New York fun runs
66 seasonal, themed and one-of-a-kind fun runs in New York.
Holiday and seasonal: 26 · Novelty course: 16 · Food and drink: 8 · Mud and obstacle: 7 · Color, glow and night: 3 · Animals: 2 · Quirky format: 2 · Costume and theme: 1 · Iconic tradition: 1
- Novelty course Empire State Building Observation Deck Run-Up Runners climb 86 flights and 1,576 stairs to the Empire State Building's 86th-floor observation deck in the world's first tower race.
- Color, glow and night Bubble Run New York Foam-zone 5K on the Atlantic oceanfront at Jones Beach.
- Novelty course Lake Placid Classic Half Marathon, 10K & 5K Starts and finishes beside Lake Placid's Olympic ski jumps and 1980 Olympic cauldron during peak Adirondack foliage.
- Color, glow and night Hurds Farm After Dark 5K A nighttime Halloween-season trail 5K through apple orchard rows and woods, finishing with cider donuts and bonfires.
- Holiday and seasonal Sleepy Hollow Halloween 10K The Headless Horseman sends off a costumed field on a course past Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, the Old Dutch Church and the Headless Horseman Bridge.
- Holiday and seasonal Coop Loop – Cooperstown Halloween 5K & 10K A Halloween 5K/10K in Cooperstown, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
- Holiday and seasonal Hell on Earth Halloween 5K A costume-heavy Halloween 5K on closed Forest Park Drive in Queens, with a custom beanie and medal for finishers.
- Holiday and seasonal NYCRUNS Haunted Island 5K A Halloween costume 5K looping Governors Island in New York Harbor, reached by a free race-morning ferry.
- Novelty course The Arc Grand Prix Run and Walk Run one or two full laps of the Watkins Glen International road course, including 'the boot', or walk pit road.
- Mud and obstacle Tri-State New York Spartan Event Weekend (New Hampton) Halloween-weekend Spartan course with creek runs on an Orange County sunflower farm.
- Holiday and seasonal UlsterCorps Zombie Escape A Halloween trail 5K where zombies lurk in the woods, tunnels and old mine caves of a former lakeside resort.
- Holiday and seasonal Long Beach City Council Turkey Trot A pre-Thanksgiving 10K that starts and finishes on the Long Beach boardwalk along the Atlantic.
- Holiday and seasonal Garden City Turkey Trot Long Island's biggest and oldest turkey trot, drawing about 7,000 runners on Thanksgiving morning.
- Holiday and seasonal Pioneer Troy Turkey Trot A Thanksgiving race dating to 1916 that bills itself as the nation's 12th-oldest road race, with a costume contest for best Thanksgiving outfit.
- Holiday and seasonal YMCA Buffalo Niagara Turkey Trot Billed as the oldest consecutively run footrace in the world, with 14,000 runners on Thanksgiving morning in downtown Buffalo.
- Holiday and seasonal Buffalo Blizzard Run An evening holiday 5K that starts and ends at the Buffalo Holiday Market, with a free cocoa, beer or mixed drink at the finish.
- Holiday and seasonal Jingle Bell Run Long Island, NY Arthritis Foundation holiday 5K where runners wear jingle bells and festive costumes.
- Holiday and seasonal NYCRUNS Ugly Sweater 5K A holiday 5K in Prospect Park where the field runs in its ugliest holiday sweaters.
- Holiday and seasonal Jingle Bell Run Capital Region, NY Arthritis Foundation holiday 5K where runners wear jingle bells and festive costumes.
- Holiday and seasonal It's A Wonderful Run 5K A December twilight 5K through Seneca Falls, the town credited as the inspiration for Bedford Falls in It's a Wonderful Life.
- Holiday and seasonal Jingle Bell Run Westchester, NY Arthritis Foundation holiday 5K where runners wear jingle bells and festive costumes.
- Holiday and seasonal Binghamton Santa Run A Binghamton holiday 5K with a costume contest, Santa hat and photo with Santa, plus a quarter-mile kids run.
- Holiday and seasonal Saratoga Ugly Sweater 5K (Team Grinch vs Team Santa) Runners pick Team Santa or Team Grinch, and 'Beastmode' entrants carry a wrapped Christmas tree for the full 5K.
- Holiday and seasonal Rockaway Beach Santa Suit / Grinch Fun Run/Walk & 5K A Santa-suit 5K on the Rockaway Beach boardwalk where entry includes a Santa suit (or shirt), a medal and a free beer, with Grinch kits for an upcharge.
- Holiday and seasonal NYRR Midnight Run A 4-mile Central Park race that starts at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve under a fireworks show.
- Color, glow and night Saratoga First Night Glow Run 5K and 10K A New Year's Eve glow run through Saratoga Springs at dusk as part of the city's First Night celebration.
- Holiday and seasonal Coney Island Polar Bear Club New Year's Day Plunge Thousands run into the roughly 40-degree Atlantic off Coney Island on New Year's Day, hosted by the oldest winter bathing club in the U.S.
- Holiday and seasonal New Year's Day Lake George Polar Plunge About 1,000 people in swimsuits and costumes dash into Lake George in waves of 400 on New Year's Day, a tradition since 1973.
- Costume and theme NYRR Gridiron 4M A Super Bowl Sunday race in Central Park where about 5,000 runners wear team jerseys and the race shirt is artist-designed.
- Animals WCS Run for the Wild A 5K and family 3K run through the Bronx Zoo before it opens, with all-day zoo admission and rides included.
- Iconic tradition Boilermaker 15K The country's largest 15K ends with a post-race party at the F.X. Matt Brewery with Saranac beer and a concert.
