Minnesota fun runs
36 seasonal, themed and one-of-a-kind fun runs in Minnesota.
Holiday and seasonal: 14 · Food and drink: 8 · Novelty course: 6 · Quirky format: 2 · Mud and obstacle: 2 · Costume and theme: 2 · Color, glow and night: 1 · Iconic tradition: 1
- Novelty course Bemidji Blue Ox Marathon A Paul Bunyan-themed race weekend that loops Lake Bemidji on the Paul Bunyan Trail and runs past the giant Paul and Babe the Blue Ox statues.
- Food and drink Minnesota Brewery Running Series The original Brewery Running Series chapter, where runs start and end at Twin Cities breweries; the 2026–27 season adds Vikings game-day 5Ks.
- Holiday and seasonal Great Pumpkin Chase A fall-color trail 5K/10K in Lake Elmo Park Reserve that ends with a bonfire and pancake breakfast.
- Holiday and seasonal Hot Cider Hustle – Bloomington Bloomington’s stop on a Midwest fall race series built around hot apple cider at the finish and cold-weather fleece swag.
- Holiday and seasonal Hot Cider Hustle – Rochester Rochester’s stop on a Midwest fall race series built around hot apple cider at the finish and cold-weather fleece swag.
- Color, glow and night Scare in White Bear A nighttime Halloween 5K on a torch-lit lakeside path, with glow sticks for runners and beach trick-or-treating for kids.
- Holiday and seasonal Halloween DiffeRUNce for Food Access A Halloween-morning costume dash through Duluth's Craft District co-hosted by a brewery and a bagel shop, with pay-what-you-can entry.
- Holiday and seasonal Haunted Halfie A Halloween-day half marathon with themed cheer zones, 'Rest-in-Pace' pacers and a costume 5K billed as Rochester's wildest.
- Holiday and seasonal Minneapolis Halloween Half, 10K & 5K Hundreds of costumed runners cross the Stone Arch Bridge on Halloween morning along the Mississippi riverfront.
- Food and drink SKECHERS Hot Chocolate Run Minneapolis A November chocolate-themed race from Boom Island Park on the Mississippi riverfront, with a chocolate fondue finish.
- Novelty course Jingle Bell Run Minnesota (U.S. Bank Stadium) A holiday 5K based at the Vikings' U.S. Bank Stadium, with an add-on 45-minute backstage stadium tour.
- Holiday and seasonal Highland Park Turkey Trot A neighborhood Thanksgiving 5K where every finisher gets a free breakfast at a sports bar and adults get a free Bloody Mary.
- Holiday and seasonal Turkey Day 5K Minnesota's largest Thanksgiving race, closing downtown Minneapolis streets for thousands of runners before turkey.
- Holiday and seasonal Santas on the Run The first 200 registrants get a five-piece felt Santa suit, turning a Rochester 5K into a pack of Santas.
- Holiday and seasonal Wild Santa 5K A Santa-suit 5K through Duluth's Lincoln Park craft district that passes Bent Paddle Brewing's Christmas Cookie Cream Ale stop and ends at a cidery party.
- Holiday and seasonal Reindeer Run A costumed holiday lap of Lake Harriet held every December since 1987, with Mr. and Mrs. Claus and Rudolph at the course.
- Quirky format Polar Bear 5K Prediction Run Runners pick their own start time so they cross the line at exactly 10:00 AM with no watches; the first ten at the bell win hand-carved polar bears.
- Holiday and seasonal Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard Run A January 5K and 10K in the self-proclaimed Icebox of the Nation, anchoring a winter festival with turkey bowling and toilet-seat tossing.
- Novelty course Skyway 5K A 5K run entirely indoors through downtown St. Paul's second-story skyway network, normally off-limits to racing.
- Iconic tradition Grandma's Marathon A point-to-point marathon along Lake Superior's North Shore from Two Harbors to Duluth's Canal Park, named for the restaurant that sponsored it in 1977.
- Mud and obstacle Tough Mudder Twin Cities The Twin Cities Tough Mudder is held at Wild Wings of Oneka in Hugo, north of St. Paul.
- Food and drink Donut Dash 5K A chip-timed 5K with mini-donuts at the finish and a half-mile Mini-Donut Dash for kids.
- Novelty course Fight For Air Climb – Twin Cities A race up 52 flights of stairs inside Capella Tower, the Twin Cities' only stair-climb event.
- Food and drink Four Daughters Wine Run 5K A chip-timed 5K through a southeastern Minnesota vineyard where the finisher medal doubles as a wine stopper and a pour waits at the end.
- Costume and theme Going Bananas Run Nearly 1,000 runners in banana suits try to reach the finish before a costumed gorilla released two minutes after the start.
- Food and drink Lift Bridge Road Race Every distance finishes at Lift Bridge Brewing's Stillwater taproom, where runners get free beer.
- Novelty course Milk Run 5K A certified 5K entirely inside the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, with a Giant Slide ride, breakfast sandwich and a State Fair malt coupon in the entry.
- Food and drink Millner Heritage Wine Run 5K A two-lap cross-country 5K between the vine rows of a central Minnesota winery, with tours of the cellar afterward.
- Holiday and seasonal Minneapolis Frozen 5K (and Polar Plunge) A 5K around Lake Nokomis followed by the Minneapolis Polar Plunge through the ice for runners who register for both.
- Food and drink Minnesota Brewery Running Series Untimed 5K-ish runs that start and end at a different Minnesota taproom nearly every few weeks, with a beer and collector pint glass included.
- Mud and obstacle Minnewashta Mud Run A family mud run with hay-bale climbs, a limbo, a giant waterslide and the Chanhassen Fire Department hosing runners off at the finish.
- Quirky format Ragnar Road Minnesota A 200-mile team relay from St. Paul to a finish on Lake Superior in Duluth, mostly on lakeside bike paths.
- Food and drink Run, Sip, Stomp 5K A decade-costume 5K through a winery's vineyards and past its corn maze that includes entry to the Grape Stomp festival.
- Holiday and seasonal Saint Paul Winter Carnival Fire & Ice Run The Winter Carnival's own race, with loop distances up to 20K at the snow-sculpture fairgrounds and a 'NoK' option to pay and not run.
- Novelty course St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon Starts in Wisconsin and crosses the St. Croix Crossing bridge into Minnesota on foot, finishing at Stillwater's historic Lift Bridge.
- Costume and theme TuTu Run Everyone gets a tutu in their swag bag and prizes go to the most creative tutus on a 2.2-mile breast-cancer benefit run.