Meet Waddles and Puddles, fun-loving flightless cousins. One likes to bike, the other likes to run.

For the past 12 years Puddles has been hosting his wildly popular Worst Day of the Year Ride, a wacky wintertime bike ride on February 10. After all those years of Puddles bragging about how awesome the ride is, Waddles finally said, “Enough! I’ll show you! Runners rule!” and he started the Worst Day of the Year Run.

Help Waddles prove to his cousin that runners know how to have just as much fun as bikers.

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RUN INFO >>

MORE INFO >>

Explore the interactive course maps:
6k >>
8k >>

Take his picture and tweet it using hash tag #SpotPuddles or upload your photo to the Worst Day Ride Flickr group. The person with the most Puddles sightings will receive a free pass to next year’s ride!

Have fun hunting for Puddles!

PRESENTED BY SHOWERS PASS

The Worst Day of the Year Run will feature hoards of participants in outrageous costumes.

In our partner event, the Worst Day of the Year Ride, we’ve seen some great costumes over the years, so don’t be shy. If you’re looking for a little inspiration, take a moment to view our photo gallery. We put together a slide show of some of our favorite costumes from past events.

Great prizes will be awarded for each Costume Contest category

• First Prize - Showers Pass Club Pro Jacket and Storm Pant
• Second Prize – Showers Pass VelEau 42 Hydration System
• Third Prize – SKS Germany floor pump

HOW THE JUDGING WORKS

The judges will roam the crowd at the start line. You will recognize them as the people with large balloons floating overhead.

If you really want to win, make sure you catch the attention of the judges. Do a song and a dance, flaunt it, work it, show off what you’ve got! The judges love to see the best costumes and personality possible. Prizes will be awarded on site. Check the Information Booth at the finish line for a list of who won the contest.

CATEGORIES

• Best Penguin and Friends
• Best Group
• Best Weather Theme
• Most Elaborate

Register early and save! More info >>

THOUSANDS OF COSTUMED RUNNERS

Get ready to run with thousands of other fun-loving people on this costumed winter run. Laugh at the elements and gather for a delicious finish line party featuring hot soup, fresh rolls and a beer garden.

We’ll keep you warm and cozy at every turn with belly-nourishing treats including hot cocoa, doughnuts, spiced chai tea, hot cider at the start line and at an aid station.

The run is capped at 5,000 runners. Register early so you don’t miss out on the fun.

The 6k Worst Day of the Year Run course (3.9 miles) is the perfect course for both athletes and sightseers, runners and walkers, adults and kids of all ages. With only 60 feet of elevation gain over the entire course, the course is smooth, fast, and flat, flat, flat. This even terrain will allow your eyes to wander to the beautiful scenery and wildlife along the course.

The Worst Day of the Year Run is a bird watching bonanza. It winds through wetlands, waterways, and wildlife preserves. Beginning with the aptly named Heron Lakes Golf Course, you will see gaggles of hardy geese who waved goodbye to their migrating brethren and hunkered down to weather the Oregon winter. With the rolling hills of the golf course on your right and the fields surrounding Portland International Raceway on your left, ducks are everywhere; braces on the ground, flocks in flight, and paddlings on the water. Speaking of water, look carefully for Great Blue Herons along the banks of the Columbia Slough.

After enjoying some hot cider and the tropical island sounds of a steel drum band, you’ll finish just past the marshes of the Vanport Wetlands Wildlife Preserve. Hot chili, soup, and rolls, along with both hot and frosty beverages (the first one is FREE for those in costume) await you at the finish. Sip, sup, and maybe sway to the tropical sounds of the Hawaiian Ukulele band as you mingle with thousands of fellow hardy souls who defied the weather and tackled the Worst Day of the Year Run.

Quick Facts

• Distance: 6k
• Elevation: + 60 – 60 ft
• Aid Station: Yes

This map is interactive. Zoom in, choose to view the landscape (satellite view) or just a map view.

Disclaimers

Course subject to change at anytime.

The 8k Worst Day of the Year Run course (5.2 miles) is the bigger brother of the 6k course. With only 71 feet of elevation gain over the entire course, this course is also smooth, fast, and flat, flat, flat. The extra 11 feet of elevation will allow you to gaze down upon the Heron Lakes Golf Course, Columbia Slough, and Portland International Raceway track.

Not only does the course wind past beautiful scenery chock full of wildlife, it also showcases some of Portland finest recreational infrastructure. After mile #1 on Marine Drive, runners turn onto the wide pathway of the Peninsula Crossing Trail, uniting North Portland with the scenic wonderland of Smith and Bybee Lakes. Turn left, dip under a railroad trestle, and pop up on the Columbia Slough Trail. This trail, atop the dyke, meanders along with the slough on your right the entire way. Numerous varieties of ducks, some hardy geese, and Great Blue Herons will be on display as you run. The view to the left changes from the rolling greens of Heron Lakes Golf Course to the racetrack and infrastructure of Portland International Raceway.

After enjoying some hot cider and the tropical island sounds of a steel drum band, you’ll finish past the marshes of the Vanport Wetlands Wildlife Preserve. Hot chili, soup, and rolls, along with both hot and frosty beverages (the first one is FREE for those in costume) await you at the finish. Sip, sup, and maybe sway to the tropical sounds of the Hawaiian Ukulele band as you mingle with thousands of fellow hardy souls who defied the weather and tackled the Worst Day of the Year Run.

Quick Facts

• Distance: 8k
• Elevation: + 72 – 71 ft
• Aid Station: Yes

This map is interactive. Zoom in, choose to view the landscape (satellite view) or just a map view.

Disclaimers

Course subject to change at anytime.