Colorado Cold Snap

Baby, it's cold outside...

And we're gonna take it on, because that's what living in Colorado is all about.

Let's conquer the elements together at this WINTERY January 5k/10k race.

We're staying cool in Colorado, one mile at a time!

Starting at Louisville's Coal Creek Golf Course and running through neighborhoods, past fairways and along ponds and open spaces, the wintery 5k/10k sometimes has sun and 65* without a cloud in the sky and sometimes, we're up against negative temps and blowing snow.  What will this year bring?  Are you up for the challenge?

Date: Jan 16, 2026
Time: 4 - 7 PM
Location: Road Runner Sports- Westminster

10442 Town Center Dr, Ste 300, Westminster, CO 80021

*​Date, time, and location is subject to change up to two weeks before race day.

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This is the only date for ADVANCED packet pick up.  You are welcome to send a friend or family member to pick up your packet for you.  If you cannot attend advanced packet pick up, you must pick up your bib and timing chip on race day morning during the allotted time. 

Stop by Paul's Coffee after the race to get 20% off drinks with your race bib.  

956 West Cherry
Louisville, CO 80027

Sponsor Benefits: 
Raise Brand Awareness
Community relations
High Visibility
Employee participation and team building
Click Here to see a 3W Races Media Kit!
Demonstration/Display opportunities
Product sampling/sale opportunities 
Partner with a charity that reflects your organization’s values
Give back to the community
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Pre-Event Contact

We would love to work with you to feature your product or business with our racers.  There are many ways to be involved and gain exposure, from hosting a packet pick up location or after party, sponsoring a water station (at select events), adding a goody or coupon to the goody bag, providing an in-kind donation/sample for the racers on the course or at the finish line, or setting up a booth on race-day at the expo. 

We can feature your business on the event webpage, racer emails or social media!  All sponsorship payments must be received before your business is included in any kind of mention or posting.

Please contact our marketing team before the race with any questions:

Marketing Contacts:
AJ Benefield
Email: AJ@3WRaces.com
or the main contact: info@3WRaces.com

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Goody Bag Stuffers

If you have arranged to place something into the Goody Bag, please make sure your 'stuffer' reaches us by the deadline so our volunteers and staff can get it into each racer's goody bag!  Items received after the deadline will not be in the goody bag.

Please deliver 400 items.

DEADLINE:
Goodie bag stuffers must be received the Friday before the event, January 9, 2026. No exceptions.

LOCATION:
Mail: 7960 Hollywood St. Commerce City, CO 80022
(If you would rather drop off in person than mail/ship your items, please email us in advance to make arrangements.)

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TENT/TABLE 

You will be given approximately 12'x12' of space.  Tents and tables are NOT included, however, some of you have already arranged for table/tent rental from 3W Races.  In that case, your tent and or table will be set for you at your designated space.

Generally, tent rental is $95 and tables are $20 each to rent for the event.  3W will bring the tent/table, set it up at your designated location and tear it down at the end of the event.  If you are interested in this arrangement, please coordinate with us at least one week in advance.

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Racer Data

HISTORICALLY:
2025 will be our 12th year for this event! Overall all the years, we have had between 460-717 registered participants, depending on the weather. This does not include volunteers and spectators.

All past participant breakdown:
2%      17 and Under
16%    18-29
33%    30's
30%    40's
17%    50-64
2%      65+

35%     Male
65%     Female

CURRENT YEAR: For 2026, we expect 225 participants

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Race Day Logistics

DATE: January 18, 2026

TIME: 6:30AM Vendor Set Up, Expo opens 7:30AM Expo and Race Day Registration Opens, Race starts at 8:30 AM, 10:30 is Tear Down. The finish line officially closes when the last runner crosses.  Click Here for Racer Schedule

SURFACE: Sponsors will set up in the parking lot on asphalt, as indicated in the EXPO MAP linked below. Please bring weights for your tent to protect your equipment, yourselves, and racers from fly-away tents, as you will be unable to use ground stakes in this location. 

