Running a 5k doesn’t always have to be a serious affair, and community members in Superior proved just that on Saturday as they dressed up in their Halloween costumes for a ‘hauntingly’ fun run.

Costume clad guys and ghouls flocked to Wessman Arena in Superior for a fun spooky sprint to kick off the Halloween week festivities.

“This is a newly named Superior Nightmare 5K. It’s our Halloween race. We encourage people to wear their costumes, come out, enjoy it. And a lot of what we do has a competitive aspect to it. This is one where it feels like it’s truly a fun run. People come out here just to enjoy it with their family and their friends,” said Zach Schneider, Media and Public Relations Director for Grandmas Marathon.

The Superior Nightmare 5K – previously called the North End Nightmare 5K, moved to Superior in 2024 to collaborate with the city’s wide variety of Halloween events.

“This event is so special because it involves really the whole city of Superior. They do Halloween so well over here. They’ve got the Spook-tacular, which we’re a part of. They’ve got the parade later on today, the residents along Hammond Avenue. So, this year we moved the race to try to be more a part of everything that they’ve going on throughout the day today as part of that Superior Spook-tacular,” said Schneider.

With a new name and location, comes new competitors, including both of this year’s top finishers.

“Some of the guys from the gym I worked out at IST in Duluth, they were coming out to run it and they convinced me to come run with them and it was a blast,” said Carter Vork, Superior Nightmare 5K’s men’s top finisher.

“I was just looking for a local 5k to be honest, and this is the one, so here we are,” said Lauren Dynek, Superior Nightmare 5K’s women’s top finisher.

And though some came simply to compete, there was fun to have for everyone.

“It’s a running event, yes, but it feels a lot more community based. We see a lot of people who maybe would join or sign up for just a typical 5k. But, because costumes and Halloween are involved, that makes it more fun for them,” said Schneider.

“Maybe a couple more people come out next year. We’ll see if anyone can come enjoy it with me,” said Vork.

The race was in collaboration with the Young Athletes Foundation, which assists with the promotion and development of healthy and active lifestyles around the Northland. Click here to learn more about the Youth Athletes Foundation.

The Superior Nightmare 5K also closes out the Grandma’s Marathon 2024 calendar year, to see their 2025 schedule, click here.