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The generous support of our sponsors cover the cost of permitting for our venue, timing, and other hard costs. We unfortunately have no control over the online processing fee charged by the third-party registration site vendor. 100% of net proceeds from registration will be directed to fund resources and programs in the areas of Academic Support & Enrichment, Behavioral & Mental Heath, Basic Student Needs, Teacher Grants, Dedicated Fine Arts, and Cultural Bridges for students attending all 27 ISD schools.
Not at all! All ages and participation levels are welcome. We encourage time-conscious runners who average a 5K time of 24 minutes (7:41 min/mile pace or less) to register in our Elite Runner wave. The waves are set 2 minutes apart and are intended to help you enjoy the race with others moving at about the same pace as you, but pick whichever wave you want.
Yes, you will need to register as a participant if you wish to accompany them on the course. Since space is limited on the course, we need all persons on the race course to be registered participants. Thanks for understanding!
Due to onsite parking and trail limitations, registration will close at 450 onsite runners. For those who prefer to run/walk indoors or within their own neighborhoods, we also have a virtual race option available. Virtual racers who register on/before October 8, 2024 will receive the same technical tee and event medal that in-person racers receive and can pick these items up at early packet pickup on October 25, 2024, post-race at the Foundation, or pay for shipping their race swag to their home. Both in-person and virtual racers help us support the students in our community... thank you! This is also a great way to encourage out-of-town family and friends to support!
There is not a shorter course, but the Monster Mash 5K is open to all ages and all fitness levels with the ability to complete the 5K (3.1 Mile) course. If you choose to bring smaller children, we ask that you please register for one of the later wave times (walkers or walker/joggers). Since East Lake Sammamish is fairly narrow and needs to accomodate two-way traffic, we discourage strollers when possible.
There is a generous, but limited, amount of on-site parking available at the Lake Sammamish State Park Boat Launch. We strongly recommend carpooling. This dedicated parking area is conveniently adjacent to the Monster Mash Start/Finish line and Registration/Packet Pick Up area and you will be directed by a team a parking attendants. Since this is a Washington State Park, a Discover Pass is required to park onsite. Annual and Day Discover Passes can be purchased via local vendor with a small transaction fee, purchased at a State Park kiosk at the Boat Launch, or pre-purchased with your race registration without a transaction fee. If you choose to purchase a Discover Day Pass along with your race registration, your Discover Pass will be included with your race packet. If you already have a Discover Pass, then you're all set and parking will have no cost associated with it for the race!
If on-site parking is full and/or you do not own a Discover Pass and do not wish to purchase a day pass, there is free parking available near the ISD Central Administration building, which is approximately 1 mile away. Should you choose to park at overflow parking at this location, extra time should be allotted for walking to Lake Sammamish State Park. The race start will not be held for late arrivals.
We generally recommend that you arrive 45 minutes to 1-hour ahead of time to allow for potential lines, parking, packet pick up (if you haven't already done so), stretching, and time to find your starting wave corral. Your packet will be available for early pickup the afternoon/evening before the race (October 25), which is a great way to avoid these lines and sleep in a little later on race day! If you do happen to find yourself with a little extra time on race day, soak up the sunrise over the lake, visit some booths, and snap some fun photos with your family and friends!
Registrations by October 13, 2024 include a 2024 MM5K technical wicking race tee in a size of your choosing and a unique event medal. Registrations received on/after October 14, 2024 do not include a guaranteed 2024 tee or medal due to production deadlines, for these items, unfortunately. Thank you for understanding.
Packets will be available for early pick up on October 25, 2024 at the Foundation office from 4-7 PM. You may pick up packets for other registered racers as well. Early packet pick up is a great way to avoid the day-of lines, and we strongly recommend this option. Each packet includes a linked racing bib/timing chip, but only those who registered by October 13, 2024 should expect to receive a shirt. Late registrations may still receive race swag, if available, but this is not guaranteed.
We encourage you to embrace the season and wear whatever feels festive and comfortable to you. This can be anything from a family-friendly costume to silly accessories like tutus, crazy socks, and hats. All festively dressed racers are eligible for a raffle for local gift cards and prizes! See pictures of last year's event.
5K Registration means that your intention is to join us at Lake Sammamish Boat Launch on race day. For this reason, your packet will have a timing bib included and you will be asked to select a starting wave. We have registration number limits based upon capacity and insurance, so we do carefully track and manage this number. In-person 5K Registration has sold out every year so far. Virtual 5K Registration means that your intention is to NOT join us at Lake Sammamish Boat Launch on race day. Most Virtual registrants live outside of the area, prefer to run alone, or have registered after the 5K Registration has sold out. Virtual registrations do not include a timing bib. There are some rare instances where we have the capacity flex to change a Virtual Registration to a 5K Registration, but please email valerie@isfdn.org with your request prior to showing up for packet pick up.
How do I wear my bib?
Generally speaking, it works best to safety pin the bib to the front or back of your tee shirt. There is a timing chip affixed to the back of each bib that will be read as you cross mats that are located at the Start/Finish line.
There will be water stops set up at the 1 mile and 2 mile markers. Thank you in advance for using the trash cans for disposal.
Stay tuned! A video of the parking and festival areas and route are coming soon!
2024 Monster Mash 5K is SOLD OUT and has reached race capacity. Parking availability is limited and we want everyone to have a great experience, so space is limited.
While East Lake Sammamish Trail remains a public trail without restrictions, we strongly advise against dogs and strollers due to the high volume of runners along the narrow, two-way race route.
Our first wave is scheduled to start at 10 AM. Our last wave is scheduled to start at 10:10 AM. One can typically expect the last walker to cross the Finish line about one hour after they start. If you run early and need to leave the area early, the exits to the park will be open, but please note that we will have traffic management in place and there is the possibility that you will be asked to yield to crossing runners, so patience will be required.
There will be water stops set up at the 1 mile and 2 mile markers. Thank you in advance for using the trash cans for disposal.
Unfortunately, yes. We know folks love the shirts, so we widely communicate these deadlines via email, social media, on the website, and during the registration process itself. These deadlines are in place to ensure on-schedule production and delivery of our race shirts. Given the cost and range of sizes, we generally do not order extra. There are years, however, where we have had extras, and it may be possible to ask if a MM5K shirt from a previous year is available instead at the time of packet pickup. For what it's worth, we've never built a date into our MM5K Logo, so wearing a different monster doesn't stand out as much as you might think it would!
Are there prizes?
Yes! There will be awards and prizes for fastest time in each age division as well as overall fastest male/female (1st, 2nd. 3rd place). We anticipate announcing these awards around 11 AM. Additionally, all those in festive seasonal dress are eligible for raffles prizes!
Fueling Success for Every Student, Every School