Madison being a pretty active, health-conscious city, some people find that their ideal way to celebrate the holidays is to lace up their trainers or get on their bikes. Even though it may be cold out, there are still a bunch of active events coming up this December (actually, all of them on this Saturday, Dec. 13) for you to get your blood pumping, your feet moving and your heart all warm.
Also, it’s supposed to be cold this weekend, so double-check in advance to make sure these events aren’t postponed or cancelled!
The goat demon known as Krampus has become a favorite of folks who find Santa Claus a little too squeaky clean. The annual “Dachusland Krampuslauf” celebrates the dark side of the season, as folks dress up as Krampus and other folklore figures and run from Library Mall, up State Street, and around the Capitol Square, before finishing up at Prost for a drink.
The organizers say it’s actually more of a “meander” than a run, but the sight of the child-eating Krampus will get your pulse racing, especially if you’re a naughty child.
If two wheels is more your thing, Wisconsin Bike Fed is sponsoring this annual ride. Show up at Breese Stevens Field at 10 a.m. in costume for some bike jousting and other fun pre-ride events, then hit the Madison streets to spread some holiday cheer. If you don’t plan on riding, check out the route map and cheer the riders on!
Only a Wisconsinite might see a pub crawl as a form of exercise, but this one’s for a good cause. Put on your ugliest holiday sweater and peruse some of Madison and Monona’s best watering holes. If you see a Marine at one of the bars, make a donation to Dane County Toys for Tots to get a raffle ticket. End the crawl at VFW Post 7591 at 5 p.m. for the raffle drawing.
What could be better than doing your downward dogs with the help of an actual little dog? Shelter from the Storm animal rescue is sponsoring this adorable fundraiser where both kids and adults can stretch with adoptable pups. Santa Claus will join you on the mats for one session, while the Grinch will stretch for the other.
Lace up your Ho-Ho-Hokas and hit the streets along with hundreds of other runners for this festival 5K. Dress up as Santa, an elf, or a polar bear and run or walk the race route, enjoying holiday-themed aid stations and other festive attractions. You can even race against the Grinch (who is probably all limbered up from that yoga session) to save Christmas!
