While Santa usually adds a third “Ho” to his jolly laugh, there’s a very valid reason that X-Dog Events named their annual holiday 5K “The Ho Ho Run“: Part of the tradition of this long-running race is the bountiful assortment of Hostess snack cakes at the finish. In addition to the namesake Ho-Hos, runners can also partake of Sno-Balls, and various other preservative loaded snack cakes. For a year or two, there was a bit of anxiety surrounding the event when Hostess went out of business, but now that the brand has been resurrected, all is well.
The Ho Ho Run is one of many events based in Cook Park in Tigard (one of the first, in fact), but what makes this course unique is the use of neighborhood streets for the first half of the race. Runners head up the hill out of the park and turn into the residential area, getting a chance to experience some of the holiday lights and decorations in the neighborhood.
After a mile of winding through some gently rolling streets, runners join a bike path along the Tualatin River leading back toward the park. The paved path has a few short but noticeable hills, but provides a pleasant jaunt through the woods beside the river. Back in the park, runners finish up with a few loops around the wood chip and paved paths before crossing the line and dashing to the picnic shelter to claim a Ho-Ho or seven, and wash them down with some hot cider.
In addition to snack cakes, all finishers receive an evergreen seedling, another great race tradition (plant it, don’t eat it!) The top three overall men and women and first masters win a unique X-Dog award, and there will be an abundance of special random prizes too.
In the spirit of the season, participants are encouraged to bring canned food, jackets, blankets, and dog and cat food to donate. These items will be distributed to the Union Gospel Mission and the Oregon Humane Society (you can deduce which items go to each charity). Bring a donation to registration and you can deduct $5.00 from your entry fee or the cost of a race shirt.
Rumor has it Santa Claus himself will be in attendance, greeting runners with all three “Ho”s, and handing out candy canes.
So, come all ye fit, and enjoy one of the season’s best running traditions, the 2015 Ho Ho Run!
What: The Ho Ho Run 5K
When: Sunday, December 6th, 2015
Where: Cook Park in TIgard at Picnic Area #2
What time: 10:00a (Day of race registration and packet pickup begin at 8:30a)
Registration: Register online HERE. $20 for adults ($25 day of race), $11 for kids 6-12 ($14 day of race), and $5 for kids 5 and younger.
