Virginia fun runs
55 seasonal, themed and one-of-a-kind fun runs in Virginia.
Holiday and seasonal: 15 · Novelty course: 11 · Food and drink: 10 · Costume and theme: 5 · Color, glow and night: 4 · Mud and obstacle: 3 · Iconic tradition: 3 · Quirky format: 3 · Animals: 1
- Novelty course From Here to Eternity Run Through the Stones 5K A twilight 5K on asphalt, grass and gravel paths through Norfolk's Victorian-era Elmwood garden cemetery.
- Costume and theme Better2gether Halloween Hustle 5K & Kids Run A Sunday-afternoon Halloween 5K in suburban Richmond with a costume parade, five costume categories, a petting zoo, and a dunk tank.
- Food and drink Crozet Trails Crew 5K/10K (pancake run) A community trail race in Crozet Park known for from-scratch pancakes and local Starr Hill beer after the finish.
- Novelty course Jamestown Half Marathon, Virginia Company 5K & Discovery Mile A 5K that runs right through Jamestown Settlement: past the Powhatan Indian village and the ships' dock, then through the replica 1607 fort.
- Costume and theme Spooky Sprint 5K A Halloween costume 5K along the Roanoke River where leashed pets compete for Best Pet Costume alongside kids, teens, and adults.
- Mud and obstacle Virginia Spartan Event Weekend Blue Ridge ski-resort Spartan course with steep ascents and fall foliage.
- Costume and theme Wicked 10K & 5K A Halloween-morning race at the Oceanfront where thousands run in costume, competing for cash prizes, and finish on the boardwalk.
- Costume and theme Shenandoah Zombie Run: Not Dead Yet 5K On Halloween morning, runners try to keep their flags as zombies chase them through Camp Shenandoah.
- Food and drink Sherwood Memorial Park's Run for Donuts 5K A donut-fueled 5K with a costume contest, run on a course inside a memorial park cemetery.
- Novelty course Massanutten Monster 5K A brutal ski-mountain 5K that climbs more than 1,000 feet up Massanutten Resort and then bombs back down; the fastest man and woman each win $200.
- Iconic tradition Yorktown Battlefield 10-Mile Run & 5K Run/Walk A race on the closed tour roads of the Yorktown Battlefield, starting at Surrender Field, where the Revolutionary War's decisive siege ended.
- Novelty course Chartway Norfolk Harbor Half Marathon, 10K & 5K 'Run with the Mermaids': the half marathon passes more than 20 of Norfolk's mermaid statues, with a pie stop at mile 10 and a mermaid bottle-opener medal.
- Color, glow and night Glowing Gobbler 5K A Thanksgiving Eve night run through the Newport News Park 'Celebration in Lights' holiday display before it opens to cars.
- Holiday and seasonal Alexandria Turkey Trot Northern Virginia's half-century-old Thanksgiving tradition, a five-mile loop through Del Ray where leashed dogs are welcome.
- Novelty course Holiday Run Festival at Martinsville Speedway A holiday 5K on the NASCAR short track at Martinsville Speedway, with a toy-drive ruck.
- Holiday and seasonal Jingle Bell Run Newport News, VA Arthritis Foundation holiday 5K where runners wear jingle bells and festive costumes.
- Holiday and seasonal Peaks of Otter Christmas Classic 5K A 47-year-old small-town Christmas 5K with carolers on the course and cinnamon rolls at the finish, run just before Bedford's Christmas Parade.
- Holiday and seasonal Tacky Sweater 5K Norfolk's tacky-holiday-sweater 5K starts and finishes at Afterglow Brewing, with a sweater competition at the post-race party.
- Holiday and seasonal =PR= Races Run with Santa 5K Run alongside Santa himself through Reston Town Center; every runner gets a race sweatshirt instead of a T-shirt.
- Holiday and seasonal Jingle Bell Run Richmond, VA Arthritis Foundation holiday 5K where runners wear jingle bells and festive costumes.
- Holiday and seasonal BayPort Credit Union Surf-N-Santa 5 Miler A late-afternoon Christmas run at the Oceanfront that finishes inside the Virginia Beach Convention Center, with a gingerbread stop on the course.
- Color, glow and night CarMax Tacky Light Run A 6K night run past over-the-top 'tacky light' houses in a Richmond-area neighborhood, with a light tunnel and lots of ugly sweaters.
- Holiday and seasonal New Day * New Year 5K & 10K A New Year's Day run that ends at Lost Rhino Brewing with a finish-line toast of beer or a mimosa.
- Holiday and seasonal Resolution 5K and 1-Mile Run Start the year with a New Year's Day 5K at the beach, beginning from the 24th Street Park stage on the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.
- Color, glow and night Virginia Beach Polar Plunge 5K Run/Waddle A nighttime February 'run/waddle' on the Oceanfront boardwalk with glow gear encouraged, held as part of the Polar Plunge weekend.
- Holiday and seasonal Half Donkey Half Marathon, 10K & 5K A St. Patrick's race that starts at Jones Point Park in Old Town Alexandria on the morning of the city's St. Patrick's Day Parade.
