So by now I’m sure you’ve seen the posts on my Facebook page – as well as other’s pages – about the DASH Around Kampeska Half Marathon and Half Marathon Relay going on May 20th around our beautiful Lake Kampeska! I want to take a moment and try to convince all of you to sign up for this awesome race!

This will be the third year this race has been put on, and each year it gets a little better. All the members of our race committee are runners ourselves, so we know exactly what it takes to put on a good race. We’ve got a great route, some awesome swag, “cheerleaders” lined up and ready to go, and the best part: really good after race food. Because let’s be real, who doesn’t run so they can eat more!? 😉

I’ve been on both sides of this race. The very first year this was put on, I was not on the committee, I ran the half marathon. I can safely say it’s an excellent course, with about as few hills as you are probably going to get in a long race like that. It’s pretty straightforward: we start in the parking lot at Jackson Park by the lake, and we finish on the boardwalk at City Park. You get to run around the entire lake, which in this town, earns you some serious bragging rights.

This race was so much fun. We had good running weather the year I ran it, and we had tons of fun cheering stations scattered all around the course. Half marathons are hard work, but when you’ve got tons of people out there cheering you on, it really does help push you towards that finish line. We’ve got some of the best cheerleaders you could ask for! I even PR’d at this race, so they really helped push me to be super fast!

I loved the race so much I decided to join the committee last year. There are a lot of little details that go into putting a race like this together, but it’s worth it when we see how much fun everyone has.

So, if you’ve seen the posts and you’ve been on the fence about signing up, I’m here to tell you to do it! It will seriously be a good time and you won’t regret it. You’ve still got about two months until race day – plenty of time to get out and get training.

Never done a half marathon before, and you’re worried it might be a bit too far? Find a friend and do the half marathon relay! We have a two-person relay option, where you hand off your race bib at the halfway point of the race. Each runner runs roughly 6.5 miles, just over a 10K.

If a 10K is STILL too far, don’t worry, we’ve got you! The day before – May 19th – we’ve got the Buffalo Wild Wings 5K. We meet at Buffalo Wild Wings for packet pick-up, and the race starts and ends at the beautiful Terry Redlin Building. Do both races, and you’ll get a full blown tour of Watertown. The 5K is not timed, and is just for fun. We encourage all kinds of runners of all ages to come out and join us for this race.

And did I mention there’s a FREE wing party for all race participants after the 5K?? I mean, if that doesn’t convince you, I don’t know what will! Who doesn’t love free food!? And we’ve got Taco John’s breakfast burritos, donuts, bananas, and much more for the half marathon and relay runners post race. Trust me, you’ll be eating good at both of these races.

If you’re interested in signing up, you can do so on our Facebook page: Dash Around Kampeska 1/2 Marathon-2 Person 1/2 Marathon Relay Watertown, SD or on our website dasharoundkampeska.com. Prices increase after April 1st and again after May 1st, so don’t wait. Sign up today!

Have questions? Reach out to me or any of the other folks on the committee. We’ll be more than happy to help ya out. I hope to see many of you at at least one of the races!

Until next time! 🙂 

Megan Reiffenberger