Halloween 5K and Monster Mile

Halloween 5K and Monster Mile lands on October 24, 2026 in Stafford, Virginia, with the 1-mile kids run at 8:00 a.m. and the 5K at 8:30. Costumes are encouraged and prizes go to the best of them. Register before the deadline and you get a long-sleeve shirt and a custom medal, with donuts waiting at the finish. The race is part of the Stafford Race Series, and proceeds support Project Lifesaver, which helps locate people who wander because of cognitive conditions.

This is a family morning first and a race second, with the kids mile half an hour ahead of the 5K so parents can do both. Used as a fitness check, the 5K is long enough to hurt and short enough to recover from by Monday. Runners building toward a winter half marathon can slot it in as a tune-up rather than a goal race and carry on with the week as planned.