Sat, Aug 1, 2026

Wapsi Wiggle - A 5K & Half Marathon

Riceville, IA

Registration openAnnual since at least 2018

5KHalf Marathon

About the Wapsi Wiggle - A 5K & Half Marathon

Both distances start and finish at the WGWL Trailhead and Welcome Center on East Main Street. The course runs out and back on a paved trail through farmland, woods, and restored prairie, so you see the same landscape twice but in different light. The terrain is smooth underfoot with no significant climbing.

After finishing, a pancake and sausage breakfast is served at a church about a block from the start. Registered runners eat free; others can pay at the door. It is the kind of post-race meal that keeps people around well past their finish.

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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

58finishers

17:43winner

30:43median

1:09:34cutoff

Top 3: A. Edwards (19:32) · R. Reiland · Tiffany Jewison (33:07)

13 Miles · 2025 results

19finishers

1:31:21winner

2:09:40median

2:50:37cutoff

Top 3: Michelle Martinek (1:53:38) · Kayla Moon (2:03:29) · Mari Fox (2:09:40)

The Wapsi Wiggle - A 5K & Half Marathon has been held every year since at least 2018. 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

5K8/1/2026 08:00$25

13 Miles8/1/2026 06:30$45

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.

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Common Questions About the Wapsi Wiggle - A 5K & Half Marathon

Will I finish last at the Wapsi Wiggle - A 5K & Half Marathon?

Almost certainly not. Half the 5K field finished slower than 30:43, and the last recorded finisher came in around 1:09:34, so there is a long tail of runners behind the middle of the pack. Most fields are far slower than people expect.

Is the Wapsi Wiggle - A 5K & Half Marathon a good first 5K?

It is a small race (58 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 5K, that spread matters more than the winner's time.

How competitive is the Wapsi Wiggle - A 5K & Half Marathon?

The 5K winner ran 17:43 while the median finisher took 30:43. That spread points to a mixed field, with a competitive front and a big recreational middle.