Westport Santa Dash
Kansas City, MO
- 5K, 1K, Kids Run
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
The Westport Santa Dash 5K will fill the streets with holiday cheer as hundreds of Santas run through the streets of Kansas City! Every participant will receive a long-sleeve race shirt or a Santa suit, a finisher medal/ornament, and holiday treats! Who doesn’t like hot chocolate? Santa suits include Santa’s … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Dec 12):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°F) | 38 | 35 | 45 | 44 | 56 |
| L (°F) | 27 | 21 | 34 | 37 | 34 |
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
A jolly time for all…a PR for me
As the unofficial last race of the year, Westport Santa Dash brings the festivities, even amidst some pre-race start time confusion. But can you really go wrong with Santa-dressed runners … MORE
As the unofficial last race of the year, Westport Santa Dash brings the festivities, even amidst some pre-race start time confusion. But can you really go wrong with Santa-dressed runners in one of Kansas City’s original entertainment districts? In most cases, not really.
The race started at 10am, no 9am…wait 10am…scratch that 9am. Yes, a 9am confirmed start time. The race was originally, and traditionally, held at 10am. It is a great lead-in to the adjoining Christmas market. Then suddenly, and quietly, the week of the race the start time was changed to 9am, but only on some of the published information. For such a long-standing, established event, it was disappointing to have such a confusion. What was worse was that the time change was poorly executed and communicated to runners. A group of friends and I sent a message more than once and struggled to get an immediate response. Runners received the official email the day prior to the race. I guess late is better than never. I love this race, so I really hope that all the kinks are worked out for next year.
Due to construction, the regular route was altered, and a small section was cut out. To make up the difference, we re-ran the beginning section rather than a straight line finish, like other years. I was initially concerned that the course would be short, and according to my Garmin, it was. However, my Garmin tends to run short. My running buddy’s Strava was on target. Aside from the distance, it’s an easy course. There are a couple of turns at the start, but the long stretches are a straight line. It’s Kansas City, so there are definitely some inclines, but nothing too heartbreaking.
While I usually opt-out of a t-shirt to save a few bucks (and closet space), I loved the included soft, cotton long-sleeved shirt. The race directors also, smartly, sold additional swag online and at the packet pickup. So, instead of buying a candy bar impulse buy, I purchased a whiskey, er, drink glass for a few extra bucks. I like that the additional swag were available in person and not just online.
Thanks to jkelling, we made a plan to both PR this 5k. While he has been breaking records like a plates at a Greek wedding this year, I have cozied up to 6-year records as if they we going to be worth something at the Antique Roadshow. I hate that inaccurate heart rate data caused jkelling not to get his PR. But I would have hated it more to see him calling out for someone to pause his Strava before whisked away in an ambulance. We’ll figure out the inconsistencies so he can prove, once and for all, that he is indeed faster than me. However, he will have to beat a 35:10 5K PR time, but yes, this back of the packer was on fire! I guess all the eye-rolling running up asphalt hills in the summer paid off, because the Anique Roadshow called and said that my 6-years PRs are now worthless – 2025 is the year to beat. Quite honestly, setting new PRs in the 5k, 10k, half and marathon are all thanks to the summer training miles and jkelling. Yes, the summer training miles I tried (unsuccessfully) to stall, skip and avoid. Ladies, apparently not even a good hair flip will get you out of miles. I wanted this 5k to round out a year of PRs, and I super grateful that I pushed to get it. I was even happier to achieve it at a race I love. Yup, it was a jolly good ol’ time.
The PR that never was...
