5 Things You Should Know About The Daisy Dash

There are a variety of road races held across the city of Austin every year.

An under-the-radar gem, though? The Daisy Dash.

Heading into its 49th year, the family-friendly 5K, 10K, and 800-meter kids dash calls Sunset Valley home and has become a near-constant Austin tradition ever since its first installment nearly five decades ago. This year’s race will take place on Oct. 18 and begins and ends at Sunset Valley’s City Hall.

Here are five things you should know about the Austin Runners Club race, part of the Austin Distance Challenge.

1. The Daisy Dash is Austin’s oldest race

Surprising? Maybe. But completely true!

And another great fun fact?

The Daisy Dash began as a female-only road race, spurred on by the exclusion of women in major races in the early 70s.

Only 11 years earlier, in 1966, Bobbi Gibbs hid under shrubs at the start of the Boston Marathon because women were not permitted to run long-distance races (junk science assumed women’s uterus’ would fall out during intense running).

She filed into the pack anyway and finished. A year later, another woman, Kathrine Switzer, registered for Boston officially using her initials, though she was tackled while on the course—she still finished. It still took another six years until women were officially allowed to race the Boston Marathon.

Five years later, The Daisy Dash was born in Austin. It was ahead of all the other major Austin races we see today.

The Statesman Cap10K first ran in 1978. The Austin Marathon began in 1992. The Zilker Relays was born after the millennium in 2002.

(Now, one giant note: The UIL Cross Country Championships were first held at Zilker Park in 1975. However, high school cross country is held on grass, not asphalt. So, technically, The Daisy Dash was still the first road race.)

2. The Daisy Dash is held in South Austin

This is fact is notable, considering most road races in Austin are exclusively held downtown.

Now, there are obvious reasons for that. The city skyline is beautiful, and it’s fun to run past Lady Bird Lake. But sometimes it’s good to explore.

The honest truth is that a lot is going on far south.

The area is exploding with commercial retail, real estate, and infrastructure, and there is just as much to see and do as you’ll find anywhere else in the city.

3. The Daisy Dash is a 5K, 10K, 800-meter kids race

Runners love options, especially when it comes to deciding between 5,000 or 10,000 meters.

The Daisy Dash begins at Sunset Valley City Hall, passes Burger Stadium, then loops around neighborhood streets and trails before it makes its way back to its start. The kids’ races are 400- and 800-meters long and are an up-and-backs.

What’s more, The Daisy Dash is the first pitstop on a five-race tour through 2027 as part of the Austin Distance Challenge. The five-race series includes The Daisy Dash, Run for the Water, The Decker Challenge, the Spurs Austin International Half and the Ascension Seton Austin Marathon.

4. The Daisy Dash is Pretty DARN FAST

Keeping the female-first tradition alive, Britt Truitt won not just the women’s 5K a year ago, but she also claimed the outright title, beating William Merring by nine seconds to take the tape in 17 minutes and 57 seconds. That averaged out to 5:47 mile pace.

In the 10K, local legend Mark Pinales – who began a track series this fall called Track Night Austin – won in a blistering time of 33 minutes and 8 seconds, which averages out to 5:20 per mile. And he needed one final sprint to accomplish the feat, considering Lowell Hensgen also crossed the tape in 33:08.

The first women to cross the line in the 10K was Shanna Gerlach, who clocked a time of 42:13.

5. The Daisy Dash benefits The Girls Movement, which empowers young girls through running

Undoubtedly the most important piece to The Daisy Dash’s continued success is its relationship with Marathon Kids (all proceeds benefit this organization) and The Girls Movement.

The Girls Movement inspires young girls’ athletes in Central Texas to take on physical activity, whether running or walking or anything else. It offers resources like free sports bra fittings.

This program is possible because of Marathon Kids advocates like Michelle Molina, who leads an elementary school run club and teaches the importance of physical activity.

“For me, it’s letting the students know what they’re capable of and what’s out there for them,” Molina told us last year. “I think this will open up their mindset. They may say to themselves, ‘I have these opportunities. What else can I do?’”

Runners begin the 2025 Daisy Dash with a sprint start. Last. year’s 10K champion was Mark Pinales.