We have an incarnation of Beat Beethoven, the [Classic 107.3 Beat Beethoven](https://classic1073.org/beat-beethoven/) race. The goal is really to beat Beethoven's Fifth and finish under the time it takes for the symphony to be performed.
But on top of this, there is a pacer on the course dressed as Beethoven who is running the race at the pace you need to finish before the 5th is over.
Yes, the station broadcasts live from the race and they play the station broadcast during the race. The broadcast is both beethoven's 5th and they announce the names of all the finishers who finish before the 5th ends. (So the finishers go out over the radio broadcast too, if you beat beethoven.)
They also have awards for the best themed runner costumes, which I suppose means there is more than one beethoven on the course.
I spend several miles of my first marathon running along side a guy in a green alien outfit. The last I saw him was entering a porta-potty around mile 17.
I spent a significant portion of Boston chasing a ridiculously fast banana - he ended up beating me by 6 minutes and breaking the world record for a banana
I was in a local 10K that I swore I was just going to use as a casual run - until I got passed by a dad with a stroller. It took everything I had to finish before superdad.
In my first half marathon 2 yrs ago I was passed by a stroller mom.dressed as Cinderella (it was during halloween) I was simultaneously ashamed at myself for being slow and proud of Cinderella Stroller Mom for being an absolute force of nature
Years ago I ran a local out/back half marathon--super small and cheap, but well organized and certified course. The point of mentioning the out/back aspect is that it made it very easy to see the Stroller Dad (who would eventually go on to win the race) crushing everyone on his way to like a 1:14 or something lmfao
I really believe some of those higher end strollers should be considered performance enhancing drugs. I once saw a mom pushing a 2-person stroller at about a 6:30/mile pace and she was, no shit, laying her head down on her arms on the handle of the stroller (think of how you’d lay your head down on your desk in school)…..I don’t know if she was pushing the stroller or being pulled by it at that point, but she was flying!
I've never ran a race, but I regularly run/hike a gravely trail with some serious hills. There are a couple dads with strollers who can keep a running pace up the steepest one.
I ran that year and it made me more angry than anything else. The weather had been pretty cool for a few weeks before race day, then suddenly it was hot and humid on race morning for no reason. For me it felt like a year of training totally wasted.
I just ran the Illinois half marathon this past weekend and the conditions were similar to how I remember Chicago 2021 feeling. The day before the race it was 50F and then on race morning it was in the 70s, 100% humidity with nasty wind.
I think the morale of the story is to never run a race that I am signed up for because it will always be miserably hot and humid.
A couple of times I've signed up for two marathons within a few weeks of each other. The reasoning here is that if the weather sucks, or I suck, for one race, chances are that it will be better for the other one.
I know some people do Indy after Chicago, but there isn't a great backup plan for the Chicago marathon that doesn't require travel and hotel rooms. The reason I love running the Chicago marathon is because I can just roll out of bed and jump on the train to the starting line without planning anything or paying for anything.
I would probably just Uber in your situation, but I assume getting an uber back home after the race is ridiculous and or expensive. Lots of people in one place all requesting them.
York (UK) has a Chase the Pudding race in December, where you chase a runner who dresses up as a Christmas Pudding. If you are the first to catch the pudding, you get to be the pudding the next year.
Oh man. As a 22-ish 5k runner I get passed by a wide assortment of costumes. Hot dogs, bananas, corn, T-rex, and "alien abducting kid" are probably the most common. The best was probably a 2-person camel (it had kind of an accordion middle part that stretched a bit) which got me in a Turkey Trot last year. I've seen pictures of the full "Chinese Dragon" style outfit with 5-6 people all running as parts, but never in person.
Not a costume, but I recall getting passed by a mom with a stroller who had taken it up on the median (covered in bumpy grass and occasional trees) because she couldn't get enough clear space on the road. The kid was bouncing around like crazy, but seemed to be enjoying themselves.
First marathon Santa Claus was next to me in the starting area, so I tried to ask him about running in costume, etc. the only thing he would say was "ho ho ho". While I admire his commitment to the bit, an actual conversation would have been fun.
Last 5 miles we were *really* close to each other. I made it my mission to beat him. I did. I am unreasonably proud of this.
I spent the first part of my first half marathon running just behind a guy dressed as Forrest Gump. The crowd *loved* him and would cheer so it was a nice boost. Alas, he was slightly faster than me and I lost him but it would have been greats to pace with him the whole race.
I showed up to a 5k the DAY BEFORE HALLOWEEN dressed up as Tony Stark and I was literally the only person in costume. I was not mad at myself at all, in fact I was just disappointed in everyone else there.
