NORTHFIELD — Get ready to run, walk or bike, all while donning Halloween costumes, at the 15th annual Monster Dash 5K on Saturday, Oct. 25.
The annual race to raise money for the First Parish Unitarian Church of Northfield will begin at 9 a.m. outside Town Hall at 69 Main St.
“The Monster Dash, it’s our 15th annual … I imagine it’ll be a record year for numbers,” organizer Terry McKeon told the Selectboard last month. “It should be fun. People dress up typically and we have a lot of great sponsors.”
McKeon said sponsors this year include Mim’s Market, the Northfield Food Mart, Picadilly Farm and the Northfield Recreation Commission, which will provide prizes for the race winners and Monster Dash T-shirts for the first 200 people who register.
As of Monday, Oct. 13, more than 130 participants were already registered for the event.
Participation costs $22 for adults, $15 for students and $38 for families. McKeon said the family rate drives a lot of participation in the Monster Dash.
“We really get a lot of families signing up, and their kids come and dress up and have fun,” McKeon said.
He said the route is mostly flat and family-friendly for ghosts and ghouls of all ages.
Participants will run, walk or bike from Town Hall, down Warwick Road, then loop around Commonwealth Avenue, Maple Street and Saint Mary’s Street, with a secondary loop around the cemetery, before heading back down Warwick Road toward Town Hall.
McKeon said that any participants who are unable to do the full course, or have young kids who can’t complete a full 5K, can do a shorter route and turn around before the loop.
Back at Town Hall, there will be music, giveaways and fresh produce from Picadilly Farm.
“Almost everybody gets to go home with something,” McKeon said.
The Monster Dash has seen a steady increase in participation since it was first held in 2010. McKeon said it’s always a fun event and people can choose how to participate.
“It should be a good time,” McKeon said. “It’s your choice — you can run it, you can walk it, you can bike it.”
For more information or to register, visit bit.ly/monsterdash2025.