- Novelty course 174th Attack Wing Runway 5K A 5K on an active airfield at Syracuse Hancock International, with commercial jets using the adjacent runway and an MQ-9 on display.
- Novelty course Beacon of Hope 5K A 5K through Camp Hero State Park that finishes at the historic Montauk Point Lighthouse at the eastern tip of Long Island.
- Food and drink Brooklyn Cider House Spiked Apple 5K Runners do two laps through a working cider orchard and get a pour of hard cider at the finish.
- Novelty course Citi Field Spartan Stadion Mud-free 5K obstacle course run through the stands, concourses and stairs of the Mets’ ballpark.
- Novelty course Climb It For Climate A mountain race on Belleayre ski resort slopes in the Catskills, with 25K and 8K options.
- Novelty course Cypress Hills Cemetery 5K Run Through History The hilly course goes past the graves of Jackie Robinson, Mae West and Eubie Blake inside a working cemetery.
- Mud and obstacle Daniel Barden Mudfest A farm mud run with obstacles paired with Highland Games.
- Holiday and seasonal East Aurora Rotary Bunny Hop 5K Award winners get chocolate rabbits, and the post-race party includes beer.
- Food and drink Fleet Feet Poughkeepsie Great Donut Run An untimed donut-themed 5K fun run celebrating a running store's anniversary, with treats at the end.
- Food and drink GLIRC 10 Mile Brewery Run in Memory of Ric DiVeglio A January 10-miler that ends with unlimited Blue Point Brewing beer, food and live music in Patchogue.
- Holiday and seasonal Great Pumpkin Challenge 5K & 10K A fall run through Saratoga Spa State Park with costume and pumpkin-decorating contests.
- Novelty course Guthrie Wineglass Marathon & Wegmans Wineglass Half Every finisher receives a handcrafted glass medal, finishing on Corning's historic Market Street in glassmaking country.
- Mud and obstacle Holiday Valley Mudslide Runners ride the Yodeler lift to the start on a ski mountain, then run through about 15 muddy obstacles.
- Novelty course Hudson Valley Marathon at Walkway Over the Hudson Races cross the Walkway Over the Hudson, a former railroad bridge turned pedestrian park 212 feet above the river.
- Novelty course Ithaca Tompkins International Airport Runway 5K A 5K on the runway at Ithaca's airport, with a pancake breakfast and a $250 travel voucher for winners.
- Novelty course Jeff Clark Memorial Silks & Satins 5K Closes Saratoga's thoroughbred season with a start beside the Oklahoma training track, where runners can watch horses warm up.
- Quirky format Lake George Winter Carnival Outhouse Races Five-person teams race homemade outhouses across frozen Lake George during the long-running winter carnival.
- Mud and obstacle Muddy Princess Albany Women-only 5K mud run built around teamwork rather than racing.
- Mud and obstacle Muddy Princess Long Island Women-only 5K mud run built around teamwork rather than racing.
- Food and drink New York Harbor Oyster Classic 5K Every finisher of this Governors Island 5K gets a Fishers Island oyster, raising money for the harbor-restoration school on the island.
- Food and drink NYCRUNS Brooklyn Ice Cream Social 5K Every finisher gets an ice cream treat, with dairy and non-dairy options, along with the medal.
- Holiday and seasonal Old First Ward Shamrock Run A St. Patrick's season 8K through Buffalo's historically Irish Old First Ward that has run for 48 years.
- Novelty course Pinstripe 5K A 5K run entirely inside Yankee Stadium — concourses, ramps, stairs, service corridors and around the bases on the field.
- Food and drink Prison City Riot Run 5K A brewery 5K in Auburn ending with Prison City's Mass Riot IPA.
- Quirky format Rochester Running Club Polar Bear 5K Prediction Run A New Year's Eve prediction 5K where hand-carved polar bear trophies go to the first 10 runners across the line when the clock strikes 10:00 AM.
- Food and drink Run the Vineyards – Sheldrake Point Winery 5K A cross-country-style 5K through a 200-acre vineyard overlooking Cayuga Lake.
- Holiday and seasonal Runnin' of the Green Rochester's St. Patrick's-season 5-miler with bagpipes, green donuts and beer at a post-race party.
- Holiday and seasonal Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Ice Palace Fun Run The run starts at the carnival's ice palace, which is built from blocks cut out of Lake Flower.
- Food and drink Spiked Apple 5K at Three Brothers A winery 5K where finishers get a cider donut, a pour of hard cider and a medal that doubles as a bottle opener.
- Animals The Fast & The Furriest A city-run race day built around pets: a 5K/10K, a downtown dog walk, pet contests and adoptable-dog showcase.
- Mud and obstacle Tri-State New York Spartan Event Weekend (Bethel Woods) Spartan course on the grounds of the 1969 Woodstock festival, with on-site camping.
- Mud and obstacle TugMudDare Adventure Run A 5K adventure run over about 2,000 vertical feet of Snow Ridge ski area, through streams and up and down the slopes.
- Novelty course Tunnel to Towers 5K Run & Walk – New York City Runners retrace firefighter Stephen Siller's 9/11 route through the Hugh L. Carey (Brooklyn–Battery) Tunnel from Red Hook to the World Trade Center site.
- Novelty course Tunnel to Towers Tower Climb NYC Climbers ascend 104 floors and 2,226 steps of One World Trade Center from the basement to the 102nd-floor observatory.
- Novelty course Whiteface Mountain Uphill Foot Race An 8-mile, 3,500-foot climb up the Whiteface Veterans' Memorial Highway to the summit of New York's fifth-highest peak.