Healthy Kids Running Series Spring 2026 - Mounds View, MN

Canoeing and paddling in general complements Loppet pillars of outdoor endurance competition and urban adventure in natural spaces. Minneapolis in particular is a special place for water exploration, and the BWCA opportunities make canoeing a uniquely Minnesotan gem. Competitive canoeing is a full-body exercise, though focally on the upper body, which makes a great balance for all those runners/hikers/bikers out there and great cross-training for cross country skiing. It is also a low-impact sport that people can enjoy well into their older ages. Competitive canoeing is highly technical and tactical, but also something people can make noticeable improvements in right away with some key changes to the traditional Boundary Waters stroke. Plus, the vantage point from the lakes is a beautiful, fulfilling place to spend your time this summer.

Financial Assistance: The Loppet provides financial assistance for those in need. To apply, please fill out this Financial Assistance form. Our staff will be in touch with you with next steps once your application has been submitted. Limitations apply, please see the application form for rules and restrictions.

Don't miss a night of big-time mile racing under the bright lights of the Mini-Apple! Meet produced by Minnesota Distance Elite, a 501(c)(3) non-profit and Minnesota's pro running "home team."

5:00pm: Gates & Packet Pick-up Open

6:00pm: Mini-Apple Mini-Miles (untimed 50-yard & 100-yard dashes for kids 12 & under)

6:15-7:55pm: All-Comers Sections presented by Twin Cities Running Company (heat run all-ages with combined genders, seeded slowest to fastest, as additional heats fill with registration this start time will go earlier and will be updated as the event approaches)

8:05-8:40pm: High School Sections (including Invitational Girls' Mile at 8:30pm and Invitational Boys' Mile at 8:40pm)

8:50-9:00pm: Professional Sections (including Invitational Women's Mile at 8:50pm and Invitational Men's Mile at 9:00pm)

Run More, Judge Less 5K & 1-Mile

A Mile in My Shoes Community Run

Thursday, June 11 • 6:00–9:00 PM | Minnesota State Fairgrounds

Join Mile in My Shoes (MiMS) for our signature 5K race now with a new name and at an exciting new location - the State Fairgrounds!

The Run More, Judge Less 5K (formerly the Downtown Run Around) is more than a race — it’s a gathering rooted in belonging. Hosted by Mile in My Shoes, this inclusive community run is built on the belief that the transformative power of running should be accessible to everyone — especially those who have been historically excluded from traditional running spaces. We invite people of all backgrounds, paces, and lived experiences to come together and move side by side.

New for 2026, we’re excited to offer both a 5K and a 1-mile distance, in partnership with Midsummer Mile, creating more accessible entry points into movement and community. Held at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds on a summer evening, this is less about the finish line and more about what happens when people move together without judgment.

Join us in person for the run and a post-race party with Kemps chocolate milk and recovery drinks, custom cookie medals, Jonny Pops, fruit, a finisher photo area, and more. Kids can join a free quarter-mile run.

You can also join virtually and support Mile in My Shoes members from anywhere.

No pressure. No labels. Just people, moving together.

More about Mile in My Shoes

At Mile in My Shoes, we view running as a tool for both personal and collective transformation. By centering people and spaces historically excluded by the running community, our teams use movement as a catalyst for social justice. By bringing together people from diverse backgrounds, our Resident Members and Run Mentors not only find common ground but learn from and reach out to one another for support. As we transform ourselves, we transform one another, and we transform our communities.

In-person schedule of events on Thursday, June 11:

• 4:30pm Packet pick-up and Race Day Registration opens

• 6:00pm Welcome & Group Warm-Up

• 6:30pm Kids' 1/4 mile race start

• 6:40pm Midsummer Mile race start

• 7:00pm RMJL 5K race start

• 7:45pm Karuna Yoga post-race cool down

Course Maps

• 5K Course Map

• 1Mile Course Map

• Kids Race Course Map