Event calendar

December Dash Virtual 5K

Event information

Date: Sunday, December 1, 2024

Time: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Fee: Free!

Age: All ages.

Contact: 815-727-8700

A closeup of feet in running shoes on a snow-covered trail. Photo via Shutterstock

Event details

This ongoing program runs daily from Sunday, Dec. 1, through Tuesday, Dec. 31. 

Savor the last days of 2024 with the December Dash Virtual 5K! Choose one of 11 Forest Preserve trails to run your own 5-kilometer race sometime in December. Download a running application to your smartphone that will track your run, run the 3.1 miles, take a screenshot of your route and submit it online. 

The first 100 participants will receive a December Dash long-sleeve shirt to commemorate their participation.

Trails are as follows:

  • DuPage River Trail
  • Hickory Creek Bikeway
  • I&M Canal Trail
  • Lake Renwick Bikeway
  • Messenger Woods Nature Preserve Trail
  • Old Plank Road Trail
  • Plum Creek Greenway Trail
  • Prairie Bluff Trail
  • Rock Run Greenway Trail
  • Spring Creek Greenway Trail
  • Wauponsee Glacial Trail

Event requirements

No registration is required. 

Submissions will be accepted until Jan. 1. Finishers will receive an email confirmation after their submission is verified. Those awarded a shirt will be provided information to pick it up from one of our visitor centers in January. 

Trails vary in topography and terrain type and include paved, crushed limestone and natural surface trails. Details and potential updates or closures for each trail can be found online. Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service to participate in this program should mention their request when registering, or submit a request online no later than 48 hours before the program.