The Waldo Waldo 5K – A family friendly walk & fun run fundraiser in Colorado Springs October 21, 2017

Registration

Volunteer

Exhibitor Inquiry

Sponsor Inquiry

Downtown Residents Info

Presenting Sponsor

As the original incubator of The Waldo Waldo 5K, elope’s generous support has made the Waldo Waldo 5K possible every year since 2012. Family owned and operated, elope is proudly headquartered in Colorado Springs. They specialize in designing, manufacturing, and distributing hats, glasses, costumes, dress-up accessories and other whimsical wearables that spread joy and laughter. For more information, visit elope.com.

The Sixth Annual Waldo Waldo 5K

Thousands of Waldos and Wendas will take to the streets in downtown Colorado Springs, Saturday – October 21, 2017. Waldo Waldo is the region's most popular untimed 5K walk and fun run. Local exhibitors, music, and food trucks all added to the fun. Best of all, registered participants receive a Where’s Waldo costume kit. Money raised benefits local nonprofits that support community priorities like Waldo Canyon restoration and trail maintenance.

Runners of all ages and ability are welcome – walkers and strollers too!

Costume Included!

The $35 registration fee comes with a Waldo or Wenda costume kit (characters from the popular "Where's Waldo?" children’s books) that includes a shirt, hat and glasses! The price increases to $40 the morning of the event.

A Good Cause

The money raised benefits local nonprofits that support Waldo Canyon restoration, disaster relief and fire recovery, and trails and open space maintenance in Colorado Springs and the surrounding community.

Beneficiaries

Beneficiaries are Rocky Mountain Field Institute and the Trails and Open Space Coalition

"This funding is hugely important, not only for the continued restoration of the burn scar, but the potential reopening of the beloved Waldo Canyon Trail." — RMFI

Saturday, October 21, 2017

Pioneers Museum
215 S Tejon Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80903

7:30 a.m. – Event opens (day of event registration begins, ends at 9:00)
8:30 a.m. – Warm-up yoga for all ages (by Cambio!)
9:00 a.m. – Day of event registration ends
9:30 a.m. – Big group photo, don't be late!
9:45 a.m. – Find your wave, running begins!
10:00 a.m. – Beer garden opens, music, food trucks, exhibitors welcome you back!

Event Guide

Download the Event Guide for everything you need to know for the 2017 Waldo Waldo 5K!

Parking & More Info

We will have a designated handicapped parking at the park. It is recommended to walk, ride bikes or car pool.

The parking garage on Nevada and Colorado (ABOVE ground, not the “Nosh” garage) is only $1 for all day on weekends and is right next door to the start/finish. The other city garages (Kiowa/Nevada and Bijou/Cascade) are also only $1 for the full day on weekends.

Please: NO dogs, due to the amount of people we are going to have in one location for the World Record Attempt, we are choosing to keep dogs out of the event. Thank you for your consideration.

No Refunds. If you can't make it to the event, please consider your registration a donation to wonderful Colorado Springs non-profits!

Already have a costume? Make sure to select "I came last year and do not need a costume" when you place your order!

(Psst: looking for something from last year? You can still find all the 2016 event info here.)

History

The devastation of the 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire sparked the Waldo Waldo 5K into existence. The run is a project dedicated to bringing motivated people together to have fun in costume and raise money for community needs. After two years of incubation with the elope Inc. team, the Waldo Waldo 5K grew into an independent organization dedicated to supporting natural disaster relief. Since 2012, thousands of participants dressed as Waldo or Wenda have raised more than $175,000 for local nonprofits. Beneficiaries include the Rocky Mountain Field Institute, Trails and Open Space Coalition and Waldo Canyon Firefighters Relief Fund at Pikes Peak Community Foundation.

Where does my money go?

The 5K raises money for The Waldo Waldo Fund, a fund of the Pikes Peak Community Foundation, which supports natural disaster and fire recovery efforts, and trails and open space maintenance in Colorado Springs and the surrounding community. Money is granted from this fund to the primary event beneficiaries.

As a community fundraiser, transparency is very important to us. We're always happy to give a breakdown of event expenses, revenues, and final donation amounts. If you ever have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.

♥ COS

This is a local, home-grown event. We partner with local businesses and work with local vendors as much as possible. The money raised is invested in local non-profits doing excellent work right here in Colorado Springs.

The event is produced by Waldo Waldo, Inc. Registration costs, accessory sales, and sponsorships pay for event expenses such as rental fees, insurance, race infrastructure and materials, medical support, event planning, organization and execution, volunteer coordination, event promotion and marketing, and planning for next year's event! After expenses, net proceeds generated are donated to the Waldo Waldo Fund to support our awesome local beneficiaries. We rely heavily on volunteers, friends and family, sponsors, in-kind donation and community support to pull it off every year. The primary purpose of the event is to raise money and have fun (not generate profit for out-of-state event companies) so we work hard to keep expenses down and find local organizations to sponsor the event or provide in-kind donations. We’re always interested in creative ideas and opportunities to collaborate with like-minded people in the community. Want to be involved? Have a cool idea? Get in touch!