Sun, Dec 6, 2026

Utica Ugly Sweater 5K

New York Mills, NY

Registration openAnnual since at least 2017

Entry is $40 now and rises to $42 after Nov 30, 2026, so registering before then saves $2.

About the Utica Ugly Sweater 5K

This is a holiday costume race where showing up in an ugly sweater is very much the point. There is an ugly sweater contest alongside the running, and the whole thing benefits a local high school parent-teacher-student organization. The course is a standard road distance, and the field is capped, so it fills.

Packet pickup runs the evening before at a snack shop in Utica, with race-morning pickup available at the start. The race begins and ends at Pizza Boys, and the post-race party stays there, with food and beer specials on offer.

Free race emails

Get the Weekly RunSesh

In for this one or still deciding, keep race season near New York Mills on your radar: a Monday look ahead and a Thursday rundown of the weekend's races.

Two helpful emails per week. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

Finish-Time Stats

Going by the 2025 results, this is a small, friendly field, with a competitive front end and a big recreational middle.

5K · 2025 results

222finishers

18:39winner

31:43median

56:15cutoff

Top 3: Kevin Abel (18:39) · Ryan Barry (18:46) · Timothy Gleasman (18:51)

The Utica Ugly Sweater 5K has been held every year since at least 2017. 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

5K12/6/2026 11:00$40

5K12/6/2026 11:00$46

Going for a Time?

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.

Plan Your Trip

Where to Stay

Traveling for this race? The map shows hotels and rentals in and around New York Mills — pan or zoom to compare what's nearby.

The map is provided by Stay22. If you book through it, RunSesh may earn a commission at no extra cost to you — it never affects the races we list.

Common Questions About the Utica Ugly Sweater 5K

Will I finish last at the Utica Ugly Sweater 5K?

Almost certainly not. Half the 5K field finished slower than 31:43, and the last recorded finisher came in around 56:15, so there is a long tail of runners behind the middle of the pack. Most fields are far slower than people expect.

Is the Utica Ugly Sweater 5K a good first 5K?

A field of 222 is big enough that you will have company at your pace without feeling lost in a crowd. 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 Utica Ugly Sweater 5K?

The 5K winner ran 18:39 while the median finisher took 31:43. That spread points to a mixed field, with a competitive front and a big recreational middle.