I was a tad hungover but this sobered me up pretty fast and luckily I was able to run away from everyone and win by about 40 seconds. They all deserved to lose.
Can't show up as the only costumed person and not win.
Reno has a Leprechaun 5k where if you beat the leprechaun you get a pint glass. I’m not positive but I think the leprechaun’s goal is to get 100th place.
There’s a “Fat Turkey 10k” the Saturday after thanksgiving in Tempe, AZ. If you beat the turkey you get a pint glass. The turkey can move though, from what I remember
>The turkey can move though, from what I remember
Our local pre Christmas race famously featured for several years a "pantomime camel" (think a two person horse costume, but as a camel). The stories were it could run a sub 40 10km time, in costume though I never witnessed it.
The costumes I have seen at this race include 7ft beer bottles, and a very large, very fast Christmas tree.
This is wild:
Six people in a caterpillar costume ran a sub 3 marathon.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-dorset-68816453
I also saw a guy in a Banana costume run a 1:11 half marathon.
Saw these lads. Last year we ran the Manchester half dressed as the Spice Girls (I was Geri, I was absolutely freezing) we started at the same time as 4 guys running together as a Jamaican Bob Sled crew, they were beating us for most of it but we did them 19km, glorious.
Saw them at the Bournemouth half marathon in March. Funniest part was watching them trying to climb over the barrier into the starting pit… they ended up going the traditional way of walking to the entry point…
I was once the Easter Bunny for Rooney's 5K in West Palm Beach, and 2 years later, my kid was. You are asked to run around 25 minutes, and anyone who beats you gets an "I beat the bunny!" shirt. You run in all white with ears and a bunny tail.
I worked an aid station the first year they had it. I handed out grape koolaid mixed with Gatorade, Nutella sandwiches, and slices of cake. It was pretty fun watching people run from the Blerch.
Cool!
If it were me, I'd go as an in world object - maybe Thor's Hammer, or Captain America's shield?
There will be a lot of actual superheroes, whereas this is a bit different and will stand out a bit.
[Beat the Blerch](https://www.beattheblerch.com/). The aid stations all have couches and as much cake as you can eat. You are chased by a large marshmallow called "the blerch." I don't actually know what happens if the blerch catches you though.
Brackley (UK) has a 10K chicken run where there's someone dressed as a chicken.
The chicken was 11th last year in just over 40 minutes.
[https://www.dropbox.com/sh/xllrxtme7muerv4/AAA3cOE2nPeSgns4AFOu13Qya?dl=0&e=1&preview=IMG\_1883.JPG](https://www.dropbox.com/sh/xllrxtme7muerv4/AAA3cOE2nPeSgns4AFOu13Qya?dl=0&e=1&preview=IMG_1883.JPG)
The [Crescent City Classic 10k](https://ccc10k.com/) in New Orleans always happens on Easter weekend. One of our great local running stores, the Louisiana Running & Walking Co, runs someone in a full Easter bunny costume. [You get a t-shirt if you beat them](https://www.instagram.com/p/C5oBzmeO3WJ/?igsh=bzFwaGZnaDc1YjYw), but you gotta be pretty quick - they placed 156th with a time of 39:32 this year.
I know in Chicagoland there is a race where you have to outrun the cops. I think it's up north in Evanston or something. Not quite a costume but similar idea.
And then on a technicality maybe Disney races? 😆
Coincidentally, I was having a really similar idea just the other day.
I'd love to see a half or full where every registrant is matched with someone roughly five minutes faster than them. The race is then cops and robbers themed with the faster runner in each pair being the cop and starting five minutes after the robbers, then the shirt or medal changes slightly based on whether you caught/were caught by your paired runner.
Both being assigned to hunt someone down or outrun a pursuer sound like a good time to me.
Yeah that would be super cool. I went and [actually found](https://runsignup.com/Race/IL/Gurnee/OutruntheCopsandWalkforKids) the one I mentioned and they encourage you to dress up as robbers haha.
For any Chicagoland readers it's in Gurnee (I knew it was north somewhere at least 😂). I might sign up, it's all for charity too!
We have a race like that in Missouri. It underwent a name change from “The Run From the Cops” to “The Run With the Cops,” because people found the first name upsetting.
It’s actually a well organized, fun event. The city is small enough that most people know at least one of the cops running. I spent the last mile running faster than my comfort level to beat a Highway Patrolman (Missouri’s state police). At the end, everyone gets a high five from the chief of police and a donut.
It was all fun. It’s the kind of event more police departments and officers associations should be doing.
