The Great Pumpkin Run

The Great Pumpkin Run returns to Sellwood Riverfront Park on Saturday, October 24, for another Halloween-themed morning on the river. It's a road race that starts and finishes at the park, with the course following the Springwater Corridor through Portland. The theme is right there in the name, and the organizers encourage everyone to show up in their favorite costume. If you do, there's candy waiting at the finish line.

There are four ways to get in on it. The Half Marathon is the longest distance, with a cutoff time of three and a half hours. The 10K and 5K follow, and there's a Kids Fun Run for the younger crowd. If you can't make it to the park that morning, there's a virtual run option too. Every distance comes with a finisher t-shirt, a custom medal, chip timing, gear check, and aid stations along the way. For those competing for a spot on the podium, there are overall first-to-third and age-group awards by chip time for each distance.

The race has a charity partner in Portland Youth Programs, and participants are invited to donate to youth programs that will be out on the course. Packet pickup runs the Friday before at Road Runner Sports, and you can also pick yours up the morning of the race at the park.

Here's the schedule: the Kids Fun Run starts at 8:45 AM, the Half Marathon at 9:00 AM, the 10K at 9:45 AM, and the 5K at 10:00 AM. The Half Marathon is $125, the 10K is $80, and the 5K is $55—the first 25 Kids Runs are free for ages 12 and under, with the Kids Fun Run otherwise $20 for ages 1 to 12. The Great Pumpkin Virtual Run is $45. The start and finish are at Sellwood Riverfront Park, 1221 SE Oaks Park Way, Portland, OR 97202.