RRC Races
The Rochester Running Club organizes and supports a number of races in and around Rochester. As a volunteer run non-profit, we are committed to providing an affordable, exciting, and inclusive experience at all of our races.
September 12, 2026
Polar Bear Prediction 5k Run
The goal is to be one of the first 10 people to cross the finish line when the clock strikes zero – no watches or timing devices allowed. Pacing and trusting your “internal clock” give this race a really fun twist and give everyone of all talent levels the chance to be a winner.
How It Works
At 9 AM, the clock and finish line stop watch start counting down from 60 minutes. Runners decide when to begin their race by crossing the start line and are expected to continue running or walking the 5K course without stopping.
Everyone’s goal is to leave, complete the course, and be one of the first 10 people to cross the finish line when the clock is at zero. Be one of them and you are a winner!
The clock is not visible at the finish line, and participants are not allowed to wear or use a watch.
Race Details
Saturday, January 3, 2026
Bib Pick up: 8:00-9:00AM
Awards: ~10:10AM (est.)
Countdown Starts: 9:00 AM
Countdown Ends: 10:00 AM
Where: Minnesota Treads
Course:Â The 5k course extends to Cascade Lake from the store. Course conditions could be snowy and may be slippery; please use caution and adjust for conditions.
View the route HERE
Additional Race Info
Cost: $25
There is a $5 discount for current RRC members. Non-members who join the RRC on or before race day are eligible for the discount.
Registration: Available online or on race day from 8:00-8:30 AM at Minnesota Treads (116 17th Avenue NW).
SWAG: Participants receive a fun and useful race gift. Awards Ceremony and `after` celebration following the race.
Awards: Ten highly coveted, hand-carved bears crafted by Roger Heil are awarded.
Spring Classic Races
Saturday, May 2, 2026
LOCATION:Â Slatterly Park
The Spring Classic kicks off the running season with the vibrant, supportive atmosphere that’s become its hallmark — runners cheering one another across the finish line and a community gathered to celebrate the first race of the year.
Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K courses head out and back along the scenic paved bike trails that follow the Zumbro River through and around downtown Rochester. At this time of year, the route is lined with bluebells at their peak — a vivid carpet of color beneath the trees that’s only here for a few short weeks.
HOSTED BY ROCHESTER RUNNING CLUB
All-Comers’ Track Meets
Celebrating 55 years!
Any updates or weather-related cancellations will be announced on the RRC Facebook page.
Details
Meets are FREE for kids 2-15+ years old and open to the public. Para-athlete/wheelchair inclusion – independent or parent assisted are encouraged to participate.
Time:Â 6:00 PM
2026 Dates: June 9th, 16th, & 30th | July 7th, 14th, and 21st
Location: Soldiers Memorial Field Track, 244 Soldiers Field Dr. SW, Rochester MN
Kids are welcome to participate in as many sprints/races and field events as they’d like. One purple participation ribbon is awarded to each participant per evening. First, second, and third place ribbons are given in each heat and overall for each age group in the long jump.
Volunteer
Meets are organized and staffed by volunteers. Please check out the available volunteer spots through sign up genius. Thank you for your help!
Information
Parents are requested to pre-register their child(ren) once for the six-week season. Registration is good for all meets attended.
Our Sponsors
The meets are free and open to the public thanks to our sponsors:
The Jim and Judy Sloan Foundation
Joann Johnson
Race Directors: Dale and Megan PfrimmerÂ
Contact: daleandmegan@charter.net
YMCA Camp Olson Rochesterfest Mile
The crowds will cheer! This fast and fun 1 mile Grand Prix race is held on the Rochesterfest parade route – just 15 minutes before the start of the parade! The streets are lined with spectators, and there is food & drink vendors and entertainment set up around the Soldiers Field Memorial Park track. The race starts and ends at Soldiers Field Memorial Park.
All proceeds benefit YMCA Camp Olson
Race Details
Stay Tuned for 2026!
Where: 6th St SW, in front of Centerstone Plaza
Course: USATF Certified course # MN17009RR
Additional Race Info
Cost: $15 for RRC members and $20 for Non-RCC Members
RRC Grand Prix Event
Rochester Women’s 4-Mile Race
July 25, 2026
Location: Silver Lake Park, East Shelter
This incredible race is open to anyone who identifies as female, and anyone under 18 races for free! Register for great swag, post-race refreshments, and prizes for both overall and age-group winners. This flat, fast, event starts and ends at the Silver Lake East Shelter and includes 2 loops around Silver Lake. Start/finish will take place on the east side of Silver Lake. There will also be a post-race prize raffle and a vendor village!
Additional Info
Cost: Discount for current RRC members – Join RRC now!
RRC Grand Prix Event
Registration: online or same-day walk-up
Awards: Awards will be given to the top 3 finishers in 12 age group categories.
Our Sponsors
Reggie Oeltjen Douglas Trail 11-Mile Race
August 1, 2026
Location: Douglas Trailhead
This 11-mile race takes place on the Douglas Trail, an asphalt rail-trail system that extends from Northwest Rochester to Pine Island. Participants meet in Douglas to race through a canopy of trees that shade the trail most of the way. Runners are treated to a race gift, post-race refreshments, and delicious watermelon.
The first Douglas Trail Race took place in 1976. The race was renamed in 2017 to honor Reggie Oeltjen, a longtime member and volunteer of the Rochester Running Club. Reggie’s dream was to run border to border across Minnesota, from South Dakota to Wisconsin, at age 65. He passed away peacefully in his sleep midway through his journey.
Additional Race Info
Cost:Discount for current RRC members – Join RRC now!