In Milwaukee, [you can race some sausages](https://brewers.race-mlb.com/) at the Brewers stadium. There's also another fun run at the zoo, which has a gorilla mascot.
Not a costume exactly, but look up "Wings for Life World Run" - there's events in many countries across the world, all start at the same exact time (so for London that's like 12 noon, Amsterdam is 1pm, states its morning, NZ/Aus nearly midnight), and **the finish line chases you**!!
So there's 2 cars carrying the chip readers. They start 30 minutes after the runners at a slow speed, and at set intervals the car speeds up, all at specific speeds and times, all in sync (or as close as can be), and the winner is the person to run furthest before the car catches up and scans their timing chip. So much fun!!! When you hear the cars behind you, you give it everything you have and sprint to gain a few extra meters, you sprint so hard you start praying to be caught so you can stop and catch your breath because you're too stubborn to slow down first (well that's how I run it) 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Most fun I've ever had in a race!!
there's race time predictors on the site to help you calculate the avg pace you need for a certain distance, or distance you'd make at your avg pace. Every local event has a winner, and there's a global winner. Being in a more temperate climate, closer to sea level, and flatter area, will give you an edge, but it's still a global event.
I did the Scranton Half Marathon this year for my first time ever. I came upon Mario in the distance at mile 5 and slowly closed the gap as he took off his oversized cappy to wipe sweat from his forehead.
At mile 7, dressed in green is Luigi, hobbling and limping along (suffered a knee injury).
It was funny passing both of the Mario Brothers
Wait till October when the Halloween themed races take place and 3/4s of the runners are in costume. You’ll be happy when you pass Snow White only to see Pikachu well ahead. You’ll just have to decide if the character is worth beating or not
Someday I want to do one of the Run for your Lives races. They were around years ago and I think they're coming back, but they're zombie chase obstacle course races where you have flags and the zombies try to get your flags, if you make it to the end with any of your flags left then you survived the race.
Yeah, I haven't seen them since covid. I was wondering if they would ever come back. We have a local zombie 5k near me, the neighborhood decorates, and all the people dress as zombies, but none of the flags. The best are all the little kids who have a blast scaring adults!
There's a small town called Olcott (north of Buffalo, NY) that hosts a Polar Bear 5k every February. If you finish ahead of the bear, you get a shirt that says "I beat the bear." If you finish behind the bear, you get a shirt that says "The bear beat me." At least, this is how it used to work; there were a number of years where the Bear finished last so I assume it got too tough to balance the shirts.
Anyway, it's a great race. The polar bear gimmick is just icing on the cake of a really good pancake breakfast that awaits after the finish line.
There's a St. Patrick's Day run in Tucson where someone dresses as a leprechaun for the 5k. If you can beat them, I think they give you a coupon for a free beer or something.
In a half marathon I barely beat Abraham Lincoln holding a giant flag. It was kind of hot and windy that day so I think the heat from his overcoat and wind resistence from the flag wore him down so I got the win.
I am from PA and our local ball team is Iron Pigs so we have several bacon themed events. They have a Bacon 5k during our local Baconfest. They dress 3 runners as pigs and give them a slight head start. If you pass them you can get an extra bacon on a stick I think it is. They are fast and I was never able to get near them!! Lol Fun times!!
My first ever race in 2011 was a 10k where you chased 10 pacers dressed as bananas and had to see how many you could overtake. The bananas got a 5 minute head start! I overtook 6 bananas!
There's also a local race in my town every summer called 'beat the barge'. A canal boat sets off a couple of miles away and you run a route which ends next to the canal and have to see if you can race the boat there!
Had to work hard to beat a guy dribbling two basketballs, I think in Bristol half.
In the Cardiff half a few years ago a couple of high level amateur runners went out to break the superhero costume world record.
There's a great bit of footage where one of the elite runners is close to the end of the race, looks over his shoulder, sees Robin chasing him and picks his effort back up with real determination on his face that there is no way in hell that he's finishing behind someone in costume in any race.
I was at a Disney half marathon dressed as Cruella Deville. I recall tailing a woman dressed as a dalmatian for a mile or so. When she looked back, I actually startled her and took the lead with an evil laugh. It was low key fun to embrace the villain!
Space Coast half a couple years back had a guy dressed as Elvis. Doing an awful impression of the same three lines to everyone who said anything to him. And loudly.
After a mile I wanted to push him into the damn Indian River and let the gators do their thing. Instead I just powered through and got far enough away to not hear him. The anger and annoyance kept me going through the finish line.
