Sat, Dec 19, 2026

The Donut 5K Holiday Run/Walk

Carmel, IN

Registration openAnnual since at least 2022

Entry is $40 now and rises to $49 after Oct 31, 2026, so registering before then saves $9.

About the Donut 5K Holiday Run/Walk

The course has donuts on it, not just at the finish. That detail tells you most of what you need to know about the morning. The route runs through the Clay Terrace area, and the post-race party is inside the sports performance facility nearby, where beer and more donuts are waiting. Dogs are welcome to run alongside, and there are costume awards for the best-dressed ones.

Packet pickup the evening before is at a local donut shop, which fits. Race-morning pickup opens inside the sports performance building well before the start. Parking is free in the surrounding mall lots, and the post-race party is held in a large indoor training room close to the finish.

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Finish-Time Stats

Going by the 2025 results, this is a decent-sized field, and the spread of finish times is wide, so this is a mostly recreational race rather than one for club runners.

5K · 2025 results

780finishers

16:08winner

34:31median

1:11:42cutoff

Top 3: Ben Veatch (16:08) · Simon Nickelson (16:31) · Tom Burns (16:43)

· 2025 results

121finishers

24:09winner

47:51median

1:13:10cutoff

Top 3: Miles Kirkendall (24:09) · Ben Stark (24:10) · Kelly Schenkman (24:15)

The Donut 5K Holiday Run/Walk 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.

Where Would You Finish?

Enter a finish time to see where it lands against the most recent 5K results.

Median

See how your time stacks up nationally →

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 Jul 27, 2026.

Distances & Start Times

5K12/19/2026 09:00$40

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Common Questions About the The Donut 5K Holiday Run/Walk

Will I finish last at the Donut 5K Holiday Run/Walk?

Almost certainly not. Half the 5K field finished slower than 34:31, and the last recorded finisher came in around 1:11:42, so there is a long tail of runners behind the middle of the pack. Most fields are far slower than people expect.

Is the Donut 5K Holiday Run/Walk a good first 5K?

With 780 finishers there are runners at every pace, so you are never out on your own. There is no qualifying time, and the finish-time spread above shows how varied the field really is. If it is your first 5K, that spread matters more than the winner's time.

How competitive is the Donut 5K Holiday Run/Walk?

The 5K winner ran 16:08 while the median finisher took 34:31. That spread points to a broad, mostly recreational field rather than a race dominated by club runners.