Monster Dash St. Paul
St Paul, MN
- Half Marathon, 10K, 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
All Monster Dash St. Paul courses are one loop, starting at Upper Landing Park. And if you can handle it – challenge yourself to run the distance in costume! You could win our costume contest! But make sure you run with it on first – we can guarantee fun but we … MORE
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Probably more fun for the 5K in costume
This was a small race, mostly flat. Not much in the way of crowd support, and bare minimum in the way of pre-race communication or set up at the start. … MORE
This was a small race, mostly flat. Not much in the way of crowd support, and bare minimum in the way of pre-race communication or set up at the start. No bag check (though a sympathetic volunteer let me stash my bag in the race tent). Instead of yet another t-shirt, the giveaway was a substantial fleece-like top.
Fun race, and beautiful time of year
I got lucky and it was a sunny 45 degree day this year. It was gorgeous! I thought the course was decent and the amenities were fine. Porta potty’s through … MORE
I got lucky and it was a sunny 45 degree day this year. It was gorgeous! I thought the course was decent and the amenities were fine. Porta potty’s through out and water stations. The finish line was awesome, they got you through with a goodie bag of snacks/fuel and water. Hope to run it again!
Team Ortho is a joke
The race organizers need to think more of the runners than the swag and money they can bring in. Jackets are nice, medals don't specify distance which isn't great. No … MORE
The race organizers need to think more of the runners than the swag and money they can bring in. Jackets are nice, medals don’t specify distance which isn’t great. No Mylar blankets at the finish (on a cold October MN morning..!?) wasn’t much for finish line food and volunteers were stern on “take ONE please”. Overall, not a fan of Team Ortho races any more.. Race brings a lot of people which is interesting but it wasn’t as organized as it should have been.
Boring 2nd half of course
The first half of this course is nice, runs through some scenic houses and nice neighborhoods... second half of the course however is very boring. Mile markers aren't visible which … MORE
The first half of this course is nice, runs through some scenic houses and nice neighborhoods… second half of the course however is very boring. Mile markers aren’t visible which makes it harder to keep track of pace.
Fun Race!
Team Ortho always does a great job putting on all their races. This is a fun one, especially checking out all the costumes. Relatively flat,fast course along the Mississippi! MORE
Team Ortho always does a great job putting on all their races. This is a fun one, especially checking out all the costumes. Relatively flat,fast course along the Mississippi!
Cool Swag, but not much else...
I want to love this race, I really do. A half marathon, in full Halloween costume, on Summit Avenue in St. Paul. How could you not? Well... in two words, … MORE
I want to love this race, I really do. A half marathon, in full Halloween costume, on Summit Avenue in St. Paul. How could you not?
Well… in two words, Team Ortho.
I find that Team Ortho Minneapolis is having a lot of reoccurring problems from race to race, and that has become a large enough issue for me that I’m re-evaluating if I ever want to participate in a Team Ortho event again.
In fact, in the 2013 racing season I began to wonder if Team Ortho really cares about the quality of their race as much as they do the quantity of participants they have. I can only say this fairly because I completed two of their races in 2012 and three in 2013, and I have noticed a significant decline in quality, and yet a tremendous push by them to register more, More, MORE participants.
Do yourself a favor and run the Mankato Half the weekend before. Much more organized, better overall race environment, and a wider variety of race distances available.