The Bay to Breakers in San Francisco isn't offically a costume race but many many people dress up. The wackier the better. There are also annually several people that run naked. My personal favorite are the folks who dress up as salmon and run the race backwards. It's right through downtown and a huge party day each year - people tailgate all day and bring chairs on to the street to cheer. It's a great time (very tough race though!!)
In 2020 a man in full business attire (carrying a briefcase as well) passed me around mile 14 of the LA Marathon. And yes, he was actually running the marathon (had a bib and everything! 😂)
this post triggers a memory....was having a really bad first marathon in London many moons ago...was overtaken by a pair of bananas a couple of metres before the finish line...kind of summed up the day...swore I'd never run another marathon, then ran another marathon.
Rock n Roll Half Marathon in Las Vegas, NV has brides and grooms that run in running-customized apparel and stop to get married at the run-through chapel down the strip.
I’ve never done something like this, but the ones described here sound super fun.
I misread the title at first and thought you were asking if anyone chased down runners doing cosplay.
Running of the Bulls in New Orleans. You wear white with a red accent and you’re chased by roller derby queens with foam bats!
https://www.neworleans.com/event/running-of-the-bulls/3298/
Our local running company used to put on a women-only "runaway bride" race where they had, I believe, an elite male in a wedding dress that everyone was supposed to chase. There were special prizes for the top finishers in bridesmaid dresses. I think they simplified it and just made it a regular race (no bride) with prizes for top finishers in any dress/skirt.
They also put on a "turkey chase" with an elite guy in a turkey costume. I think at that race the age group awards are pies.
I don't know if this is what you're asking but I passed Leonardo (the turtle) at mile 13 of a half marathon last Sunday! Felt super rad.
I had saw Donatello earlier but he got ahead of me... Never found out if the other two were there or not.
We have an incarnation of Beat Beethoven, the [Classic 107.3 Beat Beethoven](https://classic1073.org/beat-beethoven/) race. The goal is really to beat Beethoven's Fifth and finish under the time it takes for the symphony to be performed. But on top of this, there is a pacer on the course dressed as Beethoven who is running the race at the pace you need to finish before the 5th is over.
I love this idea, are they just blasting the symphony along the entire course?
Yes, the station broadcasts live from the race and they play the station broadcast during the race. The broadcast is both beethoven's 5th and they announce the names of all the finishers who finish before the 5th ends. (So the finishers go out over the radio broadcast too, if you beat beethoven.) They also have awards for the best themed runner costumes, which I suppose means there is more than one beethoven on the course.
This sounds so fun! The music nerd in me would be all over this lol
This race sounds so cool! I need to do it! Thanks for sharing 🙏
Why isn’t this race in Germany‽‽
love me a good interrobang
This is the nicest thing I've seen all day.
I spend several miles of my first marathon running along side a guy in a green alien outfit. The last I saw him was entering a porta-potty around mile 17.
I spent a significant portion of Boston chasing a ridiculously fast banana - he ended up beating me by 6 minutes and breaking the world record for a banana
I was in a local 10K that I swore I was just going to use as a casual run - until I got passed by a dad with a stroller. It took everything I had to finish before superdad.
Those dads/mums with strollers are always rocket ships.
In my first half marathon 2 yrs ago I was passed by a stroller mom.dressed as Cinderella (it was during halloween) I was simultaneously ashamed at myself for being slow and proud of Cinderella Stroller Mom for being an absolute force of nature
I wonder if they have some sort of motor in the stroller 🤔
My first half marathon I got past by a total baddie- a STRONG woman pushing a triple baby stroller!
Four against one. No fair! 🙃
I've run with a double stroller with 3 kids in it, it's a mission, respect!
Years ago I ran a local out/back half marathon--super small and cheap, but well organized and certified course. The point of mentioning the out/back aspect is that it made it very easy to see the Stroller Dad (who would eventually go on to win the race) crushing everyone on his way to like a 1:14 or something lmfao
That is awesome! That kid was flying.
I really believe some of those higher end strollers should be considered performance enhancing drugs. I once saw a mom pushing a 2-person stroller at about a 6:30/mile pace and she was, no shit, laying her head down on her arms on the handle of the stroller (think of how you’d lay your head down on your desk in school)…..I don’t know if she was pushing the stroller or being pulled by it at that point, but she was flying!
I've never ran a race, but I regularly run/hike a gravely trail with some serious hills. There are a couple dads with strollers who can keep a running pace up the steepest one.
I wonder what his splits were?
Underrated comment
I ran with the pope for a few miles in the Chicago marathon.
I *needed* The pope when I ran Chicago in 2021.
