2 events in Wilmington, North Carolina

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: 5/24/2026

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):

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

Healthy Kids Day is a one day festival that will be held at Empie Park on Saturday, April 18, 2026. We will start the Fun Run at 9:30 a.m. The Fun Run will take participants around Empie Park and is just under 1 mile in length.

This is the 13th annual partnership with the City of Wilmington Parks & Recreation and the YMCA of Southeastern North Carolina to present this fun filled day! This is a free community event that will offer families the opportunity to participate in active play and educational opportunities designed to improve health and wellness.

Free admission and free events include

• 1 Mile Fun Run/Walk

• Sports Stations

• Face Painting

• Bouncy Houses

• Community Booths

• Animal Rescue Groups

• Zumba

-Tons of free giveaways and prizes!

• Food will be available for purchase by local food trucks

This is a FREE event, but you are encouraged to register to secure your Healthy Kids Day shirt. Shirts are available to the first 300 KIDS to sign up.