The Starlight Run 5K will forever have a special place in my running heart. It was the first 5K I ever ran. It used the be the final event for Girls on the Run (which I get to coach for each spring). And it is the only race that comes with thousands of fans cheering you on. The course for this race has moved a few times, now landing with an out-and-back that starts and…
The 2023 Starlight Run 5k is one of the largest “Fun Run” 5ks in Portland and follows a portion of the CareOregon Starlight Parade’s downtown route in front of more than 250,000 spectators. This race is going on its 45th year and all participants will receive a finisher’s medal as well as a free entrance into the Rose Festival CityFair if they show their race bib after the race. This event will be held on…
Starlight Run will always be my very favorite 5K and the one that I recommend to anyone searching for their first 5K. It was my first 5K and a race that I return to almost every June. There is no other event where you have thousands of cheering crowds along the course. And the fact they added a medal a couple years ago is just the cherry on top. This fun run starts and ends…
The Starlight Run was my very first 5K, so I love getting back to that race every year I can. It’s also the event that I most often recommend to new runners. About half of the course follows the same route as the Starlight Parade (which starts about an hour after the race) so the sidewalks are lined with families and friends waiting for the big show. And us runners, we get to be the…
https://dpn1qne7q4y5f.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/262/2017/04/Printable-2015-Starlight-Run-6282.jpg The Starlight Run has a special place in my heart because it was my very first race as a runner. Last year I got to run alongside my friend Yevette for her first race. With a course that follows part of the Starlight Parade route, this race in the heart of downtown Portland is perfect for your first race (or in my case a yearly race tradition). This year will be the 41st anniversary…
https://dpn1qne7q4y5f.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/262/2017/06/header-image-handsinair.jpg Since the Starlight Run was my very first 5K eight years ago, I was so excited to be back again this year with my friend Yevette for her first race. We had been training for this event since January with one or two runs together every week. The outfits were planned. The faces were painted. And the weather report said 80 degrees. Let’s do this! If you have never participated in or been to…
https://dpn1qne7q4y5f.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/262/2017/04/Printable-2015-Starlight-Run-6282.jpg The Starlight Run eight years ago was my first 5K ever. It was also my first race ever and the first time I had run in front of other people (those treadmill slogs didn’t count). So I am so excited to be preparing to run it this June with a new running partner for her first 5K ever. I have been hyping it up to her for months and now I get to highlight…
Last week, Robin relayed her favorite memories about running in costume. Her quote of “The Starlight Run is fun for so many reasons. The crowds cheering, high fives all around, the thrill of leading off the parade that is in turn, kicking off the Rose Festival. It is “Portland’s party in the streets” definitely is the feeling of a lot of people out there! I thought it would be fun to ask some of our bloggers…
The first time I had ever head of the Starlight Run, I was innocently hanging out with friends anticipating the Starlight Parade. I had absolutely no idea there was a 5K race before the parade and was shocked and amused to see a man running zig-zag through the street and handing out high fives. He was dragging a heavy-looking parachute behind him while wearing a full suit, sunglasses, and holding onto a briefcase with fake money…
Joe Dudman started running road races as a sophomore in high school, circa 1980. Since that time he has accumulated over 650 race T-shirts (Yes, he finally got around to counting them!) Some of them evoke special memories and (hopefully) interesting stories. In this recurring series, he recounts some of them for Run Oregon readers. The annual Starlight Run is one of the oldest and most popular running events in the Portland area. Part of…