- Holiday and seasonal Yuengling Shamrock Marathon Weekend A St. Patrick's weekend that turns the Virginia Beach Oceanfront into a sea of green, with a beach party at 28th Street and a kids' Leprechaun Dash on the boardwalk.
- Novelty course Foot Levelers Blue Ridge Marathon Billed as 'America's Toughest Road Marathon,' with more than 7,400 feet of elevation change over Blue Ridge Parkway climbs above Roanoke.
- Costume and theme Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K Virginia's largest race: nearly 27,000 people run down Richmond's tree-lined Monument Avenue, many in costume for the Dress Up & Run contest.
- Color, glow and night Bubble Run Virginia Beach Foam-zone family 5K at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex.
- Quirky format 1.776 Montalto Challenge (Monticello) An uphill race of exactly 1.776 miles, climbing 500 feet to the summit of Montalto above Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.
- Food and drink Albemarle CiderWorks Orchard Dash 5K & 10K A hilly cross-country loop through the orchards of a heirloom-apple cidery, finishing with a glass of Albemarle CiderWorks cider.
- Holiday and seasonal Apple Blossom Valley Health 10K The race of Winchester's Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival, covering part of the festival parade route; the 2027 festival is the 100th.
- Iconic tradition Busch Gardens Fiends Frenzy 5K A 5K through Busch Gardens Williamsburg dressed for Howl-O-Scream, with scare actors on the course and a park ticket included.
- Food and drink Busch Gardens Food & Wine Festival 5K: Sip, Savor, Sprint A spring 5K inside Busch Gardens Williamsburg during its Food & Wine Festival; entry includes park admission.
- Novelty course Cape Charles LOVE Run An Eastern Shore run that starts at Cape Charles' 'LOVE' sign on the bayfront, with a color zone and a medal that completes a four-race set.
- Food and drink Chrysalis Vineyards Wine Run 5K A farm-and-vineyard 5K at Chrysalis past grapevines and dairy cows, finishing with a souvenir wine glass and a wine-stopper medal.
- Food and drink Cunningham Creek Wine Run 5K A two-lap, mostly grass loop through the vines at a family boutique winery; 'not the course for a PR, but guaranteed a personal-best wine.'
- Iconic tradition George Washington Patriot Run 5K & 10 Miler Run both lanes of a closed stretch of the George Washington Memorial Parkway and finish inside Mount Vernon, near Washington's Mansion.
- Novelty course Getem Services Big Blue 5K A tour of the Old Dominion University campus that ends on the 50-yard line of ODU's football stadium, followed by a tailgate party.
- Quirky format Go Cross Beer Mile Relay A costumed beer mile relay in Fallon Park that mixes in laps on tiny pixie bikes.
- Food and drink Gwynn's Island Raw Bar Run A small-island 5K on the Chesapeake that ends at a free oyster raw bar at Callis Wharf.
- Holiday and seasonal Gypsy Hill Park Firecracker 5K Staunton's largest 5K kicks off the city's Happy Birthday America Fourth of July, with parade crowds already lining the park.
- Food and drink Louie Fields Race and Pancake Breakfast Danville's longest-running race ends at a pancake breakfast included with every entry.
- Mud and obstacle Mad Anthony Mud Run A late-winter mud run in Coyner Springs Park named for Revolutionary general 'Mad' Anthony Wayne, with a costume contest and craft beer.
- Animals Monarch Mile at the Virginia Zoo A one-mile run/walk on the Virginia Zoo's paths before the gates open, with zoo admission included in the $10 entry.
- Mud and obstacle Muddy Princess Virginia Beach Women-only 5K mud run built around teamwork rather than racing.
- Novelty course Run the D.O.G. St. 5K A 5K that finishes on Colonial Williamsburg's Duke of Gloucester Street, past the Governor's Palace and the Capitol.
- Novelty course Run the Runway 5K (Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport) A 5K on an active regional airport's runway in the Shenandoah Valley.
- Food and drink Sentara Crawlin' Crab Half Marathon & 5K A crab-themed half and 5K along Hampton's waterfront, with a two-day 'Shell Yeah' challenge and beer at the finish.
- Holiday and seasonal Shamrock Hill Run 5K & 1-Mile 'Roanoke's luckiest race' opens the city's St. Patrick's weekend with a costume prize and a Celtic-themed awards ceremony.
- Quirky format The BREW Mile A classic beer mile at Lost Rhino Brewing: drink a beer, run a lap, and repeat four times.
- Novelty course United Way 5K on the Runway Run down the runway at Lynchburg Regional Airport; the 2026 edition carried a 'Top Run' (Top Gun) theme.
- Food and drink Virginia Wine Country Half Marathon, 10K & 5K A race through Loudoun County's rolling wine country that finishes at a winery with a wine festival.
- Holiday and seasonal Yorktown Independence Day 8K Run/Walk On the Fourth of July, fife and drummers lead runners to the start of an 8K on the historic Yorktown Battlefield tour road.