Santa Run Sacramento: This is what its like running in a festive felt suit

Yesterday Curtis, Trails + fam, and I took an early morning trip to downtown Sacramento for the 2nd annual Sacramento Santa Run. Trail’s had invited us along, and thanks to a coupon code it seemed like a pretty good deal for a “Themed Race”… you know those races where everyone pays a large registration fee to run, usually dressed up, through mud or colors or suds or idontknowbacongrease(it’s-probably-happened). Plus it’s hard to be a Grinch when surrounded by hundreds of other Santas!

The race started next to the California Capitol building where we ran towards the Tower Bridge, turned into the Old Town area, then zigged and zagged down the Sacramento River to an outdoor mall plaza (and future location of the Sacramento Kings Arena). I didn’t even know there was an Old Town Sacramento until realized we were running towards a cobblestoned street and Trails nonchalantly filled me in on all the cool stores and restaurants in the district. I think a return trip latter in the day and when I am not in a sweaty red suit is in order.

Curtis Modeling his Santa Suit & other Santas milling around the Capitol.

Speaking of sweaty red suits… I am thinking of how one might construct a tech fabric santa suit to profit off of a clearly underserved niche market. The suits from the event are super cheap – as expected from a free santa suit included with registration – meaning they included vegetation, other race logos (I got the Kid Can Santa Run from NEW ZEALAND), and a very weak crotch seam construction. There is nothing quite the same as watching a bunch of Santas with their pants falling off and ripping open at 9am in the morning.

Overall the Santa Run was a really fun time. It was not my fastest run ever, we had to constantly dart around people to maintain a steady jog (meaning it didn’t matter that I didn’t train!)… but when else do you get milk and cookies at the end of a race?