10 running, walking, and fun run events in Waterloo, Iowa

The Cedar Valley SportsPlex Pump and Run 1-mile & 5K is back for year four! This event also include a free public health expo on Friday night during the pump and packet pickup. The goal of the health expo is to let the public interact with as many of the amazing businesses, organizations, and non-profits in the Cedar Valley as possible.

FREE KIDS REGISTRATION Thanks to our amazing sponsor kids ages 1-12 will be able to participate in either the 1-mile or the 5K at no cost.

HOW DOES THE PUMP-N-RUN WORK?

Bench press and bicep curl a percentage of your body weight at the health expo to earn a reduction in your 5K time! You’ll receive 10 seconds off your 5k time for every repetition that you complete! Don’t want to Pump? You can still participate without a reduction in time!

Death by 5k is coming back to Waterloo for year 4!

Think you have what it takes to finish the Death by 5k challenge?

Taking place at beautiful George Wyth State Park, Death by 5k requires participants to run (or walk) ten 5ks over 24 hours, starting each 5k 2.5 hours apart. (8 am, 1030 am, 1 pm, 330 pm, 6 pm, 830 pm, 11 pm, 130 am, 4 am, 630 am)

Race HQ will be the Canfield Shelter and the course will be an out and back on the Cedar Valley Lakes Trail (paved)

There will be 5 meals, each including hot food, served over the course of the event. Meal times will be 830a, 130p, 630p, 1130p, and 420a. There will also be plenty of snack food and drinks available throughout the event. You will not go hungry or thirsty at a RunStrong Event

Participants can spend time between 5ks in a camping tent, hammock, under a pop up tent, or in their vehicles.

Participants will receive an event shirt, along with other event swag. Finishers will receive one of the coveted handmade finisher's coffin.

Initial registration will be limited to 150 participants. After that, a waitlist will be opened. Additional participants may be selected if slots are opened.

Now is your chance to be Fire Runner Champion... 5K style!

Join us on June 12, 2026 for the Lost Island Fire Runner 5K. This race takes you to the relaxing vibes of Lost Island Waterpark, as you drift around the lazy river (on the sidewalk of course!) and back to the high thrill vibes of Lost Island Themepark. Here you will snake your way through Tamariki, Udara, Awa, Yuta, and ending in Mura at Fire Runner, the winner of the USA Today Readers' Choice Awards for Best New Theme Park Attraction of 2025. Come for the race, stay for the rides and kick your weekend off right.

Registration Includes:

• Race Entry

• Entry to the Lost Island Theme Park day of race

• Fire Runner 5K t-shirt

• Race bib

• **Additional Purchase Required for

Ticket to Lost Island Water Park on race day* $25 Additional Addon

For more information about Lost Island parks, visit www.thelostisland.com

2025 RACE RESULTS: https://results.truetimeracing.com/results.aspx?CId=16535&RId=1479

Join us at the John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum to celebrate the history of John Deere in Waterloo! Waterloo is the official site of the first John Deere tractor factory and has been home to John Deere Waterloo Works for over 100 years! This event will be hosted at the John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum where you can run with John Deere employees and community members of the Cedar Valley. This flat, closed-to-traffic loop is great for serious racers and fun runners alike.

We'll have a kids' race "The Spoker Sprint" start at 7:30 a.m. and our 5K starts at 8:00 a.m. Medals will be awarded following the conclusion of the 5K.

The fun doesn't end with the run! This year, the 5K is a part of our larger two-day event, Deere Days at the Museum (Friday, June 12th 12pm-7pm and Saturday, June 13th 7:30am-3pm)! Stick around for outdoor and indoor exhibits, blacksmith demos, STEAM on Wheels, a tractor show and more! The museum will also be open for visitors, so make sure to check out the exhibits.

John Deere will be donating a portion of your registration fee to Northeast Iowa Foodbank to help end hunger because no person should ever have to go hungry.

Right now, one in six people in Northeast Iowa don’t have enough to eat. When supporting the food bank we help provide food and hope to hungry children, families and seniors right here in our community. Together, we can fight hunger in Northeast Iowa. For more information, please visit www.neifb.org