Pennsylvania fun runs
73 seasonal, themed and one-of-a-kind fun runs in Pennsylvania.
Holiday and seasonal: 21 · Food and drink: 17 · Novelty course: 13 · Costume and theme: 8 · Mud and obstacle: 4 · Quirky format: 3 · Color, glow and night: 3 · Iconic tradition: 3 · Animals: 1
- Novelty course Steamtown Shortline A 2.62-mile race that starts and finishes in front of the Big Boy No. 4012 steam locomotive at Steamtown National Historic Site, then puts runners on a steam train to the marathon expo.
- Costume and theme LECOM Costume Caper 5K Family Fun Run/Walk A Halloween costume 5K on the Strip District riverfront during the Pittsburgh Monster Pumpkins Festival, with a 'Jumbo Jack' pumpkin medal.
- Food and drink Vineyard at Hershey Haunted Wine Run 5K A Halloween-themed vineyard 5K near Hershey where the medal doubles as a wine stopper and the finish comes with a pour of wine.
- Food and drink Flannels and Flapjacks A trail 5K where runners are encouraged to wear flannel and every entry includes three pancakes.
- Costume and theme Zombie Trail Fun Run Runners wear flag belts and try to keep them through zombie zones on a camp trail during Camp Anderson's Fear Fest.
- Food and drink Adams County Winery Haunted Wine Run 5K A Halloween-themed two-lap 5K around a winery near Gettysburg with a tasting room in an 1860s bank barn.
- Quirky format High Heel Drag Race Racers in heels at least three inches high run uphill carrying pumpkins, decorate them, then dash back down Mechanic Street.
- Costume and theme Eerie Erie 5K & 10K The 10K course goes past Pleasant Hill Cemetery on Halloween morning, and kids get their own Goblin run.
- Costume and theme Erie Playhouse Ghostlight Halloween 5K A community theater hosts this Halloween-morning 5K, named for the ghost light left burning on an empty stage.
- Costume and theme Monster Dash 5K at The Bates Motel A Halloween-day cross-country 5K along the path of the Bates Motel Haunted Hayride.
- Food and drink Harrisburg Hot Cider Hustle Island run on City Island in the Susquehanna River, finishing with cider, caramel apples and a mug.
- Food and drink Beer & Bagel Off-Road Race Series - Pennsylvania An off-road farm run at Yeager's Farm with free beer and bagels at the end and a 'Drinker with a Running Problem' shirt.
- Food and drink Donut Dash Run a mile, eat six donuts, run another mile - a Carnegie Mellon tradition since 2009.
- Food and drink Racin' Bacon 5K Three costumed mascot pigs get a head start, and anyone who passes all three wins a prize - then it's bacon and beer at PA Bacon Fest.
- Costume and theme Rocky Run A Rocky-themed race that starts and finishes at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, with an Italian Stallion Challenge for doing the 5K and 10-miler back to back.
- Costume and theme The Zombie Fun Run presented by Field of Screams Runners dodge zombies through the movie-quality sets of the Field of Screams haunted attraction, with 30-plus obstacles and day and night waves.
- Color, glow and night Run the Glen: Glow Run A November-evening trail 5K at a camp and retreat center, lit by hundreds of glow sticks.
- Holiday and seasonal Frozen Footrace (Polar Plunge Erie) Runners can follow the race with a noon plunge into Lake Erie on the same Presque Isle beach.
- Color, glow and night Lights in the Parkway 5K A night 5K through the Lehigh Parkway holiday light display on the eve of Thanksgiving, before it opens to cars.
- Holiday and seasonal ERC Turkey Trot A Thanksgiving race out on the Presque Isle peninsula in Lake Erie, opening the Erie Runners Club winter series.
- Holiday and seasonal Millersville Turkey Trot Lancaster County's largest and longest-running Turkey Trot, past its 50th running.
- Food and drink Pie Gobbler 5K, 10K & 13.1M at Harrisburg A Thanksgiving race on City Island where every finisher gets an individual pie along with a themed medal.
- Holiday and seasonal YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh Turkey Trot presented by UPMC Health Plan Pittsburgh's big Thanksgiving tradition, with a Double Gobble option to run the 5-miler and the 5K on the same morning.
