Fiesta Topeka 5K
Topeka, KS
- 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Come join in the celebration of the Capital City’s Mexican culture and traditions! This is Topeka’s longest-running 5K Run/Walk that started in 1977 by Paul Griego. Other community members include Nate Morales Sr., Jose Estrada and Homer Delgado. The Topeka Fiesta 5K will be held at the Oakland Community Center. … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Jun 27):
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| H (°F) | 88 | 92 | 90 | 88 | 83 |
| L (°F) | 67 | 73 | 70 | 62 | 58 |
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Great race...no medal?
After the rise of the virtual I really shouldn't be talking about races that are 49 years old and don't have medals. It's 2026, we should be past that. That … MORE
After the rise of the virtual I really shouldn’t be talking about races that are 49 years old and don’t have medals. It’s 2026, we should be past that. That frustration aside, this was an amazing race. Yep. But for the lack of medal, easy 5-shoe race. The t-shirt was a heavy cotton with a great design to it (and the design would have made a great medal…) but I can’t in good faith do more than 2 shoes for swag when the most important part is missing.
HOWEVER…
This community showed UP for this race. I’ve seen major 10ks and park half marathons with fewer volunteers, and due to the extreme heatwave, unofficial aid stations and hoses had popped up along the route, and they were not phoning it in. These people were passing out cold water like it was their job, and the aid stations that did exist were enthusiastic and well stocked. The post race includes breakfast burritos, and honestly smelling that cooking was a strong motivator to go hard that last leg. The route is a very wide lollipop with just the right amount of rollers to keep it busy but no real hills to speak of. It would be a super-fast course in good weather, but it remained a fast course despite the summer’s highs being broken because of all the energy on the course and off. I would have said you were crazy if you told me a no-medal 5k would get me this hyped up, but Fiesta Topeka came hard.
Just also come with a medal next year…when I go back.
Get ready for a FIESTA
When you roll up to packet pick-up 1 hour early and you see a line of volunteers out the doors, smell DELICIOUS breakfast burritos and eager smiles, you know you … MORE
When you roll up to packet pick-up 1 hour early and you see a line of volunteers out the doors, smell DELICIOUS breakfast burritos and eager smiles, you know you are in for a good time. The vibes only get better when you see nearly all the 500 runners overtaking the community ready to run and greeting everyone like family. After a bilingual prayer from the local priest, runners were instructed to follow the music and have a fun time – and a fun time indeed.
With little to no hills, this is a fast and easy course. The first half mile is a straight line with a slight uphill, but nothing too punishing. After a right turn, the course turns into a rectangle. That initial uphill? It turns into a sprinting downhill to the finish line. Seeing the finish line blocks away is always motivating, especially when you’ve got a supportive running partner.
When I say the race overtook the community, I mean it. This was a 5k, but easily had 6 aid stations, unofficial and official, each pumping music along the way. Want ice cold bottle water? Done. Prefer ice chips? Done. Gatorade? Water cups? Supportive volunteers. Done, done and done. The aid stations don’t include the numerous volunteers and neighbors cheering on runners from their porches with blaring music. I tell you it was a fiesta! Probably one of my favorite cheers was in the last half mile. It was amazing to hear “you are almost there mi’ja” as I pushed through chasing negative splits. I almost PR’d this race, which is truly unheard of for me as I am definitely NOT a summer runner, but that is a true testament to the caliber of supportive you’ll see at the Fiesta Topeka 5k. I have to give a huge shoutout to jkelling. He sees me on good and bad running days. He pushed me on the 5k. He looked at the stats and kept me focused. I was close to a negative split on the final mile, and he wanted it as much as I did. I was close, but didn’t get it. I did, however, get my third fastest mile of the year on mile 2. I’m proud of that accomplishment.
At the finish line, take your pick from the warm breakfast burritos, cold oranges slices and strawberries, yogurt, or granola bars, pretzels or Rice Krispie treats. I had some pan dulce that hit the spot. The finish line seemed more like a family picnic, because everyone stuck around. It was such a great feeling.
The only thing missing was a medal. We knew before registering that there was not a medal, only a shirt. The cotton tshirt has an amazing design, worthy of any medal. This 5k is so amazing, it is worthy of a medal. It deserves a medal.
After the race, jkelling and I did our traditional post-5k. I definitely was not as fast, but it worked in our favor. As I ran, we saw numerous community wearing the race shirt with pride. We popped into Oakland’s oldest bar, The Brass Rail Tavern, and, to our surprise, saw the race director and a crew of volunteers celebrating a hard day’s work. The race director was genuinely amazing as we talked her ear off….and pushed a medal for the 50th anniversary.
So be aware when registering for the Fiesta Topeka 5k. You’ll register for a 5k and a shirt, but really, you are getting inviting to a community carne asada fiesta that you’ll never want to leave.