Central Park 5k

Is it spring or still winter?  We'll know when we run the Central Park 5k at the end of March!  Celebrate the end of winter with us on this flat and fast course in the historic Central Park neighborhood!

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Race day info including packet pick-up info, race day schedule, course info, and MORE, can all be found by clicking "Race Info" above and navigating the drop-down menu! 

Advanced Packet Pick Up: Don't stand in line on race day.  Get your bib and shirt at Advanced Packet Pick up so you can have a few extra moments of SLEEP on race day.

Date: TBD

Place: TBD

Time:TBD

Picking up for a friend?
Yes! You can pick up a friend or family member's packet (or have someone else pick up your packet)! Just tell us their name and we'll get you on your way! 

2024 After Party is still TBD

Sponsor Information - Central Park 5k

Pre-Event Contact
We would love to work with you to feature your product or business with our racers.  There are many ways to be involved and gain exposure, from hosting a packet pick up location or after party, sponsoring a water station, adding a goody or coupon to the goody bag, providing an in-kind donation/sample for the racers on the course or at the finish line, or setting up a booth on race-day at the expo. 

We can feature your business on the event web page, racer emails or social media!  All sponsorship payments must be received before your business is included in any kind of mention or posting.

Please contact our sponsorship team before the race with any questions:
Sponsorship Contact:
AJ Benefield 
Email: AJ@3WRaces.com

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Goodie Bag Stuffer
If you have arranged to place something into the Goody Bag, please make sure your 'stuffer' reaches us by the deadline so our volunteers and staff can get it into each racer's goody bag!  Items received after the deadline will not be in the goody bag.

DEADLINE: FRIDAY before race week: March 13, 2026
QUANTITY: 350(Subject to change closer to race date.)
LOCATION: Mail to:  
3W Races 
(If you would rather DROP off your items, please coordinate via email to make arrangements.)

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Tent/Table Rental
TENT/TABLE:  You will be given approximately 12'x12' of space.  Tents and tables are NOT included, however, some of you have already arranged for table/tent rental from 3W Races.  In that case, your tent and or table will be set for you at your designated space.

Generally, tent rental is $95 and tables are $20 each to rent for the event.  3W will bring the tent/table, set it up at your designated location and tear it down at the end of the event.  If you are interested in this arrangement, please coordinate with us at least one week in advance.

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Racer Data
This event should see 350 registrants.

These numbers do not include the spectators, staff, and volunteers also present at the race.

6%      18 and under
21%    18-29
27%    30's
25%    40's
14%    50-64
6%      65+

45%     Male
55%     Female

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Race Day Logistics
TIME: 7:30 AM Vendor Set Up. The finish line officially closes when the last runner crosses.  Click Here for Racer Schedule.
SURFACE: Concrete.  Please bring WEIGHTS to secure your tent in the wind.
EXPO MAP Specific spots are first come-first served 
ADDRESS: 8801 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd  Denver, CO US 80238
PARKING: There is parking near the expo. If you have more than one staff member, please carpool!

COURSE: The course is around Central Park.

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Race Day Contact
Please check in at the 3W Races tent on race day regarding the specific location of your booth space!

Race Director Direct Number for use on race day:
AJ Benefield- 303-667-5685
Email: aj@3wraces.com
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Special Request: We ask that you please respect the property of our runners and kindly ask that you do NOT paper events. This includes placing advertisements on cars. All paper advertisements need to be placed at the 3W tent and/or at your personal booth space and directly handed to runners. 

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Quick links:
Race Website
Race Day Schedule
Course

This is a flat and fast 1.5 clockwise loops on asphalt around Central Park! CLICK HERE for an interactive 5K map on MapMyRun.

Start, Finish & Expo: Central Park, Denver - 8801 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Denver, CO US 80238
Parking: There is plenty of parking near the start/finish and in other lots around the park or surrounding neighborhoods.
Course Support: There are no water stations on this course. You will find water and light snacks at the finish line.
Portajohns: There are NO portajohns ON course. They will be located at the start/finish area.
Course Surface: The Central Park 5k is 98% concrete. There is a small sections that is hard-packed dirt.

COVID INFORMATION: We are following the current City of Denver, Denver County, and State of Colorado guidelines. We will update this info as it changes. 

When signing up for the Central Park 5k you will agree to a set of COVID guidelines and social contract. Those guidelines will include:
1. You agree to wear a mask/face covering when in the expo area, start corral after you cross the finish line. Face covering will not be required while you are running.
2. You agree to social distance of at least 6ft while at the event including in the start area, finish area, and expo.
3. Must be "healthy" to attend. Please stay home if you are exhibiting any covid-like or other illness type symptoms including, but not limited to: fever, cough, sneezing, sore/scratchy throat, etc.
4. You will not get to the expo more than 30 minutes before your scheduled start time/wave. When you arrive, you are instructed to go to the starting area and your starting corral section (marked by signs and volunteers). After you finished, you are instructed to leave as soon after as possible and not cross through the starting area.
5. You will agree to bring any race hydration/nutrition needed before or during your race. There will NOT be a water station on course. There will be water and some light snacks at the finish line. 
6. No dogs will be allowed at the Central Park 5k for 2021. This is per Denver Covid regulations.