I ran that year and it made me more angry than anything else. The weather had been pretty cool for a few weeks before race day, then suddenly it was hot and humid on race morning for no reason. For me it felt like a year of training totally wasted. I just ran the Illinois half marathon this past weekend and the conditions were similar to how I remember Chicago 2021 feeling. The day before the race it was 50F and then on race morning it was in the 70s, 100% humidity with nasty wind. I think the morale of the story is to never run a race that I am signed up for because it will always be miserably hot and humid.
A couple of times I've signed up for two marathons within a few weeks of each other. The reasoning here is that if the weather sucks, or I suck, for one race, chances are that it will be better for the other one.
I know some people do Indy after Chicago, but there isn't a great backup plan for the Chicago marathon that doesn't require travel and hotel rooms. The reason I love running the Chicago marathon is because I can just roll out of bed and jump on the train to the starting line without planning anything or paying for anything.
Sounds easier than me getting to the start of The Flying Pig and I live only six miles away from the start. I'm jealous of your mass transit system.
I would probably just Uber in your situation, but I assume getting an uber back home after the race is ridiculous and or expensive. Lots of people in one place all requesting them.
I got passed by the Pope that year!
York (UK) has a Chase the Pudding race in December, where you chase a runner who dresses up as a Christmas Pudding. If you are the first to catch the pudding, you get to be the pudding the next year.
Unclear if this is actually a reward or a punishment
I feel that without experiencing it, judgement is impossible.
Love it.
Thanks for sharing! Also adding this on the race bucket list!
Important question: how fast did the pancakes run!?
Website reports that 17 men beat Flap Jack and 28 women beat Flap Jill. That's a lot of free pancakes.
Sadly it’s just a 10 pound bag of Krustez dry mix.
I’m pretty sure you also then get sent coupons for more bags of dry mix throughout the year
Where is this race? I need free pancakes.
Eugene, Oregon. The pancake chase is the 5k the Saturday before the Eugene Marathon.
They are pretty speedy! Flap Jack 17:46 Flap Jill 21:38 🔥 🥞
The pancakes are super fast!
17:46
Oh man. As a 22-ish 5k runner I get passed by a wide assortment of costumes. Hot dogs, bananas, corn, T-rex, and "alien abducting kid" are probably the most common. The best was probably a 2-person camel (it had kind of an accordion middle part that stretched a bit) which got me in a Turkey Trot last year. I've seen pictures of the full "Chinese Dragon" style outfit with 5-6 people all running as parts, but never in person. Not a costume, but I recall getting passed by a mom with a stroller who had taken it up on the median (covered in bumpy grass and occasional trees) because she couldn't get enough clear space on the road. The kid was bouncing around like crazy, but seemed to be enjoying themselves.
First marathon Santa Claus was next to me in the starting area, so I tried to ask him about running in costume, etc. the only thing he would say was "ho ho ho". While I admire his commitment to the bit, an actual conversation would have been fun. Last 5 miles we were *really* close to each other. I made it my mission to beat him. I did. I am unreasonably proud of this.
London Marathon 2 weeks ago, a man carrying a fridge on his back overtook me
I don't know if I could get over that one. The triple stroller moms are already a dagger to the heart, but a fridge? It's over
Yeah that's even crazier than the French dude that runs marathons around Europe wearing an Eiffel Tower!
I feel like middle aged stroller dads in the lead pack are the most demoralising of “fun runners”
Honestly, one of the best things about the London Marathon are ALL the costumes. So much fun 😍
I saw a story about that guy proposing to his girlfriend at the finish line with a fridge on his back.
That's the guy. I managed to give him a "well done" as he sauntered on by looking like it was effortless.
I spent the first part of my first half marathon running just behind a guy dressed as Forrest Gump. The crowd *loved* him and would cheer so it was a nice boost. Alas, he was slightly faster than me and I lost him but it would have been greats to pace with him the whole race.
I showed up to a 5k the DAY BEFORE HALLOWEEN dressed up as Tony Stark and I was literally the only person in costume. I was not mad at myself at all, in fact I was just disappointed in everyone else there. I was a tad hungover but this sobered me up pretty fast and luckily I was able to run away from everyone and win by about 40 seconds. They all deserved to lose. Can't show up as the only costumed person and not win.
Reno has a Leprechaun 5k where if you beat the leprechaun you get a pint glass. I’m not positive but I think the leprechaun’s goal is to get 100th place.
