Dash Away 5K lets families run through holiday lights at Elkhart County Fairgrounds

ELKHART, Ind. -- For the last time this season, families ran through the holiday lights at the Elkhart County Fairgrounds.

The fairgrounds opened its path of holiday light displays for the second annual Dash Away 5K, giving runners a festive way to close out the holiday season. The event invited participants to race through illuminated displays that typically draw drivers, not runners.

Families turned out for the Dash Away 5K at the fairgrounds, which welcomed all ages and all experience levels.

“We started a holiday light drive through a few years ago and decided, why not do a run through it? I think it's just weird enough,” said Mackenzie Bontrager, special events coordinator at the Elkhart County Fairgrounds.

Dash Away gives families a chance to get up and move after Christmas, running through the holiday light display at the fairgrounds. The event partnered with Fleet Feet to help keep participants motivated as they head into their New Year’s resolutions.

“The Dash Away 5K is the kickoff to the 2026 race series... if they sign up for the race series, simply to keep them motivated, so they always have a race on their calendar, and then they're looking forward to the next race,” said Jenn Davis, community outreach manager at Fleet Feet.

The 5K also introduced a new addition this year — a shorter course for children 12 and under, allowing younger runners to take part in the fun.

“I mean, we had a tremendous turn out like I said, and just bringing it back this year, we added the dash way junior just to make it a whole family event,” Bontrager said.

Though it is one of the newest events on the Elkhart County Fairgrounds calendar, the Dash Away 5K has quickly gained popularity. More than 200 runners registered this year, setting a new record for the event.

Organizers say they hope to keep the Dash Away 5K a holiday-season tradition for years to come.