P. O. Box 876, Hot Springs, South Dakota 57747, United States
REGISTRATION OPENS FEBRUARY 1, 2026
KIDS (under 18) ARE JUST $15.00!
REGISTER EARLY FOR BEST PRICE & GUARANTEED SHIRTS.
THANK YOU SPONSORS, VOLUNTEERS AND COURAGEOUS RUNNERS!
Nearly 70 runners ignored the rain and cold to tackle the 11th Annual Stars, Stripes & Steps Stair Climbing race. The volunteers who lined the course shivered as they cheered the runners, who joined us to “Honor America’s fallen heroes by having the courage to get strong—in body, mind and spirit!”
Challenge Dakota and the Hot Springs Boys and Girls Club are grateful to the runners, volunteers and sponsors, all of whom helped us raise much needed dollars (we will let you know later how many dollars) for the Club.
Two runners who drove down from Spearfish for the race said they counted well over twenty volunteers on the course! And that is just route monitors! We also have volunteers ‘behind the scenes’, setting out route signs, putting up tents and banners, handling registration and time keeping and of course tearing it all down and storing it at the end of the day. Most volunteers come back year after year. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
Volunteers Kay Birkholt and Caitlyn Mosset are shown here taking a well-deserved lollipop break!
Stars, Stripes & Steps—2025—in the books!
We had a great time, in spite of the rain. As happens every time we have a rainy year, the rain slowed down enough to give the runners a pleasantly cool day. Volunteers were probably chilly, but the runners were mostly comfortable!
And the winners are...
The winners were, as usual, too doggone fast! Find their names and times here!
PHOTOS NEEDED! Please send us your photos! We want to share them with past and future runners. They are so much fun. Like this shot of Bohdi Johnson receiving his 3rd place award!
STAIRCASE RESTORATION AND PRESERVATION
Christine Heidebrink is our liaison to the City of Hot Springs.
We would like to form a committee of concerned citizens to assist in the long term preservation and beautification of our steps. We have a fund dedicated to that cause which might be used for matching grants or for things like interpretive signs, landscaping, repairs and beautification going forward. Donations dedicated to that purpose are always welcomed.
In the meantime, we will help explore options to help the community replace the two closed staircases and pursue repair or replacement of the flagstone steps.
RACE OVERVIEW
RUN, WALK, STROLL or roll
All three of our stair climbing routes navigate the trails, hills, streets and steps that make downtown Hot Springs such a beautiful place to run, walk or stroll.
Children four and under are welcome to accompany parents or guardians at no charge
(no tee shirts, bibs, medals or SWAG), but be aware that these stairs are steep and strollers are absolutely forbidden, except on the zero-stair flip-flop romp!
We are a walker-friendly event (except for the Knee High Hilly Half Marathon). Some of our participants stroll the Sock Hop or Crazy Crew, window shopping and enjoying the scenery!
Leashed and well-behaved dogs are welcome, but you must follow the City's rules and regulations.
CHOOSE YOUR ROUTE
THE HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION IS DONE!
We are so happy to have the highway work done. It will take more time until there is progress on rebuilding the two closed stair cases. The City is working on plans to replace and renovate the deteriorating staircases! That is no easy task and will take years to complete, but we are all working together to make it happen. In the meantime, 5K and 1/2 marathoners will continue to repeat certain stairs to achieve a number of steps similar to our traditional route. (# of steps is always subject to change based on the final route.)
SOCK HOP - 2 miles, 2 flights of stairs 264 steps
This two mile route is a great "starter" stair climb, terrific for kids and also good for those who are recovering from injuries. Many fast runners like it too—we are always surprised when those speedsters cross the finish line like rockets! You will share your route with the Crazy Crew and Knee High Hilly Halfers, making it lots of fun! You will pass two water stations along the way and lots of volunteers will cheer you on.
CRAZY CREW 5K - 5 kilometers (3.1 miles), 5 flights of stairs (655 steps)
This challenging route is our most popular event among men, women and kids. Although only a mile longer than the Sock Hop, those three extra staircases make it much more challenging—in fact more challenging by far than your ordinary 5K. The dogs love it too! Lots of steps and gorgeous views. You can run or take your time. You will pass two water stations. You will share the route with the Sock Hoppers and Hilly Halfers, so you will never be lonely!
KNEE HIGH HILLY HALF MARATHON - 13.1 Miles, 6 flights of stairs (744 steps)
This half marathon is chock full of hills, vales and breathtaking views, but it is not for the faint of heart. With 744 steps and several big hills, you must be in shape for this event. You MUST BE 12 YEARS OR OLDER to participate in this route. It is NOT a walker friendly route. The race starts at 8:00 a.m. (one hour before the shorter routes). The course closes at 11:00. At that point, our volunteers may go home, although some will likely wait for stragglers. We try to have at least one driver on the route available to pick you up or provide water. If you have not finished the route by 11:00, we try to leave the signs out so that you can finish.
ANOTHER FUN STAIR CLIMBING RACE IN THE BOOKS!
2023
We expanded our Finish Line Cheer team to include a great bunch of enthusiastic supporters from Black Hills Special Services. They had a great time and plan to volunteer again next year. Photo by Jo Jo Williams.