- Food and drink Plowing Over Pumpkins Whoopie Pie 5K Run/Walk Finishers get a pumpkin whoopie pie, the Lancaster County dessert, after a flat course through farm country.
- Holiday and seasonal Jingle Bell Run Pittsburgh, PA Arthritis Foundation holiday 5K where runners wear jingle bells and festive costumes.
- Holiday and seasonal Manheim Santa 5K Run and Walk Runners dress as Santa for a 5K that starts in Manheim's Market Square.
- Holiday and seasonal Funky Santa 5K A 'classically wacky' holiday costume 5K in Pottstown's Riverfront Park with awards for the best-dressed runners and most spirited teams.
- Holiday and seasonal Jingle Bell Run Philadelphia, PA Arthritis Foundation holiday 5K where runners wear jingle bells and festive costumes.
- Food and drink Pennsylvania Brewery Running Series Monthly-style beer runs hopping between Pittsburgh-area breweries, including a December Ugly Sweater Beer Run.
- Holiday and seasonal Philly Christmas Run 5K Runners pick a character - Penguin, Polar Bear, Reindeer or Santa - and race for awards within their character category.
- Holiday and seasonal Run Santa Run 5K - North Park Pittsburgh's long-running Santa 5K turns North Park into a sea of Santas, with a Great Elf Rescue race for kids.
- Holiday and seasonal The Santa Shuffle 5K Hundreds of runners in full Santa suits circle City Island in the middle of the Susquehanna River.
- Holiday and seasonal Run Santa Run - South Park The South Hills edition of Pittsburgh's Santa 5K, filling South Park with Santas, elves and reindeer.
- Holiday and seasonal Chilly Cheeks Christmas 5K A late-afternoon 5K through Buhl Park's Christmas tree and light display.
- Holiday and seasonal Ugly Sweater 5K & 1 Mile Fun Walk An ugly-sweater 5K on the Panhandle Trail from Helicon Brewing, with light-up Christmas beanies, ugly-sweater medals and ornaments.
- Holiday and seasonal Kris Kringle 5 Mile Run A 40-year Berks County running tradition held between Christmas and New Year's.
- Quirky format New Year's Eve Art Run | Run Into 2027 The route is planned so the GPS track spells out '2027' across North Philadelphia.
- Holiday and seasonal Twilight Race A New Year's Eve run in laps through the Lights on the Lake holiday display at Lakemont Park.
- Holiday and seasonal Lehigh Valley New Year's Chaser: Half Marathon, 10K & 5K A New Year's Day race on Sand Island along the Lehigh River where you can double up the 5K and 10K for a combo medal.
- Holiday and seasonal Brian P. Kelly Memorial St. Patrick's Parade 2 Mile Footrace A 2-mile race run backward along the Scranton St. Patrick's Parade route shortly before the parade.
- Iconic tradition Saucony Philly Love Run Half Marathon Love-themed spring half marathon and 7K that starts and ends at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, with vanity bibs and Philly-food finish line.
- Food and drink SKECHERS Hot Chocolate Run Philadelphia Starts at the Art Museum’s Eakins Oval and finishes near the Rocky statue, with a fondue-filled mug.
- Novelty course Gettysburg Festival of Races (Blue-Gray Half Marathon, North-South Marathon & 5K) Civil War-themed races that cross the Mason-Dixon Line into Maryland and finish through the southern edge of the Gettysburg battlefield.
- Iconic tradition Independence Blue Cross Broad Street Run The nation's largest 10-mile race runs straight down Broad Street, around City Hall, to a finish in the Navy Yard.
- Mud and obstacle Tough Mudder Philly The lone Northeast Tough Mudder, including an 8-hour Infinity format of unlimited laps.
- Mud and obstacle Poconos Spartan Event Weekend One of Spartan’s longest-standing venues, climbing Blue Mountain’s ski slopes.
- Novelty course Bird-in-Hand Half Marathon & 5K A half marathon through Lancaster County Amish farmland with aid stations in one-room schoolhouses and a stretch through the off-grid 'Valley of No Wires'.
- Novelty course Black Diamond Series - Mainline 5K A 5K up and down the ski slopes of Montage Mountain that ends with free beer and a day at the resort waterpark.