ADDRESS: Louisville at the Coal Creek Golf Course. 585 W Dillon Rd, Louisville, CO 80027

PARKING: There is plenty of parking.

COURSE: Please see course information HERE. 

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Race Day Contact

Please check in at the 3W Races tent on race day regarding the specific location of your booth space!

Race Director Direct Number (for race day contact only):
Whitney Vestal: 720-635-2665
Email: Whitney@3wraces.com

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 SPECIAL REQUESTS

We ask that you please respect the property of our runners and kindly ask that you do NOT paper events. This includes placing advertisements on cars.

All paper advertisements need to be placed at the 3W tent and/or at your personal booth space and directly handed to runners. 

Race Location (expo/start/finish): Coal Creek Golf Course - 585 Dillon Rd Louisville, CO 80027

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Interactive Maps:
Half Marathon
10k
5k

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Course Surface
The course is about 50% concrete with some asphalt street sections 50% soft surface trail sections on crushed gravel and dirt.

Parking
There is limited parking at the Coal Creek Golf Course. Once those lots are full, park in the surrounding RESIDENTIAL streets.

Free- LIVE GPS Tracking
Friends near and far can send FREE cheers and track your progress when you use the RaceJoy App - INCLUDED with your registration!

Support
-> Port-a-Johns will be at the Expo (start/finish) and at approximately miles 4.5 and 8.5 on the course (by Harper Lake).

-> The 10k course will have 1 water station that you will see 2 times at approximately miles 3 and 3.25 (close to the turnaround)

-> The 5k does not have water stations.

-> The Half Marathon will see water stations four times with water and an electrolyte replacement drink.  One station on the course will have GU energy gels, located at approximately mile 5. Half Marathon aid stations are located at approximate miles: 3, 5, 8 and 10.
*The 1/2 marathon course support and timing will be open for 3:30:00.  Racers must average at least 16 minutes per mile to remain on the course and receive course support.

Dogs & Strollers
Please leave the dogs and strollers at home for this Louisville event as it contains ROAD portions where we share the street with vehicles and dogs are not allowed around Harper Lake where part of the half marathon course runs.

Strollers are welcome but please stay in the BACK of the pack if you have a stroller. We would recommend a JOGGING stroller for the half marathon course, as it would work better on the gravel parts. A traditional stroller would be fine for the 10k or 5k.

​Feb - 13.1: $60 / 10k: $35 / 5k $25
Mar - May - 13.1: $70 / 10k: $40 / 5k $30
Jun - Dec - 13.1: $75 / 10k: $45 / 5k $35
Jan 1 - Jan 13 @ 4 PM - 13.1: $80 / 10k: $50 / 5k $40
Race Day - 13.1: $90 / 10k: $60 / 5K: $50

Registration fees are non-refundable.

GROUPS: 
Join a TEAM during registration and when your group reaches 5 or more members, everyone gets $5 off!  (See FAQ for details.)  Discounts are honored ONLINE only in advance of race day.
 

Want to win some cool stuff including 3W Races Tech Tees, gift cards, and gear from our sponsors or free race entries?  Bring 5 items to donate!

Community Food Share needs:
Nut Butters
Soups & Stews
Cereal & Oatmeal
Canned Tuna & Chicken
Baby Food & Formula (Not Expired)
Beans (Canned or Dry)
Canned Fruits
Canned Vegetables
Pasta & Sauce
Rice

In addition to the needs listed above, they are always looking for donations on this list as well!  Please consider these often-forgotten/expensive items:
-Spices; Always expensive, and always helpful during the holidays: salt, oregano, cumin, paprika, cayenne, etc. They may not seem like "food", per se, but who wants dinner with no spice? 
-Condiments; Everything from mustard and ketchup to salad dressing and BBQ Sauce is helpful!
-Coffee; We know, we know, it's not technically food — but everyone deserves a hot cup of coffee in the morning, and the price is out of reach for many of our families.

