Santa Run 5k
About this race
The Santa Run 5k is coming to town! Join us on Saturday, December 12 at 10:00 AM for this annual Christmas classic.
Whether you are jolly jogging, Santa sprinting, winter wonderland walking or reindeer rolling, this family-friendly event is open to all ages and abilities.
All registrants receive a full Santa suit (complete with a beard) to wear during the race and keep, as well as a $10 gift certificate to Fleet Feet Des Moines as our gift to you!
In the true spirit of the season, $10 of your registration goes to one of five local nonprofits you choose! This year, the Santa Run 5k is supporting Team Run Free, Living History Farms, Girls on the Run, Children's Cancer Connection, Boys and Girls Club of Central Iowa.
Enjoy delicious hot chocolate at the finish line. Then, head over to SingleSpeed Brewing Co. for the Christmas party of the year!
Guarantee your spot on the Nice List, and sign up today!
Pick your distance
Running
Santa Run 5k
Packet Pickup will be on Thursday, December 10 and Friday, December 11 from 3:00 - 6:00 PM at Fleet Feet Des Moines. We will also have a limited race-day pickup from 8:30 - 9:30 AM at Pace317 Gym across from Fleet Feet, but highly encourage picking up your packet on Thursday or Friday. Day of registration is allowed. However, you may not receive the Santa suit size of your choice. Dogs and strollers are allowed, but please be conscious of road conditions, including heavily salted roads. Participants should park in the free parking garage at 600 E Locust St. or find street parking. Fleet Feet will not be providing parking validation at the 308 E 6th St. parking garage.
Typical race-day weather
Based on 3 years of Open-Meteo archive data for this event's race dates in Des Moines, plus the 3 days either side.
The sun rises at 7:32 AM and sets at 4:44 PM local time (CST) in Des Moines on December 12, 2026 — 9h 12m of daylight.
Course
No course map published yet.
The organizer hasn't released a route for this event, and we don't publish guesses. If you're the organizer, send us a GPX file and we'll draw the profile.
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🏃 Plan Your Next Race in Des Moines
Find upcoming events by distance:
- Des Moines 5K Races 50 races
- 10K Run Events in Des Moines 28 races
- Des Moines Half Marathons 21 races
- Marathons in Des Moines 6 races
- Des Moines Running Calendar 2026 60 races
Where this page comes from. Race details were last updated on . We re-check listings regularly and again in the week before race day.
- Entries, prices, waves and inclusions — the event's official registration page
- Temperature and humidity — Copernicus ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0)
- Elevation and terrain relief — Copernicus DEM GLO-90, ESA (CC BY 4.0)
- Comparisons and counts — Race Discovery calendar, 63 Des Moines events
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