massachusetts' largest Thanksgiving Day road race, where finishers go home with an apple pie.
- Holiday and seasonal Franklin Park Turkey Trot The City of Boston's largest Thanksgiving race, a sold-out 5K through Olmsted's Franklin Park that supports the park itself.
- Holiday and seasonal Provincetown 5K Pilgrim Trot A Thanksgiving trot for people and pets in costume down Commercial Street at the tip of Cape Cod, where the Pilgrims first landed.
- Holiday and seasonal Running of the Pilgrims 5K A Thanksgiving-morning 5K that starts beside Plymouth Rock in America's Hometown, hours before the town's Thanksgiving parade.
- Holiday and seasonal Boston Jolly Jaunt for Special Olympics Massachusetts A holiday-costume 5K on Boston Common for Special Olympics Massachusetts, with jingle bells for runners.
- Holiday and seasonal Jingle Bell Run Central MA Arthritis Foundation holiday 5K where runners wear jingle bells and festive costumes.
- Holiday and seasonal Mattapoisett Santa Stampede 5K for MS Hundreds of runners in free five-piece Santa suits loop around Ned's Point Lighthouse and Mattapoisett harbor.
- Holiday and seasonal The Greg Hill Foundation Jingle All the Way 5K An ugly-sweater holiday 5K on Boston's Seaport waterfront with prizes for best-dressed runners.
- Food and drink Hot Chocolate Run for Safe Passage About 6,000 people run through downtown Northampton in December and get a mug of hot chocolate.
- Holiday and seasonal Woo Jingle 5K and Kids Run Costumed runners start and finish in front of Worcester City Hall, and the race collects toys for local families.
- Holiday and seasonal Santa Shuffle 5K A Western Mass holiday 5K where the first 200 registrants get a Santa suit and everyone warms up with hot chocolate.
- Holiday and seasonal Bill Rodgers Somerville Jingle Bell Run & Walk A 47-year-old Davis Square holiday 5K that pays cash to the fastest runners in full Santa and Elf costumes, followed by a party across local bars.
- Quirky format Santa's Toy Trot 2/4/6 Mile Runners in ugly Christmas sweaters decide mid-race whether to stop after one, two or three 2-mile loops.
- Holiday and seasonal WCRC New Year's Day Hangover Classic A New Year's Day 5K/10K on Salisbury Beach's oceanfront roads that ends with an optional plunge into the Atlantic and a beach party.
- Novelty course Fight For Air Climb Boston Boston's skyscraper stair race: 41 floors and 789 steps to the top of One Boston Place.
- Holiday and seasonal Lexington Lions Patriots Day 5 Mile Road Race A Patriots Day race more than a century old that starts with musket fire at Lexington's Battle Green, where the Revolutionary War began.
- Mud and obstacle New England Spartan Event Weekend Farm-based Spartan course where the post-race reward is the farm store’s homemade ice cream and a nearby brewery.
- Novelty course Amity Island 5K Fun Run A Martha's Vineyard 5K named for Amity Island, the fictional town in Jaws, which was filmed on the island.
- Iconic tradition ASICS Falmouth Road Race Cape Cod's 7-mile summer classic runs point-to-point along the sea from Woods Hole past Nobska Lighthouse to Falmouth Heights.
- Food and drink Blueberry Pie 5K, 1 Mile & Pie Eating Contest A Cape Cod 5K where the prizes are pies from Centerville Pie Company and the day includes a pie-eating contest.
- Novelty course Charlestown Boys & Girls Club's Battle of Bunker Hill 5K Road Race A 5K during Charlestown's Bunker Hill Week whose course passes the Bunker Hill Monument and the Freedom Trail.
- Iconic tradition Chilmark Road Race 5K Martha's Vineyard's original summer race since 1978: a hilly up-island 5K that sells out its 1,600 spots within hours.
- Holiday and seasonal Cupid's Chase 5K A Valentine's Day 5K loop around Lake Quannapowitt that ends with a Sam Adams beer for every runner over 21.
- Food and drink Harpoon 5-Miler A sold-out Seaport 5-miler that starts and finishes at Boston's first craft brewery and ends in an all-afternoon beer party.
- Holiday and seasonal Hingham July 4th Road Race A 67-year-old Independence Day race that finishes beneath a huge American flag in Hingham Square.
- Holiday and seasonal Holyoke St. Patrick's Road Race A 6,000-runner St. Patrick's 10K that opens Holyoke's Irish homecoming weekend, the day before one of the Northeast's largest parades.
- Novelty course Mount Greylock Road Race Eight miles uphill to the summit of Mount Greylock, the highest point in Massachusetts, with no shuttle back down.
- Mud and obstacle Muddy Dash Boston Family mud run at a motocross adventure park in the Boston area.
- Mud and obstacle Muddy Princess Boston Women-only 5K mud run built around teamwork rather than racing.
- Holiday and seasonal Nantucket Daffodil 5K A spring 5K in 'Sconset timed to Nantucket's Daffodil Festival weekend.
- Food and drink Nantucket Vineyard Wine Run 5K A 5K on an island winery's grounds that ends with a wine tasting and a souvenir glass.
- Iconic tradition NBPT Lions Yankee Homecoming Road Race A summer-evening 10-miler and 5K through a historic seaport, run for 66 years as part of Newburyport's Yankee Homecoming week.
- Novelty course Run to Home Base A 9K or 5K through Boston that ends with participants crossing home plate inside Fenway Park.
- Quirky format SwimRun Cape Cod A swimrun through the Cape Cod National Seashore, alternating trail running and swims across kettle ponds.
- Novelty course Wachusett Mountain Race A road climb up a ski mountain: 3 miles uphill to the Wachusett summit, or a 10K that comes back down.
- Food and drink Wine Run at Westport Rivers A 21-and-over trail run through the vines at a South Coast winery, rewarded with a wine glass, dinner and live music instead of a medal.
- Holiday and seasonal Witch City 5K Road Race A costume-friendly 5K in Salem during the city's month-long Haunted Happenings Halloween festival.