Race Recap – Sleepy Hollow Halloween 10k

Welcome to Sleepy Hollow!

Where is the best place to visit for Halloween? Aside from the obvious Salem, MA, I would rank Sleepy Hollow, NY a close second. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, written by Washington Irving, is one of the most famous American short stories and the source of the famous Headless Horseman tale.

The Headless Horseman

Around Halloween time, the town of Sleepy Hollow, NY embraces this history and offers many fun Halloween themed events, including the Sleepy Hollow Halloween 10k, which is put on by the Rivertown Runners.

Hanging around

As you may recall, I previously ran the Sleepy Hollow Half Marathon. That race was very well run and so I knew I had to come back for the Halloween race. The last half of the 10K course was identical to the final three miles of the Half Marathon course, so I knew just what to expect. This race did not disappoint me and I would say it was by far the most fun road race I have done.

Costumed Volunteer

The course starts and ends at the Morse School parking lot. This is where they set up the food, check-in and kid’s activities. Prior to the 10K there was a 1 mile kid’s run and during the race there were crafts, face painting, games and a fun bus for the kids to play on. There is also a playground there for the kids to play on.

Sleepy Hollow is a very hilly town and the course was both scenic and challenging. What really made it special was the care the race organizers and volunteers put into it. The course was well marked, well staffed and had minimal traffic. As with the Half Marathon, there were signs of encouragement and decorations throughout the course. This time, they were all Halloween themed and I slowed down to take lots of pictures, as I had no goal time in mind and I really wanted to enjoy myself.

I just needed to rest.

Along with the signs, many of the race volunteers were in costume. There was a local band (of very cute and talented kids) playing around the halfway point and two water stops. Another band played at the start area. Being a Halloween race, many of the racers were in costume as well. In addition, a real headless horseman was riding around. That was real highlight.

After the race, they offered beer, water, gatorade, granola bars and donuts. The race shirt is a very cute cotton baseball style one with the Headless Horseman. I really appreciated this, because I’m not a fan of tech shirts and have plenty of plain t-shirts. It was nice to receive something a little different.

My sentiments exactly!

Immediately after the race, the street where the race started remained closed for a street fair. Down the block, the town’s farmer's market and the library’s book sale were also going on. In addition, many local residents and churches were having rummage sales. There was no shortage of things to do in Sleepy Hollow that day.

Encouragement sign

After walking around the street fair for a bit, my family and I headed to the historic Old Dutch Church and the nearby cemetery to visit the graves of the real Van Tassels who served as inspiration for the story and to visit the grave of Washington Irving himself. There are paid tours you can take, but we just walked on our own, since my husband knew where to go.



Overall, it was just a really fun day and a fun race. I would highly recommend this race.

Washington Irving's Family Plot