I love this course. I love this race, but I have to dock points for production when a week out some pages say 0900 start time and some say 1000, … MORE
I love this course. I love this race, but I have to dock points for production when a week out some pages say 0900 start time and some say 1000, and our first three emails were met with basically a shrug and a “I’m not sure”. This is a fast course. Super fast, and despite some slight changes at the start for construction, was the standard Westport 5k. This means it doesn’t have the punishing hill of the 4 miler and is screaming for a PR. My race buddy and I had decided that this would be a PR day for the both of us, which for her would be beating a 6-year record and for me would be my 15th PR of the year. Knowing this course is fast, that the energy on the course is always high, and there are a lot of walkers on this course who maybe get a little closer to the start line than they should, we lined up a little earlier in the crowd and took off. It was a great race. Westport brought the same energy they always do, and two families were out there in pickup trucks slapping high fives to runners as they came through. Normally I’d go over to make sure to high-five them, but with the other runners slowing down I took the open middle, throwing up my second fastest first mile ever. That’s around the point where my racing partner passed me, and I knew it was going to be a good run. I stayed just behind her for the next mile of light rollers. I was really hoping to catch her on the long gradual downhill of mile 3, but my HR monitor started giving wonky data, and as a heart attack survivor I had to dial it back or risk actually being out of range if the sensor was correct. It was, forgive the pun, heartbreaking, knowing that I had so much more fire to give in that last mile, but another friend pulled up beside me and kept my mind off the feeling of crushing defeat as I crossed the finish line mere seconds too slow. Maybe next year, Westport…maybe next year… The good news was that by virtue of her being ahead of me, that assured a PR for ccruiz03, and I couldn’t have been prouder to see her walking back towards me from the finish line with her well-deserved PR, now having swept every distance in 2025. The post race energy is Westport rivals that of a mid-tier half, with the local restaurants filling up and the outdoor Christmas market available for those who didn’t work up an appetite. The medal was also a HUGE improvement from last year, so props to the production crew for hearing the complaints last year.
Great course by "Winter Mall"
Nice course for hill work while remaining fast. Coincides with a local artisan craft expo so plenty of local tents with everything from craft spice blends to artisan muffins to … MORE
Nice course for hill work while remaining fast. Coincides with a local artisan craft expo so plenty of local tents with everything from craft spice blends to artisan muffins to soap bombs to wind chimes. The race itself had free sandwich and cookie samples, coffee, potato chips and possibly some more I just didn’t stop by. I got there early so as to avoid any possible repeat of last year where they ran out of shirts. Shirts are a basic long-sleeve T with a decent design on them. The medal doubles as an ornament. It’s 1″x2″ (being generous) gingerbread man with the name of the race written on it. Here’s the thing. It’s Christmas. I get some people like having medals that double as ornaments. I get the appeal to that and have a few medals like that. The writing on this is so small it seems more like an attempt to save on medal costs by getting the smaller one then just tying a ribbon on it and saying “Oh it’s an ornament.” It’s cute. I could have been twice the size and still been in line with the other ornament medals I have, and there were a LOT of people grumbling about it after the race, so I’m going to have to take off a shoe. There was less crowd support than last year, but the morning started out drizzly and I guess even though it cleared up by start time, the neighborhood had already made other plans. All in all though, a great race that I was happy to repeat this year, and likely will next year as well.
Great 5k with crowd love
Not the same Santa Dash as Jazz Museum sadness from before, which was basically 2.5 miles gradual hill up in a straight line by absolutely nothing to look at and … MORE
Not the same Santa Dash as Jazz Museum sadness from before, which was basically 2.5 miles gradual hill up in a straight line by absolutely nothing to look at and no neighborhoods for crowd support. This is not that race at all, and I’m glad I went back to try it again. I’m only sorry that I waited so long to look at it again, because I’m not sure when it changed. Nice course for hill work while remaining fast. My knee is still acting up and I was less than 30 seconds off my PR time, so despite the hills, they are short for the most part (horizontally) and you’ll make up for it on the way down. Most of it through neighborhoods and despite cold windy conditions a lot of people were out cheering, so go Westport, way to bring it! Starting area was great, with a bunch of stalls from local artists/craftsmen (not affiliated with the race, but co-located, which made that nice. Ran out of my shirt size despite registering 2 months ago, so that was disappointing and I have to take away a shoe, but ample coffee at starting line, which was needed on a cold windy morning. Medal was nice for a 2″ with the date of the race on there and more of a classic design to it with minimal color, but classy not boring. Big do-again for this one. One water stop on the course. I’m a big drinker since I’m carrying a load on my back, but I also bring my own hydration. If you’re one too, just don’t expect much on the course and plan accordingly. Also, no mile markers on the course. I find it motivating to see them waving in the wind up ahead of you, providing a level of precision that a watch just doesn’t. For someone who likes tracking splits/split progression, that’s minus a shoe. Plus, come on folks, it’d only be 2 of them. Couldn’t get those out there? Despite the hiccups, absolute do again race for me, and not just because this is slow season.