Dam Jingle Bell Dash
Orinda, CA
- 10K, 5K, Kids Run
- Road (Paved), Trail (Unpaved)
- Official race website
The Dam Jingle Bell Dash is a huge event each year with lots of fun and holiday spirit! We had 100+ Dashers to Santa last year and he was thrilled. Kids Dash for Free with an Adult Race Registration. Your Pre-Registration packet will be ready on Race Day at the … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Dec 19):
| 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| H (°F) | 57 | 56 | 56 | 61 | 55 |
| L (°F) | 37 | 47 | 49 | 38 | 32 |
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Fun small race
This was my first 10K and I had a great time! It was a very chilly but sunny day, and the scenery along the course (a mix of paved & … MORE
This was my first 10K and I had a great time! It was a very chilly but sunny day, and the scenery along the course (a mix of paved & unpaved trails) was very beautiful. It was a pretty hilly out-and-back course that, according to the organizers (but not my Fitbit) was a bit short. It was a small and friendly race, and there seemed to be plenty of parking for those driving in.
Small Race at the Reservoir
Nice day - sunny, about 50 degrees but pretty windy. Very small race with a lot of holiday spirit! Water and gatorade at the turnaround for the 5k - water, … MORE
Nice day – sunny, about 50 degrees but pretty windy. Very small race with a lot of holiday spirit! Water and gatorade at the turnaround for the 5k – water, hot chocolate, snacks at the end (bananas, cookies, halos, candy, etc). Race t-shirts provided in cute holiday stockings, along with jingle bells for runners’ shoes (loved hearing the bells while I ran!) Previous post for 2016 mentioned the velcro timing for the ankle, but this year’s version was on the back of the bib. Since it’s such a small race, chances are greater of earning a medal (though I didn’t 🙂
Small race, but fun
This race takes place at the San Pablo Reservoir in Orinda. It was a very chilly morning. The temp gauge on my car said 29' and it sure felt like … MORE
This race takes place at the San Pablo Reservoir in Orinda. It was a very chilly morning. The temp gauge on my car said 29′ and it sure felt like it. When we drove up, the reservoir looked like there was steam coming off of it from the warm water and cold air. It was very beautiful. There was plenty of parking. This is a small race with a 5k and 10k. There is also a kids run with Santa. There were 200-300 people across the two races. We picked up our bibs and received a timing sensor that we Velcro-ed around our ankle. Once it was on, I didn’t feel it at all. Next, we picked our shirts that were in cute Christmas socks. I got a snowman sock and my husband chose a gingerbread man sock.
The races are gun timed for the start and chip timed for the finish. The 5k race is completely on the paved road with a few ups and downs. There is no real elevation change. The gates are lock at 8:40am, so there are no cars allowed when the 10k starts at 9am and the 5k at 9:15am. The gate for the park reopens at 9:45am. For the 5k, there is an aid station at the turn around point. The course was pretty with all the trees and the view of the reservoir. At the finish, the race director was shouting encouragements as each runner crossed the finish line. I was handed my finishers medal and a bottle of water.
There was plenty of post race goodies. They had fruit, cookies, bagels, muffins, coffee, hot chocolate, and other yummies.
There was also age group medals for each five year increment. I won 2nd in my AG and my husband got 3rd. It was nice to get a medal for that.
An added bonus is the raffle that they had. We didn’t win anything, but it was fun.
All in all, Wolfpack Events did a nice job with the race production. I will definitely run another race with them.
Dashing Through the Dam
This was a very pleasant race. Morning temperatures were 36* It was a beautiful sight looking out and seeing the morning fog smoking up off the dam's water. Race day … MORE
This was a very pleasant race. Morning temperatures were 36* It was a beautiful sight looking out and seeing the morning fog smoking up off the dam’s water. Race day bib pick up for all where received our bibs, ankle timing chip, Christmas stocking with race day tshirt, and a few jingle bells to pin on. This was a small race of about 200 – 300 runners total between the 5K and the 10K race. They also had Jingle Bell Dash for the small tykes after the main races were finished.
This was a trail race that also included pavement running. I would say it was about 1/2 pavement and 1/2 trail. The trail part of the course was mostly flat in the sense that there were no major hills just little bitty up and downs for about 300 yards. There was one paved hill that lead to the 10K turn around. It was nice to see that the creeks running through the course finally had some running water. Most of the course offered plenty of tree covering.
Finisher medals for all. Age groups medals. After race food. Bottle of water and a great raffle.