Monster Mash and Dash, Phoenix

Come October 31, the creatures of Halloween swarm over Rose Mofford Park. Werewolves. Vampires. Maybe even the mythical ballerina. Luckily, it's all in good fun: the Monster Mash and Dash encourages its participants to dress up in costumes to run or walk a 5K. At the end of the line, each person gets a commemorative medal and T-shirt, though there's some extra incentive to run your hardest. Souvenir pint glasses go to the top three finishers in each age category, and those who beat one particular Frankenstein's monster to the finish line are entered into a prize drawing. Proceeds from the dash benefit cross-country teams at local West Valley high schools.