15 running events in Jacksonville, North Carolina

Get ready to run, drink, and celebrate!

Join us for the ultimate St. Patrick’s Day Weekend Beer Mile, where endurance meets indulgence and green is the dress code of the day. Participants will tackle a one-mile run—one lap at a time—with a beer consumed before each lap. Four laps. Four beers. One unforgettable experience.

Whether you’re racing for a personal best or just here for the laughs, this event is all about good vibes, friendly competition, and celebrating St. Paddy’s Day in true Irish-inspired style. Costumes are highly encouraged, cheering is mandatory, and bragging rights are earned at the finish line.

Expect:

• A well-marked course

• Cold beer (21+ only) or chocolate milk for those under 21 or looking for an alcohol alternative

• Music, energy, and festive chaos

• A post-race celebration worthy of the holiday

• Two races to help breakup the crowd...a men's division and a women's division

Grab your friends, wear something green, and come see if you’ve got the luck (and legs) of the Irish. Sláinte!

Join us for the DSNOCC 3.21 Run for Inclusion + World Down Syndrome Day Celebration, a community 5K event honoring individuals with Down syndrome and promoting inclusion, acceptance, and belonging.

This family-friendly event welcomes participants of all ages and abilities — whether you choose to run, walk, cheer, or support from the sidelines.

Event Schedule:

Registration: 8:00 AM

5K Run/Walk Begins: 9:00 AM

World Down Syndrome Day Celebration: 10:00 AM (immediately following the run)

About the Event:

Hosted by the Down Syndrome Network of Onslow & Carteret Counties (DSNOCC), this event brings together families, schools, and community members to raise awareness and support programs, resources, and advocacy efforts for individuals with Down syndrome and their families.

World Down Syndrome Day (3/21) is observed globally to celebrate the uniqueness of individuals with Down syndrome and promote understanding and inclusion within our communities.

Participants are encouraged to:

• Wear bright and colorful clothing

• Rock your socks in honor of World Down Syndrome Day

• Show your support for inclusion and acceptance

Together, we are building a more inclusive world — one step at a time. 💙💛

Frogman 5K Trail Run

About Frogman: Frogman was created by The Campbell Family in 2012 to honor the wish of their beloved SOC (SEAL) Christopher Campbell. Chris lost his life during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan when a CH-47 Chinook helicopter, call sign Extortion 17, in which he and 30 others Americans were riding, was shot down on August 6, 2011. The event honors his final wish to support combat wounded veterans, his love for hunting, especially bow hunting, and the outdoors.

By supporting Frogman, you ensure that Chris’ wish carries on and that he and his teammates are never forgotten!

Proceeds from the event will benefit SE Outdoors and the Jacksonville-Onslow Sports Commission (JOSC).

Event Details

The Frogman 5K Trail Run will be held in eastern North Carolina in Jacksonville on March 21, 2026. Jacksonville is home to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River.

5K Trail Run - A wooded trail run through the property known as the “400-acres.” The trail is predominantly flat and should be fun for all. This is a course created especially for Frogman. Medals awarded to the top-overall male and female, top-overall male and female masters, and first place in each age division. Everyone crossing the finish line receives a finisher medal. Note: our insurance doesn’t allow dogs at our running events unless they’re a service dog. We have a time limit of two hours for this event.

Virtual 5K: Can’t make the event in person but want to support, this is the option for you.

T-shirts

T-shirts are as an additional purchase during your registration. Deadline to order is March 10th.

Packet Pickup- March 20th

Time: 11:00am-1:00pm

Location:

Fleet Feet Jacksonville

1154 Western Blvd. Jacksonville

Time: 4:00pm-6:00pm

Location:

Extreme Outfitters

100 Western Blvd - Jacksonville

We will be doing random bib prizes for those that pick up on March 20th.

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Event Day (at Event Site)

6:30-7:30am

Note: There will be no parking at the event site for runners and ALL runners must park and ride the shuttles.

We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact [email protected].