7:30 -Same day registration and late packet pick up (in Expo at Coal Creek Golf Course)
7:30 AM -Expo Open
8:30AM -10k & 5k Start
9:15 AM -5k Awards
9:40 AM  Awards for 10k
10:30AM Finish Line Closes

We’re excited to announce that we’ve partnered with Sneakers4Good to provide you with a socially responsible way to donate your gently worn, used or new sneakers and running shoes to a good cause we support! The sneakers will help benefit Growing Home as well as give a hand up, not a handout, to micro-enterprises in 25 developing countries. The athletic shoes will be kept out of landfills where they can take decades to fully decompose. Visit Sneakers4Good to learn more!

It's super simple! All you need to do is bring your lightly worn athletic shoes and sneakers to the race (either race day or at packet pick up). We collect them and mail them and a donation is made to Growing Home! 

Please donate only gently worn, used, and new athletic shoes.  These sneakers, trainers, and other athletic shoes will be worn again by people in developing nations, so please make sure there are no holes or soles falling off and that they are in wearable condition.  Dress shoes, sandals, brown shoes, flip flops, cleats, etc. and other shoes that are NOT athletic shoes will NOT be accepted. 

Please tie your shoes together or put a rubber band around the pair! 

Some sizes may sell out in the final days leading up to the event.  It is always an option to select 'no shirt' for a discounted entry fee.  Please check at the 3W Races tent on race day for any additional shirts that may be available for sale or size exchange.

Sizes coming soon.

Per USATF Standards, 10 year age groups will be recognized:

Age groups 5k: M/F 0-9, 10-14, 15-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+  

10k and Half Marathon: 19 and Under, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+

The top 3 men and women, & non-binary participants will be recognized as well as the top three m/f in each of the above listed age groups.

The event is CHIP TIMED.  OVERALL Winners (top three m/f) are scored based on GUN TIME.  All others (age groups) are scored based on chip time. 

Your chip time starts when your timing chip crosses the start line.  Your timing chip is adhered to the back of your race bib (race number.)  You will receive this number from the registration volunteers when you pick up your shirt/race packet.  Please wear the bib that is assigned to YOU and not to someone else in your family.  Please wear the bib on the FRONT, OUTSIDE of your clothing just above your hips.  If you wear a bib assigned to someone else or do not wear the bib HORIZONTALLY on the front, outside of your clothing, your result may not register and you will be ineligible for awards.

RESULTS will be sent to you electronically upon finishing (if you opt in for that option during registration) and will be available to view here LIVE during the event and after the race.  Please email us if you find an error, in the case that you wore someone else's bib or your age/gender information, name spelling, etc is incorrect.  info@3wraces.com  RESULTS will be posted LIVE during the event on the RESULTS PAGE.

Visit the FAQ page or the Arctic Prairie Dog Event Website for more info! Below are some common questions we see about a virtual race.

When you sign up to run the Virtual Arctic Prairie Dog Half, 10k or 5k, you may run ANYTIME! That's the beauty of a virtual race! Most virtual racers will run on their own on the same day as the regular date (January 17, 2021), but you can run before OR after that date! The virtual race RESULTS (and the ability to log your results) will be open from NOW to January 31st. See below for more common virtual FAQs!

WHEN should I run this?
You can run this ANYTIME you desire!  Many participants will be running on the originally scheduled date/weekend, January 17, 2021, but that’s the benefit of a virtual event.  Only the RACE is virtual – the RUN is REAL, WHENEVER you choose to do it.  Want to run now?  That’s fine! Need to wait? That's fine, too.

WHERE should I run this?
That is 100% your choice.  You can run outside anywhere you'd like or take your miles to the treadmill!  If you choose to run outdoors, please take every precaution ordered in your area. You can find the real course HERE.

