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| Event | Distance | When | Entry fee | Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The 21st Annual Vail Jingle Trail Santa's Little Helper 1k | Kids | Dec 12, 20268:30 AM | $15 | – |
| The 21st Annual Vail Jingle Trail 5k | 5K | Dec 12, 20269:00 AM | $35 | – |
Entry fees exclude processing fees. Prices and dates come from the race's registration page and refresh nightly.
Online registration closes Dec 12, 2026, unless the race fills first.
At $35, entry is about the same as a typical 5K in Arizona ($35).
A typical finisher at a 5K in Tucson runs 33:36, about 10:49 a mile, based on 3 races with published results. Women typically finish in 38:38 and men in 29:33.
Sunrise on race morning is at about 7:14 AM, and the The 21st Annual Vail Jingle Trail Santa's Little Helper 1k starts at 8:30 AM. The start sits about 3,010 feet above sea level.
Fees exclude processing fees. Comparisons use current entry fees and published results from races nearby.
Mica Mountain High School, Tucson, AZ 85747
The pin marks the address the race lists, which is usually the start. The organizers have not shared a course map with us yet.
Aggregated from official results (Roadrunner Race Timing) for Welcome to the 21st Annual Vail Jingle Trail!. Individual finisher names are not stored here.
In 2025, the fastest tenth finished in 22:50 or better, the top quarter in 26:56, and half the field in 33:31; the last tenth came in after 53:57.
| Age | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| Under 20 | 24:03 | 18:51 |
| 20-29 | 25:41 | 19:36 |
| 30-39 | 29:32 | 24:55 |
| 40-49 | 23:53 | 22:44 |
| 50-59 | 30:25 | 25:41 |
| 60-69 | 30:05 | 30:29 |
| 70+ | 43:09 | n/a |
Groups with fewer than five finishers are left out. Awards vary by race; check the race's rules.
Where a finish time would have placed in 2025.
Up 63 percent since 2021.
All events combined, from official results.
From 2021 to 2025, the field went from 180 to 294 finishers, and the median time rose from 32:49 to 33:31.
| Year | Finishers | Median | Fastest tenth | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 294 (+2%) | 33:31 | under 22:50 | 17:10 |
| 2024 | 289 (-3%) | 33:36 | under 22:45 | 16:11 |
| 2023 | 298 (+63%) | 33:11 | under 22:38 | 17:18 |
| 2022 | 183 (+2%) | 34:30 | under 22:29 | 18:17 |
| 2021 | 180 | 32:49 | under 23:17 | 19:58 |
From each year's official results for the 5K; virtual options are left out.
Faster than most US trail 5Ks
The fastest quarter of the 2025 5K field finished under 26:56, against 31:02 in a typical US trail 5K, so times here run 13 percent faster.
Compares the fastest quarter of each field, so walkers and first-timers do not skew it. It reflects the course and the field together: a flat course, cool weather, or a competitive crowd all make times faster.
Around December 12 the day usually runs from 44°F at dawn to 68°F in the afternoon, with measurable rain on about 7% of days. Cold snaps dip to 37°F and hot years reach 76°F.
Based on 75 days within a week of the date over the last 5 years, from historical weather for the start area. Not a forecast.
What the organizers of Welcome to the 21st Annual Vail Jingle Trail! cover on their registration page, in brief.
Course
We hope you will enjoy our home Cross Country course with holiday themed decorations throughout! Enjoy running up Thunder Hill like our athletes are with their Jingle Trail themed props! Holiday themed outfits are encouraged!
Shirt and medal
For 2026, we will be revealing the design asap! Hang on to your gingerbread.it's going to be awesome! SHIRT DESIGN! Check out the 2025 shirt design for both Youth and Adults! Follow Buddy the Elf around the Candy Cane Forest and sport this…
Awards
The 2025 awards were one of a kind! We'll do all we can to create something similarly amazing for 2026! We were so excited to continue the them of Buddy the Elf and have mock-ups of our awards: Buddy's 4 food groups of course!
Organize this race? Add details or a correction
The Jingle Trail races continue the healthy holiday themed legacy of running in Tucson and Vail. Mica Mountain High School and the Mica Mountain Cross Country Program aim to engage the community in promoting healthy lifestyles and community engagement. We are proud to help partner with the local community, Vail School District Transportation Department and collect toys for Toys for Tots. This year we'll attempt to pack up a Vail School District bus with over 500 new toys for our local community.