Skip the Gondola: The race is on when participants head up Aspen in the Summit for Life. Photo: Thomas O’Brien
Panicking Poultry 5k
November 19 • Boulder
Come Thanksgiving, nearly every city on the Front Range hosts a Turkey Trot, including Boulder. But The Bubble takes it one step further, offering a T–Day precursor the weekend before the main event. Held every year at the Boulder Reservoir, the Panicking Poultry 5K celebrates the feast that makes the fowl flee. With an entry fee of only $20, you’ll have money left over to splurge for that 30-pound bird.
panickingpoultry5k.com
Gobble Hobble
November 26 • Winter Park
For the second year in the row, Winter Park Resort provides a spirited way to compensate for all the pumpkin pie you ate on Thanksgiving Day. Grab your snowshoes, cross-country skis or skis with skins and head to the base of Sorensen Park to tackle the 1.23-mile course. Whoever crosses the finish line first wins dinner for two at the Lodge at Sunspot, which may end up canceling out the calories you just burned racing.
winterparkresort.com/todo/calendar/november/gobble-hobble-1126.htm
Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis
December 3 • Fort Collins December 11 • Denver
It doesn’t matter if you run or walk, only that you jingle, or as the Arthritis Foundation likes to say, be there with bells on. Wear a full holiday-themed costume, or tie jingle bells to your laces. At press date, Colorado teams and individuals have already pledged close to $7,000 toward this 5K event, through which thousands nationwide hit the pavement, pathways and parks to fight arthritis, America’s most common form of disability.
arthritis.org/jingle-bell-run.php
K2 Pink Chase
December 3 • Keystone
No turkeys or Santas at this event, but Keystone’s scavenger hunt is about as festive as it gets––a wild adventure on skis or your snowboard that will take you all over the mountain hunting down clues, solving puzzles and performing silly stunts. A fundraiser for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the Pink Chase requires teams of three and recommends pink attire, from onesies to wigs.
pinkchase.com
Ugly Christmas Sweater Run
December 3 • Manitou Springs
Finally, the reason you kept that horrible Christmas tree sweater that Aunt Ruth sent you when you were a sophomore in college. Ugly sweaters of all holiday traditions (and non-traditions) are welcome. The run course is 3.7 miles, or strut your sweater in style on the 1-mile walk. And while we agree that your dog would look awesome in an ugly sweater, sorry, no pets allowed on the course.
uglychristmassweaterrun.blogspot.com
Summit for Life Uphill Race
December 9–10 • Aspen
What’s a better cardio rush than skinning up Aspen Mountain? Doing it with 500 other people in the dark. Now in it’s sixth year, this event draws Colorado’s über-fit ski mountaineering racers, along with plenty of everyday folk who show up in their hiking boots, to run from the base of the Little Nell Run up to the finish line at the Sundeck. It’s all in the name of fun, and raising money and awareness for organ and tissue donation. Don’t forget your headlamp.
summitforlife.org
Rudolph’s Revenge 5K/10K
December 17 • Littleton
In the words of Chuck Berry, “Run, run Rudolph, Santa’s got to make it to town.” There’s no reindeer at this race, but there will be more than 1,000 rosy-faced runners. The event kicks off the first in a series of three winter races including the Frosty’s Frozen 5k/10k in January and the Snowman Stampede 5K/10K in February. Held at Hudson Gardens, the series features fast flat courses and a party atmosphere.
winterdistanceseries.com
Resolutions 5k
December 31 • Denver
Got a New Year’s resolution to get back into shape? Put your money (in this case, your $25) where your mouth is and register for the 27th annual Resolutions 5K held on New Year’s Eve. The run starts on the SE end of Washington Park at 5:00 p.m., leaving plenty of time for late night revelry. In fact, you can get started just as soon as you finish the race – the after party features food from Wahoo’s Fish Taco.
resolution5k.com
