It’s time to lace up your running shoes and register for northern Minnesota’s oldest and largest Halloween-themed race! Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College (FDLTCC) will be hosting the 12th annual Pumpkin Run and Walk at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 21, 2017. The race distance is five kilometers (3.1 miles), and the route will begin and end on the FDLTCC campus in Cloquet. The event is open to runners and walkers of all ages and abilities.

“The Pumpkin Run and Walk is a fun event that encourages physical activity using a festive theme and comfortable environment,” says Tom Urbanski, director of public information at FDLTCC and director of the Pumpkin Run. “We have runners and walkers of all ages and abilities who participate, with many college students and area residents, as well as people who travel a long way to get here. It’s a perfect theme for a running race and the Pumpkin Run has grown into a great community event.”

To celebrate the theme of the race, participants are encouraged, but certainly not required, to wear Halloween costumes or to wear orange clothing. Prizes will be given for the best costumes. The race attracts top-level talent as well as families, recreational runners, and walkers. The course record of 15:13 is held by five-time winner Eric Hartmark, one of Minnesota’s best distance runners and a past qualifier for the marathon at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Although roughly 25% of participants are walkers, the race course has a reputation for producing fast times. The Pumpkin Run’s five-kilometer course is a mix of the campus ring road, County Road 3 (14th Street), and the residential streets of Valley View Drive and Harner Lane. Essentially flat, the course features a fast downhill stretch with a return trip up the same hill. Mile markers will be posted and traffic control safety will be conducted by law enforcement and nursing program students at the college, with assistance from the Cloquet Police Department and neighbors who live along the race route. In 2015, a record 428 runners and walkers registered for the race.

A Pumpkin Run tradition is awarding medals to the fastest FDLTCC students in the race. In 2016, Ryan Bradley of Duluth won the men’s division in 20:00, and Amarah Parks of Cloquet won the women’s division in 27:30. Every year, several college employees participate in the fun by running or walking. Faculty member Jen MacKay narrowly missed winning the women’s overall title by 11 seconds in 2015, finishing as the second female across the finish line in a time of 22:41.

Every registered finisher will receive a long-sleeve t-shirt and post-race refreshments. Medals will be awarded to the top three overall male and female finishers. Age group awards will be given to the top male and female in each of the following age groups: under 15, 15-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, and 70+. The event offers indoor facilities and warm gathering areas before and after the race, healthy refreshments, free parking in campus lots, and door prize drawings.