Nice weather and racing season is just around the corner. Here are some of this season’s most exciting races:

Take the Hill Triathlon

Despite the cold, over 150 athletes completed the fifth annual Take the Hill Triathlon on Saturday, April 28, 2012. This triathlon included a 500-yard swim in Lund pool, a 12.5-mile bike ride through St. Peter and a 3.3-mile run through the Linnaeus Arboretum and the Gustavus campus. Proceeds from the event go to Insulindependence, a non-profit that works to help people with Type-1 Diabetes lead active and healthy lives.

Color Run

This summer’s most talked about race is the Color Run. It has been called the “happiest 5k on the planet” and happens all across the country. The Minnesota race is scheduled for July 15, 2012 at Harriet Island Park, and is open to all ages and abilities. It is an untimed event with the mission to have fun with friends and family while raising money for charity. Each location has a different charity; for the Minnesota event, the proceeds will go to Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless.

Participants toe the starting line dressed in white and finish the race covered in colorful powder. Each kilometer comes with a different color—after the first kilometer participants will be sprayed with yellow powder, blue powder after the second kilometer, green powder after the third kilometer and pink powder after the fourth. A “Color Extravaganza” is waiting for participants at the finish line. The Color Run in Minnesota is sold out, but spectators are welcome. For more information visit www.thecolorrun.com.

Fifteen’s 5k

Minnesota Twins pitcher Glen Perkins and his wife Alisha have taken over and revamped the Twins Territory 4k, turning it into Fifteen’s 5k. The couple have friends whose children have lived with Cystic Fibrosis (CF), so as a way of honoring these children and others who live with CF, all proceeds from the event will benefit The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The race starts by the Metrodome and ends at Target Field. Along the way runners learn about Perkins’s journey from playing college ball at the U of M to playing at Target Field. Finishers will be greeted by Twins players giving out medals and all participants receive a Fifteen’s 5k shirt and a ticket to a Twins game. The race will take place on August 12, 2012 at 8:00 a.m. For more information and registration instructions, visit www.fifteens5k.com.

Grandma’s Marathon

The 36^th annual running of Grandma’s Marathon will be on June 16, 2012. The marathon covers the 26.2-mile scenic stretch from Two Harbors, Minn. to Duluth, Minn. along the north shore of Lake Superior. Other events happening in Duluth in conjunction with Grandma’s Marathon include the Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon and the USA Half Marathon Championships. Olympians Kara Goucher and Abdi Abdirahman have officially registered for the USA Half Marathon Championships. Goucher is originally from Duluth. Both Goucher and Abdirahman placed third in the Olympic Marathon Trials in January, earning spots on the 2012 Team USA marathon squad. The William A. Irvine 5k is scheduled for June 15, 2012 in Duluth as part of Grandma’s Marathon weekend. For more information about any of the Grandma’s Marathon weekend events, visit www.grandmasmarathon.com.

10Kato

The 16^th annual 10Kato event will take place on Memorial Day, May 28 in Mankato, Minn. This event is open to people of all ages and abilities, and features both a competitive 10k race and a recreational 2-mile race. 10Kato benefits VINE Faith in Action. The starting line for the 10k is near the Mankato Clinic, with the race finishing on Emerson Lane. For more information and registration instructions, visit www.vinevolunteers.com/sections/10katorun.php.