How do I report my TIME?
The virtual results submission link is active now until January 31, 2021.  Use THIS LINK and follow the prompts when you click "submit virtual results!" You don't have to submit a time; there is an option to just make your race as completed.

Are TIMES verified?
No.  For the virtual event, times reported are on the ‘honor system’. 

WILL RESULTS be posted?
You bet! As more and more people submit their time, preliminary results will be on the RESULTS page of the website. 

Will participants be rewarded based on PERFORMANCE?
Not for the virtual race, because participants are running in different locations, times, etc., we will not award anything based on performance.  

HOW will I get my SWAG?
Since this race was originally intended to be in-person, and we were waiting on word from the city, PLUS with increased shipping delays due to COVID, our medals for this race are not scheduled to be here until February. We will hold an in-person packet pick-up event in January where you may meet us in person and pick up your SHIRT only. Should you choose not to attend, or you're simply unable to, all shirts and medals will be mailed via USPS in February.

If your address associated with this race is outdated, EMAIL US IMMEDIATELY, info@3WRaces.com We also recommend you update your profile too, but this will only affect FUTURE registrations. 

To see what address is associated with THIS Registration...go to RunSignUp.com, click Profile in the upper right-hand corner and scroll down to find the Resolute Runner race. Click "manage registration" and you'll see what address is associated with that specific race! 

To update your address for FUTURE registration (not just 3W Races events, but any race that uses Run Sign Up, Go to RunSignUp.com Click on "Profile" where you may then edit your personal details.   If your address is not in RunSignUp, you may add it now.
 
 I'm signed up for the Arctic Half Marathon Race, but I see there are THREE other Prairie Dog Half events! How do I get in?!
Great question! EMAIL us at info@prairiedoghalf.com. We'll write you a coupon/voucher code worth what you paid for this race that you can apply to the package and you'll be IN.
 

CITY OF LOUISVILLE RELATED SNOW INFO BELOW:

From our FAQ Page: WEATHER: The race will not be postponed or canceled due to weather unless something SEVERE is happening such as a lightning storm, tornado, extreme low temperatures (below 0*F), or white-out conditions. If that is the case, announcements will be made on the race webpage in addition to racer email communication. 99.9% of the time, the race will go on as scheduled.

WEATHER in LOUISVILLE:
The conditions of our permit in Louisville (Winter event only) place some limitations on the street portions of the course. If more than 4 inches of snow falls in the 12-24 hours prior to the race start time, the City will not allow runners on the streets.

Should the weather be so severe that no running is possible, then the event will be canceled. In this case of a total event cancellation due to weather, no refunds or vouchers will be issued, but all runners will be eligible to pick up their shirts, packets, bibs and medals and run the race virtually.

Obviously, any decision to this end is dependent on changing weather at the very last minute, especially due to the rapidly changing weather Colorado seems to exhibit. The call to cancel the event would be made as soon as possible with reasonable predictability, but by 5 AM on the morning of the event at the very latest. Racers will be notified in two ways: 1) email to each registered participant, 2) notification on PrairieDogHalf.com.

All participants receive a gender-specific, long-sleeved t-shirt and a finisher's pint glass! Half-marathon runners receive a finisher's medal! 

**Available shirt sizes are listed during registration.  In the final few days before the event, some sizes will sell out.  Not all sizes may be available for same day registration.  Visit the 3W Races table at the Expo after 8:30 AM for shirt exchange if you are interested in trading out the size you ordered for a different size!

2025 medal is pictured. 

We are proud to partner with Community Food Share of Louisville! 

Community Food Share’s mission is to eliminate hunger in Boulder and Broomfield Counties through engagement, collaboration, and leadership.

You can donate online HERE or check out our race day raffle incentive when you bring 5 non-perishable items for them! 

We are proud to partner with Sneakers4Funds! When you donate your gently used or new athletic shoes, a donation is made to our ongoing charity partner, Growing Home!  Click here for more info!