VIDEO: 2024 Monster Dash 5k and kids’ run at Lincoln Park

| Halloween | West Seattle news

Story and photos by Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Festive participants of all ages gathered Saturday morning for the 13th-annual Monster Dash fundraiser at Lincoln Park to benefit South Seattle College Cooperative Preschools.

The event featured a 5k run/walk around the park, a 250-meter dash for kids, and a 100-meter dash for pre-K and under. There was also a family fun area with activities, sponsor booths, games and prizes. Although there were some sprinkles throughout the morning, the weather generally cooperated. Organizer Dawn Franklin said there were about 225 registrants for the 5k race, and at least 200 kids participating in the shorter races.

Prior to start time, participants got registered and ready to race:

At around 930am, organizers gathered the 5k participants near the starting line:

And they’re off! WSB video here:

Racers doing the 5k (including some pushing strollers) made their way through the park and then finished back at the starting gate. Many participants were sporting costumes — we spotted everything from skeletons and Minions to witches and tacos:

The overall winner of the full 5k race was Juan Gonzalez, with a time of 20:05 (see the official list of participants and their times/results):

The flexible format of the race allowed for participants to opt for a single lap (shorter race) rather than a double lap (longer race), and many of those one-lap racers were among the earlier finishers, including Lilyanna Rosario (first photo below) and Melissa Kochhar-Lindgren:

As the final finishers of the 5k crossed the finish line, organizers began gathering younger kids (divided into groups based on age) for a fun “chase the monster” 100m dash. But first, some pre-race stretching was in order (important for monsters and kids alike):