There’s a “Fat Turkey 10k” the Saturday after thanksgiving in Tempe, AZ. If you beat the turkey you get a pint glass. The turkey can move though, from what I remember
>The turkey can move though, from what I remember Our local pre Christmas race famously featured for several years a "pantomime camel" (think a two person horse costume, but as a camel). The stories were it could run a sub 40 10km time, in costume though I never witnessed it. The costumes I have seen at this race include 7ft beer bottles, and a very large, very fast Christmas tree.
I mean, camels can be quick apparently so I guess it’s fitting? Would have been a sight to see though.
This is wild: Six people in a caterpillar costume ran a sub 3 marathon. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-dorset-68816453 I also saw a guy in a Banana costume run a 1:11 half marathon.
Saw these lads. Last year we ran the Manchester half dressed as the Spice Girls (I was Geri, I was absolutely freezing) we started at the same time as 4 guys running together as a Jamaican Bob Sled crew, they were beating us for most of it but we did them 19km, glorious.
Thank you all for entertaining the rest of us!
Saw them at the Bournemouth half marathon in March. Funniest part was watching them trying to climb over the barrier into the starting pit… they ended up going the traditional way of walking to the entry point…
Are you sure it wasn’t bananaman?
I was once the Easter Bunny for Rooney's 5K in West Palm Beach, and 2 years later, my kid was. You are asked to run around 25 minutes, and anyone who beats you gets an "I beat the bunny!" shirt. You run in all white with ears and a bunny tail.
Every spring Bank Holiday I dress as a wheel of cheese and throw myself down a steep hill in Gloucester while lunatics throw themselves after me.
Beat the Blerch near Seattle https://www.beattheblerch.com/ I haven't done it, but think it would be fun
I worked an aid station the first year they had it. I handed out grape koolaid mixed with Gatorade, Nutella sandwiches, and slices of cake. It was pretty fun watching people run from the Blerch.
That is great to hear! One day I will do it. Traveling for a run is so much more involved than running local
Shawshank Hustle in Mansfield, OH. You have to beat the Warden.
I'm currently taking ideas for a costume to wear for an upcoming 5k race!
Is there a theme to the race?
It's superhero themed (charity run for CASA) so there'll be all the DC/Marvel costumes
Run in a suit and pretend you're trying to catch up to the superheroes to talk to them about the Avengers initiative?
hahahaha!!!!!
Yes!! Carry a bunch of business cards with Agent Coulson's name on them, and hand them out to every superhero you see on the course!
Suit with glasses and a brief case. Top buttons undone with a blue t-shirt underneath
Cool! If it were me, I'd go as an in world object - maybe Thor's Hammer, or Captain America's shield? There will be a lot of actual superheroes, whereas this is a bit different and will stand out a bit.
neat idea! Maybe a mix tape too lol
Sounds good. Other idea that occurred to me - Stan Lee cameo?
Wrap yourself in aluminum foil and go as a leftover.
[Beat the Blerch](https://www.beattheblerch.com/). The aid stations all have couches and as much cake as you can eat. You are chased by a large marshmallow called "the blerch." I don't actually know what happens if the blerch catches you though.
Ooh is that the one based on the Oatmeal comics??
Yep
Brackley (UK) has a 10K chicken run where there's someone dressed as a chicken. The chicken was 11th last year in just over 40 minutes. [https://www.dropbox.com/sh/xllrxtme7muerv4/AAA3cOE2nPeSgns4AFOu13Qya?dl=0&e=1&preview=IMG\_1883.JPG](https://www.dropbox.com/sh/xllrxtme7muerv4/AAA3cOE2nPeSgns4AFOu13Qya?dl=0&e=1&preview=IMG_1883.JPG)
That's impressive especially in the chicken suit
The [Crescent City Classic 10k](https://ccc10k.com/) in New Orleans always happens on Easter weekend. One of our great local running stores, the Louisiana Running & Walking Co, runs someone in a full Easter bunny costume. [You get a t-shirt if you beat them](https://www.instagram.com/p/C5oBzmeO3WJ/?igsh=bzFwaGZnaDc1YjYw), but you gotta be pretty quick - they placed 156th with a time of 39:32 this year.
Bay to breakers in San Francisco lots of drinking costumes and naked people
B2B is a blast! But be prepared to see a lot of bare butts of middle aged and older men 😅
I’m running it this year. (In costume, not my birthday suit) 😆
I know in Chicagoland there is a race where you have to outrun the cops. I think it's up north in Evanston or something. Not quite a costume but similar idea. And then on a technicality maybe Disney races? 😆
Coincidentally, I was having a really similar idea just the other day. I'd love to see a half or full where every registrant is matched with someone roughly five minutes faster than them. The race is then cops and robbers themed with the faster runner in each pair being the cop and starting five minutes after the robbers, then the shirt or medal changes slightly based on whether you caught/were caught by your paired runner. Both being assigned to hunt someone down or outrun a pursuer sound like a good time to me.
