Missouri fun runs
32 seasonal, themed and one-of-a-kind fun runs in Missouri.
Holiday and seasonal: 13 · Food and drink: 6 · Costume and theme: 4 · Quirky format: 3 · Iconic tradition: 2 · Mud and obstacle: 1 · Color, glow and night: 1 · Novelty course: 1 · Animals: 1
- Holiday and seasonal Gumbo Flats Pumpkin Run Named for the Gumbo Flats bottomland known for its pumpkin farms, and followed by a free fall festival.
- Quirky format The Sedalia Beer Mile A beer mile that opens The Local Tap's Oktoberfest, with root beer, NA beer and gluten-free cider options.
- Holiday and seasonal Hot Cider Hustle – St. Louis St. Louis’s stop on a Midwest fall race series built around hot apple cider at the finish and cold-weather fleece swag.
- Costume and theme The Great GO! St. Louis Halloween Race Two-day Halloween race weekend with a costumed 1-mile Great PUPkin dog walk and a Trick-or-Treat Village.
- Costume and theme Run Witch Run Witch-themed Halloween-day race where runners 'choose your potion' (1 mile, 5K or 10K 'broomstick cruise') and covens are encouraged.
- Costume and theme MO' Cowbell Marathon Named after the SNL 'More Cowbell' sketch, with a mascot, Chuck the Cow, who has abs and tennis shoes.
- Iconic tradition Winterfest 5K The only official run/walk through the Gateway Arch National Park grounds, which also opens Kiener Plaza's Winterfest.
- Holiday and seasonal St. Louis Turkey Trot 5K & 8K Thanksgiving 5K/8K in Forest Park finishing with Strange Donuts, with results posted to a national Thankful Turkey leaderboard.
- Food and drink Ward Parkway Thanksgiving Day Run Every finisher gets a 6-inch Tippin's pie (pumpkin, apple or cherry) in place of a medal.
- Holiday and seasonal Jingle Bell Run – Springfield, MO Springfield’s stop on the Arthritis Foundation’s national holiday run, where teams turn out in festive costumes and jingle bells to raise money for arthritis research.
- Holiday and seasonal Santa's North Pole Dash A themed Santa run (2026 theme: Disco Santa) that opens Historic St. Charles' holiday season.
- Holiday and seasonal Santas On The Loose Fills historic Webster Groves' streets with runners of all ages in holiday costumes.
- Food and drink SKECHERS Hot Chocolate Run St. Louis A December chocolate-themed race through downtown St. Louis and the Soulard neighborhood, with a fondue finish.
- Holiday and seasonal Westport Santa Dash (KC Santa Dash) Hundreds of Santas run through Historic Westport; runners choose a Santa suit or a long-sleeve shirt.
- Holiday and seasonal Jingle Bell Run – St. Louis, MO Saint Charles’s stop on the Arthritis Foundation’s national holiday run, where teams turn out in festive costumes and jingle bells to raise money for arthritis research.
- Holiday and seasonal Bad Santa 5K A 'come naughty, come nice' holiday 5K with free Urban Chestnut beer and an afterparty at its Bierhall.
- Holiday and seasonal S2 Run For Your Beads 5K Soulard Mardi Gras 5K with a mid-race Hurricane pit stop and a pass-by of the Budweiser Clydesdales.
- Costume and theme Running From Yeti - St. Louis Runners 'run from' Freddie the Yeti, a costumed mascot, wearing white to match him and earning a hoodie.
- Holiday and seasonal Michelob ULTRA St. Patrick's Day Parade Run A 5K through downtown and midtown St. Louis run just before the city's St. Patrick's Day Parade.
- Mud and obstacle Muddy Dash – Kansas City A beginner-friendly 5K mud run with obstacles and mud pits at Valley Speedway, followed by an after-party.
- Food and drink Adam Puchta Winery Wine & Swine Vineyard 5K A trail 5K through rows of Vignoles and Norton grapevines at one of Missouri's oldest family wineries, ending with a wine slushie.
- Quirky format Beer Mile North American Classic Road beer mile on Manchester Avenue in The Grove, with open heats and a prize-money elite heat outside Urban Chestnut.
- Iconic tradition Cardinals 5K Finishes outside Busch Stadium, then runners take a victory lap around the stadium's warning track.
- Food and drink Dash for Donuts 7K/5K Donut King donuts are handed out at the halfway point of an unusual 7K (or 5K) course.
- Food and drink Drink MO Wine Run Runners get a 'Passport to Missouri Wine Country' for samples at five Augusta wineries after a course on the Katy Trail.
- Quirky format Duck Waddle 5K Pre-registered runners get a rubber duck entered in the Finley River duck race, and there's a 21+ beer mile after the 5K.
- Color, glow and night Glow the Distance 5K/10K Evening 5K/10K on the Frisco Greenway Trail lit by luminaries, with glow bracelets for every runner.
- Novelty course Hannibal Cannibal Starts beside the Tom & Huck statue during National Tom Sawyer Days and climbs Hannibal's steep Lover's Leap hill.
- Animals Kansas City Zoo Run A 4-mile run through the Kansas City Zoo that features a different species each year (Hornbills in 2026).
- Holiday and seasonal Lake of the Ozarks Polar Plunge & 5K Polar Bear Strut A winter 5K paired with a costumed plunge into Lake of the Ozarks and a chili cook-off.
- Food and drink Saint Charles Oktoberfest Wurst Race Ever 5K & 10K Oktoberfest race with a Best Dressed Bavarian costume contest and an untimed ~50-foot 'wurst route' option.
- Holiday and seasonal Westport St. Patrick's Day Run A 4-mile run through Westport that has kicked off Kansas City's St. Patrick's Day festivities since 1979.