The race runs through Madison, a town where the historic downtown is the backdrop rather than a backdrop you have to look for. The holiday timing means decorated storefronts and a crowd that turns out as much for the season as for the racing. Several distance options make it easy for the whole family to find a comfortable starting line.
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Going by the 2025 results, this is a small, friendly field, and the spread of finish times is wide, so this is a mostly recreational race rather than one for club runners.
Top 3: Mikail Campbell (18:11) · Alex Sharp (18:45) · James Bentley (19:09)
Top 3: Tommy Dorminy (35:13) · Hallie Cash (35:38) · Gene Green (37:19)
The Madison Christmas Rush Classic 5K/8K and Fun Run has been held every year since at least 2022. That is as far back as RunSignup's records for this race go, so it may well be older.
Enter a finish time to see where it lands against the most recent 3.1 Miles results.
How we calculate these stats: RunSesh calculates these figures from the most recent published results of past editions, sourced from RunSignup. We show aggregates only: field size, winning and median times, and the cutoff. We never publish individual finisher tables. Last updated Oct 18, 2026.
Set a goal and get a pace band: every mile split on a card sized for your phone lock screen, so race morning needs no math.
Not sure what to aim for? The 5K pace chart lists the pace for every finish time.
Traveling for this race? The map shows hotels and rentals in and around Madison — pan or zoom to compare what's nearby.
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Almost certainly not. Half the 3.1 Miles field finished slower than 36:05, and the last recorded finisher came in around 1:13:45, so there is a long tail of runners behind the middle of the pack. Most fields are far slower than people expect.
It is a small race (172 finishers), which is friendlier and less intimidating than a big-city event, though the field thins out. There is no qualifying time, and the finish-time spread above shows how varied the field really is. If it is your first 3.1 Miles, that spread matters more than the winner's time.
The 3.1 Miles winner ran 18:11 while the median finisher took 36:05. That spread points to a broad, mostly recreational field rather than a race dominated by club runners.
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