In addition, all runners will be sent out in small waves (of 10 - subject to change) to allow for social distancing (waves assigned at registration based on estimated finish time). While in the expo area, talking to vendors, and getting finisher food, masks will be mandatory. You will also see all of our staff wearing masks at all times and volunteers wearing gloves while handing out finisher food/water. As the regulations change due to this ever-changing pandemic, we will keep registered racers informed with the most recent guidelines.

Visit the FAQs page for answers to more frequently asked questions: http://3wraces.com/faqs.html

Most FAQs are answered on our parent website, 3WRaces.com http://3wraces.com/faqs.html

CLICK HERE to be redirected.

One of the most common questions regarding a race in Colorado in March is "What about the weather?" 

We will produce the event under almost any conditions.  If there is active lightning, tornado or white-out blizzard conditions, then the event may be postponed (up to 1 hour) or canceled.  Registrants will be notified - see the FAQ page for details. There is no alternate date scheduled for the event.  Of course, event swag would be made available to registrants at an alternative date/location, if this is ever the case.  For those who are concerned about such conditions, an event protection optional coverage is something to consider and is made available at the time of registration.  Likewise, advance registration is NOT required and you may register online or in person up until the start time of the event.  Additionally, there are options to transfer to another race date/location owned by 3W Races if you chose to transfer at least 72 hours before the start of the event.  See the FAQ page for details and instructions on how to complete such a transfer.

The second most common question asked is "Can I Bring My Dog?" 
At this event, YES.  Well-behaved, leashed dogs are welcome.  Please clean up after your pup, of course. 

Ample free parking is available in the lots around this park on the south, southeast and north east sides of the park. See map with BLUE parking indicators here. 

When you bring FIVE donations for our charity partner, you'll be entered into an exclusive raffle for prizes from 3W Races and our sponsors! See below for items in need.

Drop off your items with our charity partner representative at the 3W Tent before you run. After you race, view the RAFFLE board near the registration tent to see if your number was pulled for a prize!

Bethany Foster Care's Current Needs:
- Diapers/Pull-Ups (all sizes)
- Wipes
- Gift cards to Door Dash and restaurants or Target, Walmart, etc., for the families

8:00 AM Late Packet Pick Up and Walk Up Registration

9:00 AM 5k Start

9:45 AM 5K Awards

10:00 AM Expo Closes

We’re excited to announce that we’ve partnered with Sneakers4Funds to provide you with a socially responsible way to donate your gently worn, used or new sneakers and running shoes to a good cause we support! The sneakers will help benefit Growing Home as well as give a hand up, not a handout, to micro-enterprises in 25 developing countries. The athletic shoes will be kept out of landfills where they can take decades to fully decompose. Visit Sneakers4Funds to learn more!

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It's super simple! All you need to do is bring your lightly worn athletic shoes and sneakers to the Central Park 5k (either race day or at packet pick up). We collect them and mail them and a donation is made to Growing Home! 

Please donate only gently worn, used, and new athletic shoes.  These sneakers, trainers, and other athletic shoes will be worn again by people in developing nations, so please make sure there are no holes or soles falling off and that they are in wearable condition.  Dress shoes, sandals, brown shoes, flip flops, cleats, etc. and other shoes that are NOT athletic shoes will NOT be accepted. 

Please tie your shoes together or put a rubber band around the pair! 

Per USATF Standards, 10 year age groups will be recognized:

Age groups 5k: M/F 0-9, 10-14, 15-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+

The top 3 Men and Women (& non-binary) will be recognized as well as the top three m/f in each of the above listed age groups.

The event is CHIP TIMED.  OVERALL Winners (top three m/f) are scored based on GUN TIME.  All others (age groups) are scored based on chip time.

Your chip time starts when your timing chip crosses the start line.  Your timing chip is adhered to the back of your race bib (race number.)  You will receive this number from the registration volunteers when you pick up your shirt/race packet.  Please wear the bib that is assigned to YOU and not to someone else in your family.  Please wear the bib on the FRONT, OUTSIDE of your clothing just above your hips.  If you wear a bib assigned to someone else or do not wear the bib HORIZONTALLY on the front, outside of your clothing, your result may not register and you will be ineligible for awards.

RESULTS will be sent to you electronically upon finishing (if you opt in for that option during registration) and will be available to view here LIVE during the event and after the race.  Please email us if you find an error, in the case that you wore someone else's bib or your age/gender information, name spelling, etc is incorrect.  info@3wraces.com

For general in-person race-related questions, please visit the main website. You may also find answers to some of our general 3W FAQs here.

