Mattapoisett Santa Stampede

Mattapoisett Santa Stampede takes place in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts, on December 5, 2026. The event is built around a single format, a 5K that starts at 9:00 a.m. As the name suggests, this is a Santa-themed holiday run, the kind of December outing where the atmosphere matters as much as the clock, and where you can show up in a red suit or simply in your usual running gear.

A 5K is the most approachable race distance there is, which makes this a good fit whether you are running your first event, looking for a quick effort before the holidays, or bringing along friends and family who plan to walk part of it. If you want to run it well, four to six weeks of three easy runs per week is enough, with one session of short pickups added in the final two weeks. On a cold early-December morning, give yourself a longer warm-up than usual so the first half mile does not feel like a shock.