5K races near Fond du Lac

Fond du Lac Training Notes

Fond du Lac hosts 40 5K races in 2026 within 80 km of the city centre — upcoming dates, recurring series, and other races nearby, all in one place.

Lakeside Park anchors the best running in Fond du Lac, and locals use its path and road for easy miles by Lake Winnebago. You can cover 5 miles with jaunts to Fraser Point Lookout, the Lighthouse, and Fountain Island. Harbor View Trail and Peebles Trail stretch a combined Lakeside option to about 10 miles when you want steady Z2. The Riverwalk starts south of Johnson Street and works with South Brooke Paths for 5 to 6 miles. Fond du Lac Running Club keeps the scene moving, and SSM Health Walleye Run/Walk, Salute the Troops, and the Turkey Trot give the calendar real anchors.

Fond du Lac riders get a useful mix without leaving town. The Fond du Lac Loop gives cyclists a 16-mile bicycle and pedestrian pathway, and the route is now 90% on separate trails. The Loop rolls through Prairie Trail, Peebles Trail, Lakeside Park Trail, Brooke Street Trail, and Camelot Trail, so base miles stay easy to stitch together. Rosendale sits 7 miles west. Race the Lake is the big anchor event, with 89 miles around Lake Winnebago from Lakeside Park. Buttermilk Creek Park owns the sledding hill, so that is where the climbs live.

April 15 to October 15 is the sweet spot because Lakeside Park opens the Lighthouse observation tower and the lakefront feels like the default start line. Summer has flower displays, boating, picnics, and long daylight for intervals, Z2 loops, and pre-race sharpening before Walleye Run/Walk or Race the Lake. The city can get hot, and the record high reached 111 °F on July 13, 1936, so locals respect early starts. Winter changes the rhythm for both sports, and Buttermilk Creek Park’s sledding hill becomes part of the season while the record low of -41 °F on January 30, 1951, reminds everyone to dress like they mean it.