Here are Virtual Racing FAQs related to the virtual event for this race:

When you sign up to run the Virtual Central Park 5k, you may run ANYTIME! That's the beauty of a virtual race! Most virtual racers will run on their own on the same day as the in-person event (March 28th), but you can run before OR after that date! The virtual race RESULTS (and the ability to log your results) will be open from March 26th through March 31st. See below for more common virtual FAQs!

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WHEN should I run this?
You can run this ANYTIME you desire!  Many participants will be running on the originally scheduled date/weekend, March 28, 2021, but that’s the benefit of a virtual event.  Only the RACE is virtual – the RUN is REAL, WHENEVER you choose to do it.  Want to run now?  That’s fine! Need to wait? That's fine, too.

WHERE should I run this?
That is 100% your choice.  You can run the real course on a different day/time than the in-person event or run around your neighborhood! You can run outside anywhere you'd like or take your miles to the treadmill!  If you choose to run outdoors, please take every precaution ordered in your area. You can find the real course HERE. The real course is enabled with the RaceJoy APP as well. That means you can start Race Joy and it will guide you through the real course with some fun motivation to go along. With Race Joy, your friends and family can also track you as you run! In addition, you can use "Race Joy Anywhere" for this race and that will allow you to use the APP for your virtual race. When you use Race Joy (for anywhere or for the real course), your time/results will automatically post! 

How do I report my TIME?
The virtual results submission link is active from March 26th to March 31, 2021.  Use THIS LINK and follow the prompts when you click "submit virtual results!" You don't have to submit a time; there is an option to just mark your race as complete.

If you miss that window and still want to report your results, you'll have to email us at info@3wraces.com and we can manually import your time on the back end.

Are TIMES verified?
No.  For the virtual event, times reported are on the ‘honor system’. 

WILL RESULTS be posted?
You bet! As more and more people submit their time, preliminary results will be on the RESULTS page of the website. The final virtual results will be most accurate on April 1st.

Will participants be rewarded based on PERFORMANCE?
Not for the virtual race, because participants are running in different locations, times, etc., we will not award anything based on performance.  

HOW will I get my SWAG?
You can attend advance packet pick up to pick up your virtual goodie bag! HERE'S THE DATE/TIME/LOCATION. If you can't make it to advanced packet pick up, packets/swag will be mailed the day after the live event and will be sent through USPS. If your address associated with this race is outdated, EMAIL US IMMEDIATELY, info@3WRaces.com We also recommend you update your profile too, but this will only affect FUTURE registrations. 

To see what address is associated with THIS Registration...go to RunSignUp.com, click Profile in the upper right-hand corner and scroll down to find this race. Click "manage registration" and you'll see what address is associated with this specific race! 

To update your address for FUTURE registration (not just 3W Races events, but any race that uses Run Sign Up, Go to RunSignUp.com Click on "Profile" where you may then edit your personal details.   If your address is not in RunSignUp, you may add it now.

Like every spring, it is virus season in the Northern Hemisphere.  There are some long-standing practices in place within the 3W Races operation to prevent the spread of disease and in 2020, we've added a couple more procedures for the benefit of all.

Here's how YOU, our athlete, can help all of us remain healthy this season!

1) If you're sick, stay home.  Transfer your registration to another runner or another race.  During virus season this year, fees are waived for race transfers.  Also, the deadline to transfer is the start of the race.  Yep - feeling sick the night before your race?  Go online and transfer to an upcoming event owned by 3W Races.  (This must happen before the start time of the race.)
2) Wash your hands / use hand sanitizer.  Every restroom is stocked with sanitizer.  Use it, please!
3) Cough/sneeze appropriately.  Turn away from others, put your face in your elbow and point toward the ground.
4) Keep your hands to yourself.  Staff/volunteers using gloves will happily hand you a cup or a snack or turn the spigot to refill your personal water bottle.  It is our goal that you don't touch anything with your bare hands that another athlete may also touch.

We've always been a community of runners - which means we ALL look out for each other.  Thank you for participating with us.  We are committed to doing our part for safety and health and truly appreciate the manner in which you do the same!

Your Central Park 5k registration includes:

- Gender-Specific T-shirt (colors of shirt and PRINT vary!)

- A KITE!  Yes, come fly your kite after the run! (While supplies last.)

- Chip-timed, certified 5k course

- RaceJoy Free GPS tracking experience 

- Free Photo Downloads

We are proud to have Bethany Foster Services as our charity partner for the Central Park 5k! All donations through our portal go directly to Bethany to help families and children right here in Colorado.

Bethany believes every child deserves to be loved, connected, and safe. For more than 75 years, our faith has inspired us to stand for children close to home and around the world. Together, we can change the world through family.

Join a TEAM during registration and when your group reaches 5 or more members, everyone gets $5 off!  (See FAQ for details.)  Discounts honored ONLINE only in advance of race day pricing! 

We are proud to partner with Sneakers4Funds! When you donate your gently used or new athletic shoes at the Central Park, a donation is made to our other charity partner, Growing Home! 

Bring your shoes to Advanced Packet Pick Up or on Race day! Click here for more info!