Race Review: 2024 Run Santa Run 5k

The holiday season can be busy, to say the least. If you have kids, it can be downright chaotic. All too often, we lose sight of the joy that this time of year is supposed to bring. And sometimes an all-important reminder comes from an entirely unlikely source—like a 5k with a friend on a Saturday morning in December.

Back in November, my friend Shannon texted me with a link to the Run Santa Run 5k—a small holiday fun run in the downtown area of Dublin, Ohio. Despite the craziness of the season, the timing actually worked out—and since the weather had been especially warm recently, we figured it would be an unseasonably warm Saturday morning walk: just a fun way to spend a morning in December. So, a few weeks before the big day, we got ourselves registered.

By race week, though, I was fully into the holiday chaos—and, to make matters worse, I was finally recovering from three weeks of bronchitis. And the weather was not looking good: cold and possibly rainy. I may have considered calling in sick-ish. When I got no communication during race week, I wondered if I’d somehow messed up my registration—and, honestly, I almost hoped I had. When I showed up for packet pickup on Friday night, though, my packet was waiting for me—so I figured I might just have to show up for the race after all.

Fortunately, the packet did add a little bit to the race day excitement. Instead of the same old race shirt, the Run Santa Run 5k comes with soft, comfy, furry Santa pants—and a Santa hat, of course. It was the pants that convinced us to sign up for the race—and though I was expecting some cheap Christmas pants, I was pleasantly surprised to find some cozy lounge pants that I will definitely be wearing often throughout the season.

I’ll admit that it wasn’t easy to plan my race day layers. We were expecting temperatures in the mid-20s before wind chill at race time, so I spent quite a bit of time gauging the best layers, only to end up throwing extras in a bag, just in case.

Though I tend to have a whole lot of race weekend jitters, that didn’t happen this time. I got to bed on time with all of my clothing and gear set out and ready to go. But instead of going to bed feeling anxious about driving and parking and making it to the starting line on time, I was able to relax and get some sleep, knowing that the race was only 15 minutes from home. And I was right not to be anxious. When I picked up Shannon at 8:15 the next morning for our 9:00 start, we were still a little nervous about layering up to battle the 14-degree wind chill, but the drive was quick and easy, and parking was the simplest it’s ever been.

When we got to the starting line, we found just a few people lining up in a small parking lot, dressed all in their most festive holiday gear—and suddenly we felt incredibly under-dressed. We’d focused so much on warm layers that we didn’t even think about dressing for the holidays. I was wearing red and green, which I thought was good enough—but my holiday attire paled in comparison to the hats and shirts and costumes around us. The holiday spirit in our fellow racers was contagious—and we made a point of getting our picture taken with Santa (who also served as the race MC) before the race. At the last minute, the race organizers shut down the street, and we lined up to start.

The crowd was small (just 338 of us, it turns out) and festive—all ages and skill levels. There were people walking pets and whole families participating together. And while there were some runners, most were enjoying a Saturday morning walk. The course ran past houses on the river—a somewhat scenic but generally forgettable out-and-back course with just one water station along the way. It was a simple race—but a fun one—and we chatted and took pictures and enjoyed the festive garb around us. And, before we knew it, we were crossing the finish line with a cheer from Santa.

After the race, we received our medals and our water, and we made our way back to the parking lot, where there were plates of cookies and candy—and big containers of hot chocolate—waiting for us. The party wasn’t huge, but the treats were yummy—and we were pleasantly surprised to find that, after a nice 3-mile walk, we were comfortable in the cold. But after enjoying the party (and the cookies) for a while, we made our way back to the car.

Overall, the Run Santa Run 5k was a highly enjoyable experience. It wasn’t a big, high-profile event, but it was perfect for the crazy holiday season: a low-key but high-festivity event for all ages. It was a fun morning for a walk, and we were still home with plenty of time to run all of the holiday weekend errands. We’re already looking forward to next year’s event—and we’ll be sure to be more prepared with our craziest Christmas looks (and some more friends, too).

Pros:
– Smaller crowd
– Plenty of free parking nearby
– Easy-going event for walkers and families
– Festive feel
– Candy, cookies, and hot chocolate at the finish
– Cozy pants instead of another race shirt

Cons:
– Winter weather in Ohio can be cold and unpleasant
– No race-week emails with last-minute reminders

You can find out more about the Run Santa Run 5k at RunSanta5k.com