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: 5/17/2026

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

Come join us for our third annual FUN RUN to benefit GRACEWATER. GraceWater's mission is simply to give grace with water. They are driven by the desire to help communities experience God’s grace through the gift of water. 783 million people and millions of communities around the globe are in a water crisis! They are passionate about being a part of the solution, as well as pursuing the mission to educate their community about the Love of Christ. Through the drilling of wells in communities, GraceWater found a need for orphan training and has begun to help train and equip them in discipleship and life skills.

Since 2016, GRACEWATER has completed:

• 41 water well projects

• 45,000 people served with clean water

• 5000 people came to a dedication and heard the gospel

• 310 people have accepted Christ at a dedication

To find out more information, go to Gracewater.org

For more information about our latest trip in September 2022, click here.

YMCA Marine Chevy Shuffle 5K presented by Marine Chevrolet

😎👟📼 Run It Back to the 90s! 📼👟😎

Break out the windbreakers, neon, and scrunchies and get ready to Run It Back to the 90s at the Marine Chevy Shuffle 5K! Join us on Saturday, May 16th at Northside High School (365 Commons Drive South) for a totally rad morning of fitness, fun, and community. The race kicks off at 9:00 AM, and it’s going to be all that and a bag of chips.

This event celebrates our incredible Marathon Kids runners and their huge accomplishments this year, while bringing together runners, families, and the community for a high-energy race experience. Whether you’re racing for a PR or just vibing in your best early-90s outfit, you’re part of the party!

✨ Event highlights:

🕘 Race Start: 9:00 AM

📍 Location: Northside High School, 365 Commons Drive South

🏅 All participants receive a finisher medal

👕 Race shirts available as an optional add-on

📸 Fun photo booth on site

🎽 Dress in your best early 90s theme gear

🏃‍♀️ Part of the JOSC Run Series

📟Packet Pickup:

Friday: 4:00–6:00 PM at Marine Chevrolet

Race Day: 7:30–8:30 AM at the race site

“Philippians Place’s Vision is to “Disciple, Equip, and House men reentering society and facing homelessness". The purpose of this event is to share with our community how Philippians Place is changing the lives of men returning from incarceration and reducing recidivism in Onslow County. Funds raised from this event will help us attain more housing for our Men's Reentry Transitional Housing Program”

Our race event will include a 5k for individual or group runners/walkers, as well as a 1Mile for families/individuals/groups. We will have a friendly competition between military units, churches, businesses, and agency groups by awarding trophies to the largest groups.

We are seeking local community churches, agencies, businesses, and nonprofits to become vendors and/or sponsors that support our men and mission. Vendors will give out information that helps prevent incarceration and/or provides local information and resources available to those recently incarcerated.

We are seeking local Food Trucks to be available for race participants and their families and friends to enjoy food prior to the race and/or after the race. A “People’s Choice Award” will be given to the best food truck and beverage truck. We are also seeking car owners to participate in our Road2Reentry Car Show. Trophies will be given for “Best in Show”, People’s Choice, Best Engine, Best Interior, and Best Paint.

We have a local church band that will provide live entertainment on the Riverwalk Stage after the event and in-between announcements and winner awards.”

Stars & Strides 5K – Celebrate America’s 250th!

Lace up your running shoes, pull on those American flag socks, and join the party as we celebrate America’s 250th Birthday in style! The Stars & Strides 5K kicks off Sunday, June 7, 2026, with an early-evening run through the heart of downtown Jacksonville. You’ll start and finish on the beautifully revitalized New Bridge Street, surrounded by the energy of family and friends and American spirit.

This isn’t your typical 5K—cross the finish line and trade in that post-race banana for a slice of birthday cake! Stay for the music, cheer on your fellow runners, and soak in the patriotic vibes as we come together to celebrate health, happiness, and America’s milestone birthday.

Whether you’re racing for a personal best, walking, jogging with friends, or bringing the whole family for a fun evening out, the Stars & Strides 5K is the perfect way to honor our nation’s big 250.