From big races to Saturday morning group runs—find wheelchair events and connect with the local endurance sports community.
Who We Are: Healthy Kids Running Series is a five (5) week running program in the spring and fall for kids Pre-K through 8th grade. Each HKRS Series takes place once a week and offers age-appropriate running events including the 50 & 75 yard dashes, the 1/4 mile, the 1/2 mile and the 1 mile run. Kids will earn points for each race they complete based on their finish.
Pricing: The registration fee covers the entire five (5) weeks of the Series which includes race bibs for each week, a runner shirt, a finisher medal and any sponsor giveaways. Registration is non-refundable and non-transferable. Online Early Bird registration increases three weeks prior to the first race event.
Challenger: This Series offers a Challenger Division which is an adaptive 75 yard race for children with disabilities and/or special needs. This allows for parents, siblings, and friends to be on the course with runners to provide support as well as bringing their own supportive devices such as crutches, braces, wheelchairs, etc. to be used by runners.
Makeup Date Information: 5/31/2026
Single Day Racing: Single day race registration opens one hour prior to the start of each race. The registration fee covers one single race to be run on the day of registration. ALL single day registrations should be completed onsite at the race location. Single day racers will have the option to upgrade to the full series (see tab on the left side of the page for instructions). There is a strict no-refund and no-transfer policy.
Awards: All participants receive a medal on Week 5! Trophies will be awarded to the overall top finishers in each of the divisions listed below (broken out by boys and girls respectively):
Pre-K 50 Yard Dash
Pre-K 75 Yard Dash
Kindergarten & 1st Grade
2nd & 3rd Grade
4th & 5th Grade
6th to 8th Grade
Challenger
Share your running photos with our community! Find us on Facebook @HealthyKidsRunning or Instagram @healthykidsrs!
#GetUpandGo
Hi!
My name is Johnny Agar and I’m the Race Director of the 3rd Annual St. Patrick Parnell Festival 5K named Johnny’s Run!
Being an athlete was something I had always wanted, and my cerebral palsy tried to prevent me from becoming one! Wheelchair sports were out of the question since I can only use one hand, and nobody wants someone on their team who can only spin in circles! 😊
Several years ago, my dad started pushing me in road races as a way for me to participate in sports. After doing several races with my dad, I knew I was capable of more after seeing athletes around me push themselves past their own physical and mental challenges.
So, I decided to finish a race on my own two feet with the help of my walker even though I had only ever walked 23 steps! I accomplished my goal in 2013 at the Saint Patrick Parnell Festival 5k. It took me one hour and forty-five minutes to complete and it was an amazing accomplishment for me!
That “Impossible Mile” has led to an abundance of blessings— one of which is being able to direct this traditional race that the Festival Committee agreed to dub now as Johnny’s Run (Hosted by St Patrick Parnell Festival) It's quite an honor, and I’m equally honored to be learning how to direct a race from one of the area’s best -- Mr. Tom Theoret, who was the race director for nearly 30 years growing the Irish Jig from a few hundred to the many thousand who run it today.
I would love to invite you to participate with us in this family-friendly race that always kicks off the St Patrick Parnell Festival in Parnell, Michigan.
This year, we are excited because there will be THREE opportunities to participate...the Johnny's Run 5k , the Impossible Mile Challenge, and the Kids' Race!