Sometimes races are about getting up early on a Saturday morning and preparing to reach the limits. Other times they are about wearing themed clothes and having a good time in the evening. The Keizer Jingle Dash 5K on December 14th is one of those, with prizes for best costume and a parade route course with plenty of spectators. As mentioned above, this race is in the evening, with a 6 pm start time,…
The inaugural 5k Foot Pursuit is coming to Keizer Rapids Park (a great neglected spot for a race) this summer. The Keizer Police Department is leading the event and registration fees will go to awareness and for Special Olympics Marion County. As a Keizer-ite, I am aware that the KPD has been supporting the Special Olympics for a long time. They recently relayed an awesome story regarding this event: Recently we have had the good…
Put on by the Keizer Chamber of Commerce, the Jingle Dash 5k is a themed night run (or walk) up and down River Road and lined by spectators preparing for the holiday parade that will take place just afterwards. Clearly the parade is the main star, but the low-key 5k is a great way to make the most of a night with the family. Since the road is closed to traffic, this is a family friendly…
Small hometown runs are the best, and the 2nd annual Diabuddies Dash, held just down the road from my house in Keizer on April 28th, did a great job at putting on a nice course and great organization for a small event. I had to back out last minute in 2017 due to an illness, but was heppy to be in attendance this year. The race raises money so that youth from around the world…
The Tracy Hoffman Memorial Run for Leukemia will be on April 28th this year in Salem. You’ll have the option of running the 1 Mile Fun Run, (a recreational run/walk,) the 1 Mile Dash (which is a competitive run,) or the 5k Run/Walk. This will be a very family-friendly event to honor Tracy Hoffman, a member of Willamette University’s Kappa Sigma Fraternity who was cured of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma only to be diagnosed with leukemia which…
The holiday season has arrived, but that is no excuse to set aside racing! There are plenty of festive holiday runs out there, one of them being the Jingle Dash 5K. This evening fun run encourages holiday-themed costumes as runners fill the streets of Keizer right before the Keizer Holiday Lights Parade. Bring the whole family and after your race you can all enjoy the parade. The parade starts at 7:00 P.M., immediately following the…
It’s always exciting to see races spring up in my local hometown. Keizer has some longstanding staples (the Iris Festival races in May for example), but new events are always exciting. The Chris Dudley Foundation (the ex-Portland Trailblazer as the namesake) is putting on the Diabuddies Dash 10k and 5k at Keizer Rapids Park on Saturday, April 22nd. I am very familiar with Keizer Rapids Park, as it was mere steps from my old residence.…
Over the past few years, one tradition that has been added to our jam-packed Thanksgiving is our annual participation in the Keizer Turkey Dash each holiday morning. It seems as if more and more Oregonians are doing the same, as this year saw almost 645 participants tackle this local 5k race. Though this is down from last year, the stormy weather likely had something to do with it.
After a handful of years of the Keizer Jingle Dash 5k starting at the Keizer Courthouse Athletic Center and running through McNary Estates, there is a shift in location and time coming up in 2016. This year’s event will take place on December 10, 2016 and precede the Keizer Holiday Lights Parade down River Road. I always liked the unique location of previous events, but it seemed that the neighborhood never really came fully on board with creating…
The Willamette Valley Marathon & Keizer Iris Runs are my local runs. Not even Salem, just a few miles down the road, has its own marathon. Keizer sits just north of the Capitol city and has the yearly Iris Festival, as well as a lot of quiet country roads (perfect for running) just outside of city limits. Add in that there are 5 different distances for serious runners and families alike, and you have a great spot for a…