- Costume and theme Blobfest 5K, 10K & Half Marathon A running party for Blobfest, Phoenixville's festival honoring the 1958 film The Blob, starting and finishing at the Colonial Theatre that appears in the film.
- Food and drink Blue Ridge Winery Wine Run 5K A two-lap 5K through a hilltop Pocono vineyard, finishing at a 17,000-square-foot tasting room overlooking the mountains.
- Holiday and seasonal Brentwood Firecracker 5K One of western Pennsylvania's biggest Fourth of July races, run down Brownsville Road just ahead of the Brentwood parade since 1983.
- Novelty course Citizens Bank Park Spartan Stadion Obstacle 5K on the Phillies’ warning track and stadium stairs with Center City skyline views.
- Novelty course Fineview Urban Step & Trail Challenge A hillside course over 12 public staircases and 1,600-plus steps, including Pittsburgh's steepest set - 371 steps on Rising Main Avenue.
- Iconic tradition Great Race Pittsburgh's signature mostly downhill 10K and 5K, running from Frick Park and Oakland to the fountain at Point State Park for nearly five decades.
- Mud and obstacle Gretna Gritty 5K Mud Run A camp-run local mud race with 20-plus obstacles in the rugged Mt. Gretna hills, plus a 'Nitty Gritty' kids course.
- Holiday and seasonal Groundhog Jog 4 Mile Run / Walk A Groundhog Day-season 4-miler from downtown Punxsutawney out to Gobbler's Knob, where Phil makes his forecast, and back.
- Food and drink Indiana County Donut Dash 5K A donut-eating 5K on the Hoodlebug Trail, starting across from Levity Brewing.
- Mud and obstacle Muddy Princess Pittsburgh Women-only 5K mud run built around teamwork rather than racing.
- Novelty course Northside Nemesis A roughly 30K race over some 57 of Pittsburgh's public staircases across the Northside neighborhoods.
- Novelty course Paterno Family Beaver Stadium Run A 5K across Penn State's campus that runs through the tunnel and finishes on the 50-yard line inside Beaver Stadium.
- Animals Paws Run 5K Walk/Run Runners and their dogs race a course that loops past the Little League World Series stadiums and climbs around Little League International headquarters.
- Novelty course Phillies Charities 5K presented by Fox Chase Cancer Center A ballpark 5K led off by the Phillie Phanatic, ending with a cooldown lap on the Citizens Bank Park warning track.
- Food and drink Pierogi 5K Walk/Run A church-run 5K where every finisher gets fresh homemade pierogies with toppings.
- Holiday and seasonal Pittsburgh Parade Day Dash A 5K and 1-mile run through Pittsburgh the morning of the city St. Patrick's Day parade, with a shamrock medal and green hoodie.
- Color, glow and night Ready, Set, GLOW! 5K Run & Walk A 9 p.m. 5K on the golf cart paths of Honeybrook Golf Club, run in the dark with glow gear.
- Novelty course Rest in Peace 5K (RIP5K) at Laurel Hill A dusk 5K that winds past the tombstones and mausoleums of Laurel Hill, a National Historic Landmark cemetery, followed by a DJ after-party.
- Novelty course Revolutionary Run (RevRun) A Fourth of July race starting at Washington Crossing Historic Park, where Washington's army crossed the Delaware.
- Novelty course Run for the Rim 5K & 10K A fall race whose course loops through Pine Creek Seed Farm's corn maze before finishing at the farm's fall festival.
- Novelty course Run Wild for the Zoo 5K A 5K run inside the Philadelphia Zoo, looping its 42-acre campus before the gates open to the public.
- Quirky format The Frozen Snot A February 'mountain epic' with boulder fields, rope-assisted descents and a Bacon Station aid stop, run in whatever snow or ice the week brings.
- Food and drink Tuesdays in the Park Ice Cream 5K & Kids Fun Run A summer Tuesday-night 5K series where every runner gets free ice cream and runners 21+ get a free beer at a nearby biergarten.
- Food and drink YMCA Hop Dash 5K presented by Troegs A trail 5K past Hersheypark Drive that ends with two cold beers and an after-party at Troegs Independent Brewing.
- Food and drink Yuengling Oktoberfest 5K A 5K at the SteelStacks blast furnaces where every finisher gets a 22-ounce mug of Yuengling Oktoberfest.