RRC Grand Prix Event
RRC Members get a discount: Become a member today
Awards: Awards will be given to the first overall male and female finishers and the first male and female Masters (40+) finishers. The awards are a headband and a watermelon.
Lance Pfrimmer Memorial Run
Tentative Schedule of Events:
Friday, August 14, 2026
- Packet pick up
- Shakeout run
Saturday, August 15, 2026Â –Â Rochester Eagle’s Aerie #2228
- 10:00 AM 8K Race Starts, followed by the 1M Walk
- Other schedule of events TBD, likely similar to previous years
View the 2026 8K Race Route:
Click here
Race & Event Information
Please join the Pfrimmer Family and Rochester and Stout Running Communities in the third annual Lance Pfrimmer Memorial Run and Walk, and silent auction. All proceeds benefit the Rochester Area Foundation `Lance Pfrimmer Memorial Scholarship` and honor Lance’s legacy of sportsmanship, positivity, and athleticism.
Participants will enjoy great SWAG, post run refreshments, as well as the option to purchase food and beverages from the Eagle’s Club.
Please direct any questions or offers of donations/sponsorships to: LiveLikeLance8K@gmail.com
Unable to participate, but want to donate to the Scholarship Fund? Click HERE
Mayo Open Cross Country 5K Meet
The Mayo Open 5K Cross Country Race is a Grand Prix event, held after the Mayo High School Invitational meet. The first meet was held November 6, 1971. In 1985 Roger Spee brought back the revival of a cross country race
at the Eastwood Golf Course by organizing a race on September 13 following the Mayo Invitational Cross Country Meet.
September 17, 2026
Race Start: 6:00 PM (approximate)
Bib Pick up: 5:00 – 5:45 PM
Where: Eastwood Park, Rochester, MN 55904
Course: The course is a 5K two loop around Eastwood Golf Course. The race has grass and hills (can’t have a good cross-country race without hills!).
Cost: FREE to all
RRC Grand Prix Event
Registration: Register online, or on race day from 5:00 PM to 5:45 PM at Eastwood Park Rochester MN 55904
Tour de Essex
Experience the rolling hills of the Essex Park Trails in this low key, low frills race.
RRC members receive a discount on registration. ( Join RRC Now! )
The 7K trail race and road 10K are both RRC Grand Prix Race Events this year.
All race proceeds will help support year-round trail maintenance of the Essex Park and Quarry Hill Park trail systems.
Race Details
October 10, 2026
7K Start:Â 9:00 AM
10K Start:Â 7:30 AM
Where: Essex Park, 5455 W River Rd, Rochester, MN
Course: The 7k trail run will start on the Essex Park entrance road and then head onto the trails. Running surfaces on the race course are mainly grass and dirt with short sections of gravel and asphalt trails.
The Rochester Running Club Grand Prix is an individual running series that consists of 9-13 races in which RRC members compete for points toward year-end awards. Competition is conducted by age groups for men, women, and non-binary individuals. Prizes are awarded to the top three runners in each age group at the annual RRC Meeting/Banquet. Many of the Grand Prix races offer additional discounts to RRC Member participants.
2026 Grand Prix Races
- May 2 – Spring Classic Half Marathon
- May 16 – Med City Full Marathon
- June 7 – Storm the Woods – Mason Run 10 Mile Trail Race
- June 27 – YMCA Camp Olson Rochesterfest 1 Mile
- July 4 – Stewartville Summerfest 5 Mile Race
- July 18 – Byron Good Neighbor Days 5K Race
- July 25 – Rochester Women’s 4 Mile Race
- August 1 – Reggie Oeltjen Douglas Trail 11 Mile Race
- August 15 – Lance Pfrimmer Memorial 8K
- September 12 – Healthy Human Race Half Marathon
- September 17 – Mayo Open Cross Country 5K Meet
- October 10 – Tour de Essex Trail Run 7k
- TBD – Brighter Tomorrow Go for the Gold 10K
Click to view Grand Prix Rules
- Participants must be Rochester Running Club members. If a participant becomes a member of the Rochester Running Club during the period in which the Grand Prix races are being held, earlier races in which they participated as a non-Rochester Running Club member will be used when calculating the Grand Prix point totals.
- Points will be earned in the following age groups for female, male, and non-binary runners: 19 and under, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, & 80 and over
- Runners will earn points based on their placing in their age group for a particular race: 1st place – 10 points, 2nd place – 9 points, 3rd place – 8 points, etc. up to 10th place – 1 point. To determine the points a runner earns in a race, all runners participating in the race will be included in the age group placings, even if they are not Rochester Running Club members. For example, if a Grand Prix participant
finishes 4th in their age group and the first 3 runners are not RRC members, the RTC member will receive 7 points. - A runner must participate in at least 3 races to be eligible to receive an award. A race in which a runner participates but does not earn any points still counts as one of the 3 races.
- The points from the 5 races in which the runner earned the most points will be used to determine the runner’s overall point total.
- All awards are based on the age that you are on the day of the last grand prix race of the season.
- If a runner changes age category during the year, the points they earned when they were running in the younger age category will move with them to the older age category.
- The races that are included in the Grand Prix will be determined at the start of each year by the Rochester Running Club board. There will typically be about 8-10 races covering a range of distances that will be designated as Grand Prix Events
- The three persons in each age group earning the most points and meeting the eligibility criteria will receive Grand Prix Awards. The eligibility criteria are: (1) Member of the Rochester Running Club, (2) Participated in at least three Grand Prix events, and (3) Earned points in at least one Grand Prix event
Grand Prix Standings
2020 Standings: Due to Covid-19, the Grand Prix was canceled.