5K races near Ammon

Zombie Mania is a 5K run held in October, taking place in Nature Park and Eagle Park. The course is a flat loop suitable for runners, walkers, families, and those preferring a relaxed pace. This event transforms a standard park run into a chase: participants wear flags representing their "health," and volunteer zombies attempt to capture these flags before runners finish. The route begins at Nature Park, then circles through Eagle Park. Zombies are positioned along the path and might emerge from foliage to take a runner's life belt. The game resembles capture the flag or tag more than a typical road race. A 1-mile costume run is also offered before the main 5K for those interested in dressing up without the zombie chase.

The Blackfoot Tater Trot is a community run and walk at Jensen's Grove in Blackfoot, Idaho, held on the second Saturday in October. It offers 5K and 10K options for runners and walkers, plus a half-mile kids' run, allowing families, casual walkers, and local runners to participate on the same morning. The event raises money for the Community Dinner Table and the Blackfoot Rotary Club. The race is closely tied to local service work in Bingham County. Funds from the event support Christmas dinner food boxes for families and scholarships for high school students. One recent edition had just over a hundred registered runners and raised $7,000 for these projects. The Blackfoot Rotary Club was established in 1919, and the event maintains a local Idaho tradition with hot baked potatoes and raffle prizes for participants after the run.

A giant pumpkin arch marks the finish of the Undergrad's Haunted Half Marathon and 5K, a Halloween-themed race series in Utah. The Salt Lake event starts at Sugar House Park, with the Provo half marathon also taking place in October within the same haunted-running theme. The primary race is the half marathon, offering a 5K alternative and a kids run for families seeking a costume-party atmosphere on race day. In Salt Lake City, the half marathon covers 13.1 miles through Emigration Canyon, leading runners into the Spook Alley tunnel, past costumed characters and a graveyard, before returning to Sugar House Park. The 5K follows a quick out-and-back route around the park, and the kids run is a half-mile sprint through Spook Alley. Costumes are encouraged, spider-themed finisher medals are awarded, and the Kyle Pease Foundation partnership provides the Salt Lake race with a charitable cause supporting adaptive sports participation.