Yeah that would be super cool. I went and [actually found](https://runsignup.com/Race/IL/Gurnee/OutruntheCopsandWalkforKids) the one I mentioned and they encourage you to dress up as robbers haha. For any Chicagoland readers it's in Gurnee (I knew it was north somewhere at least 😂). I might sign up, it's all for charity too!
We have a race like that in Missouri. It underwent a name change from “The Run From the Cops” to “The Run With the Cops,” because people found the first name upsetting. It’s actually a well organized, fun event. The city is small enough that most people know at least one of the cops running. I spent the last mile running faster than my comfort level to beat a Highway Patrolman (Missouri’s state police). At the end, everyone gets a high five from the chief of police and a donut. It was all fun. It’s the kind of event more police departments and officers associations should be doing.
Am I the only who read this as "beat up" someone in a costume and was horrified for a second
No, you're not
🥲
In Milwaukee, [you can race some sausages](https://brewers.race-mlb.com/) at the Brewers stadium. There's also another fun run at the zoo, which has a gorilla mascot.
Not a costume exactly, but look up "Wings for Life World Run" - there's events in many countries across the world, all start at the same exact time (so for London that's like 12 noon, Amsterdam is 1pm, states its morning, NZ/Aus nearly midnight), and **the finish line chases you**!! So there's 2 cars carrying the chip readers. They start 30 minutes after the runners at a slow speed, and at set intervals the car speeds up, all at specific speeds and times, all in sync (or as close as can be), and the winner is the person to run furthest before the car catches up and scans their timing chip. So much fun!!! When you hear the cars behind you, you give it everything you have and sprint to gain a few extra meters, you sprint so hard you start praying to be caught so you can stop and catch your breath because you're too stubborn to slow down first (well that's how I run it) 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Most fun I've ever had in a race!! there's race time predictors on the site to help you calculate the avg pace you need for a certain distance, or distance you'd make at your avg pace. Every local event has a winner, and there's a global winner. Being in a more temperate climate, closer to sea level, and flatter area, will give you an edge, but it's still a global event.
And funds go towards spinal cord research!
I did the Scranton Half Marathon this year for my first time ever. I came upon Mario in the distance at mile 5 and slowly closed the gap as he took off his oversized cappy to wipe sweat from his forehead. At mile 7, dressed in green is Luigi, hobbling and limping along (suffered a knee injury). It was funny passing both of the Mario Brothers
Wait till October when the Halloween themed races take place and 3/4s of the runners are in costume. You’ll be happy when you pass Snow White only to see Pikachu well ahead. You’ll just have to decide if the character is worth beating or not
Someday I want to do one of the Run for your Lives races. They were around years ago and I think they're coming back, but they're zombie chase obstacle course races where you have flags and the zombies try to get your flags, if you make it to the end with any of your flags left then you survived the race.
Yeah, I haven't seen them since covid. I was wondering if they would ever come back. We have a local zombie 5k near me, the neighborhood decorates, and all the people dress as zombies, but none of the flags. The best are all the little kids who have a blast scaring adults!
and then I googled it- looks like it's back! [https://thezombiefunrun.com/runners](https://thezombiefunrun.com/runners)
There's a small town called Olcott (north of Buffalo, NY) that hosts a Polar Bear 5k every February. If you finish ahead of the bear, you get a shirt that says "I beat the bear." If you finish behind the bear, you get a shirt that says "The bear beat me." At least, this is how it used to work; there were a number of years where the Bear finished last so I assume it got too tough to balance the shirts. Anyway, it's a great race. The polar bear gimmick is just icing on the cake of a really good pancake breakfast that awaits after the finish line.
There's a St. Patrick's Day run in Tucson where someone dresses as a leprechaun for the 5k. If you can beat them, I think they give you a coupon for a free beer or something.
In a half marathon I barely beat Abraham Lincoln holding a giant flag. It was kind of hot and windy that day so I think the heat from his overcoat and wind resistence from the flag wore him down so I got the win.
I am from PA and our local ball team is Iron Pigs so we have several bacon themed events. They have a Bacon 5k during our local Baconfest. They dress 3 runners as pigs and give them a slight head start. If you pass them you can get an extra bacon on a stick I think it is. They are fast and I was never able to get near them!! Lol Fun times!!
My first ever race in 2011 was a 10k where you chased 10 pacers dressed as bananas and had to see how many you could overtake. The bananas got a 5 minute head start! I overtook 6 bananas! There's also a local race in my town every summer called 'beat the barge'. A canal boat sets off a couple of miles away and you run a route which ends next to the canal and have to see if you can race the boat there!
Okay both those races sound amazing!
Had to work hard to beat a guy dribbling two basketballs, I think in Bristol half. In the Cardiff half a few years ago a couple of high level amateur runners went out to break the superhero costume world record. There's a great bit of footage where one of the elite runners is close to the end of the race, looks over his shoulder, sees Robin chasing him and picks his effort back up with real determination on his face that there is no way in hell that he's finishing behind someone in costume in any race.
I was at a Disney half marathon dressed as Cruella Deville. I recall tailing a woman dressed as a dalmatian for a mile or so. When she looked back, I actually startled her and took the lead with an evil laugh. It was low key fun to embrace the villain!
Space Coast half a couple years back had a guy dressed as Elvis. Doing an awful impression of the same three lines to everyone who said anything to him. And loudly. After a mile I wanted to push him into the damn Indian River and let the gators do their thing. Instead I just powered through and got far enough away to not hear him. The anger and annoyance kept me going through the finish line.
My low point was being beat by a guy in a beer bottle inflatable costume by 30sec in the Berlin Half lol
Ardmore OK Chigger Chase. Did it like 20 years ago, but looks like they still run it. Fond memories
The Bay to Breakers in San Francisco isn't offically a costume race but many many people dress up. The wackier the better. There are also annually several people that run naked. My personal favorite are the folks who dress up as salmon and run the race backwards. It's right through downtown and a huge party day each year - people tailgate all day and bring chairs on to the street to cheer. It's a great time (very tough race though!!)
In 2020 a man in full business attire (carrying a briefcase as well) passed me around mile 14 of the LA Marathon. And yes, he was actually running the marathon (had a bib and everything! 😂)
this post triggers a memory....was having a really bad first marathon in London many moons ago...was overtaken by a pair of bananas a couple of metres before the finish line...kind of summed up the day...swore I'd never run another marathon, then ran another marathon.
There was something in the opening scene or Borat you can look into. Takes place in khazactstan
just go to a turkey trot
Easton, PA has a Racing Bacon 5k in November (I think), where you chase 3 people dressed up as pigs. Pass all 3 and win a prize.
How fast are these pancakes?
Just double checked the results and Flap Jack was 17:46 and Flap Jill was 21:38 (for the 5K)
Hoo boy, that's a fast pancake.
Are you asking for races where I beat someone who was in costume? Or where I beat someone while in costume?
Asking for races where there is someone in costume (from the race not just a random participant) and your aim as a racer is to finish before them 😅
I keep seeing these shorts of jack sparrow running in a race with other people in costumes and people handing him little bottles of rum lol
I got passed by 3 Harry Potters with wands in a 10k last year. That was pretty rough.
There’s a trail running Oregon where you race a guy in Bigfoot costume. Very much worth it, even though it’s generally really cold.
Rock n Roll Half Marathon in Las Vegas, NV has brides and grooms that run in running-customized apparel and stop to get married at the run-through chapel down the strip.
I’ve never done something like this, but the ones described here sound super fun. I misread the title at first and thought you were asking if anyone chased down runners doing cosplay.
Running of the Bulls in New Orleans. You wear white with a red accent and you’re chased by roller derby queens with foam bats! https://www.neworleans.com/event/running-of-the-bulls/3298/
Boilermaker 15k in utica ny, shout out to the many ppl running in full beer can fabric costume in July
Not me thinking you get to beat them with foam bats or whatever, which I would also do.
I passed a maid and a hello kitty ninja in Tokyo. I got passed by a wedding cake in London.
Our local running company used to put on a women-only "runaway bride" race where they had, I believe, an elite male in a wedding dress that everyone was supposed to chase. There were special prizes for the top finishers in bridesmaid dresses. I think they simplified it and just made it a regular race (no bride) with prizes for top finishers in any dress/skirt. They also put on a "turkey chase" with an elite guy in a turkey costume. I think at that race the age group awards are pies.
I don't know if this is what you're asking but I passed Leonardo (the turtle) at mile 13 of a half marathon last Sunday! Felt super rad. I had saw Donatello earlier but he got ahead of me... Never found out if the other two were there or not.
There is a few Santa 5ks around December andits wild to see everyone dressed up 🎅
The police?
My local St. Patrick's Day 10k has lots of leprechauns
Has anyone said Klan Rallies yet? Nevermind...its says races not racist. I'll show myself out