Only Fools Run Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K

Get ready for one of the most fun and festive road running events in North Carolina! The Only Fools Run Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K hosted by The Social on Garden, returns, bringing laughter, competition, and a brand-new course to the streets of Greensboro. Known for its impeccable markings, great aid stations, and unforgettable atmosphere, this April Fools–themed event combines the joy of running with the spirit of fun. Whether you’re chasing a personal best or just looking for a good laugh with friends, this is a race you won’t want to miss.

About the Race

The Only Fools Run is a road race designed for runners of all experience levels. Choose between the Half Marathon, 10K, or 5K, each showcasing Greensboro’s scenic roads and a course that’s both fast and full of surprises. The 2026 edition debuts a new course, featuring smooth pavement, clear signage, and well-stocked aid stations to keep you moving strong from start to finish.

Participants love this event for its high-energy vibe, friendly volunteers, and premium race-day experience. Each runner receives awesome swag, including a custom race shirt and finisher medal—plus great prizes for top finishers and age group winners.

Why Runners Love the Only Fools Run

• Perfect spring racing weather: Cool early spring temperatures make for ideal running conditions.
• New 2026 course: A fresh, well-marked route with reliable aid stations and plenty of crowd support.
• Distances for all levels: Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K options for every type of runner.
• Top-tier race organization: Impeccable course markings, on-time starts, and great post-race amenities.
• Amazing swag & prizes: Custom shirts, finisher medals, and age group awards that celebrate your accomplishment.
• Fun, foolish theme: Celebrate the lighter side of racing with festive costumes, laughter, and community spirit.

Race Experience

Runners can expect a smooth, well-organized event from start to finish. The aid stations are strategically placed with hydration and nutrition support, and the course markings are clear and easy to follow—so you can focus on enjoying the run. Post-race, celebrate your effort with food, beverages, and entertainment as you collect your medal and share stories with your fellow fools.

We are bringing you a new and EXCITING course for 2026! Check out the course here!

We are bringing you a new and EXCITING course for 2026! 

We still have a few tweaks to make, but here is a preview of what is to come! 

Michigan

Mega Medal Series

Prove It 5K/10K:  April 18, 2026 at the GM Milford Proving Ground in Milford, Michigan

Trenton Summerfest Half Marthon, 8K, & 5K:  June 27, 2026 at Elizabeth Park in Trenton, Michigan

Dearborn Decades 5K:  August 9, 2026 at Ford Field Park in Dearborn, Michigan

Run the 313 5K:  August 22, 2026 at Palmer Park in Detroit, Michigan

Growler Gallop Atwater 10 Mile & 5K:  September 27, 2026 at Atwater Brewery in Detroit, Michigan

Black Toenail Friday Half Marathon & 7.5 Mile:  November 27, 2026 at Proud Lake Rec Area in Commerce Township, Michigan

Trail

Winter Trail Fest (WTF) East Half Marathon & 5 Mile:  February 14, 2026 at Island Lake Rec Area in Brighton, Michigan

Winter Trail Fest (WTF) West Half Marathon & 5 Mile:  February 21, 2026 at Yankee Springs Rec Area in Middleville, Michigan

Carpe Diem Carpe Noctem Morning & Evening Half Marathon & 10K:  April 11, 2026 at Proud Lake Rec Area in Commerce Township, Michigan

Summer Trail Fest Ultra (STFU) 50 Mile, 50K, Half Marathon, & 5 Mile:  June 13, 2026 Sleepy Hollow Rec Area in Laingsburg, Michigan

Moonlight Bootlegger 5k:  May 9, 2026 at Maybury State Park in Northville, Michigan

Wolverine State 100 100M, 100K, 100M Relay, & 50K:  October 10-11, 2026 from Petoskey to Alpena in Northern Michigan

Road

Thumb Coast Ultra & Relay 50M, 50K, & 50M Relay:  April 25, 2026 from Harbor Beach to Caseville in Michigan's Thumb

Rock CF Thumb Coast Marathon, Half Marathon, & 5K:  November 8, 2026 from Caseville to Port Austin in Michigan's Thumb

North Carolina

Road Mega Medal Series

Only Fools Run Half Marathon, 10K, & 5K:  March 28, 2026 at Jaycee Park in Greensboro, North Carolina

Pig Pounder Brewery 5K:  April 12, 2026 at the Pig Pounder Brewery in Greensboro, North Carolina

Elm Street Run Festival:  May 9, 2026 at LeBauer Park in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina

Greensboro Distilling Speakeasy 5k:  June 13, 2026 at Greensboro Distilling Co. and SouthEnd Brewing in Greensboro, North Carolina

Greensboro Half Marathon, 5K, & 1 Mile:  November 21, 2026 starting at Battleground Ave in Greensboro, North Carolina

Trail Mega Medal Series

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Half Marathon & 5 Mile:  January 17, 2026 at Northeast Park in Gibsonville, North Carolina

Northern Trails 17 Mile, 10 Mile & 5 Mile:  March 7, 2026 at Northern Guilford High School in Greensboro, North Carolina

Owls Roost Rumble Half Marathon & 4 Mile:  April 25, 2026 at Bur-Mil Park in Greensboro, North Carolina

Triple Lakes Trail Race 40 Mile, Marathon, & Half Marathon: October 24, 2026 at Bur-Mil Park in Greensboro, North Carolina

Black Toenail Friday Half Marathon and 7.5 Miler: November 27, 2026 at Snow Camp, North Carolina

Multisport Mega Medal Series

Belews Lake Sprint Triathlon & Duathlon: April 18, 2026 at Belews Lake Marina in Stokesdale, North Carolina

Cammack Sprint Triathlon:  June 20th, 2026 at Lake Cammack in Burlington, North Carolina

High Point Sprint Triathlon:  August 8, 2026 at Oak Hollow Marina in High Point, North Carolina

Belews Lake Olympic Triathlon & Duathlon:  September 12, 2026 at Belews Lake Marina in Stokesdale, North Carolina

Nat Greene's Revenge Triathlon & Duathlon: October 3, 2026 at Lake Brandt Marina in Greensboro, North Carolina

Multisport

Northeast Park Duathlon:  February 28, 2026 at Northeast Park in Gibsonville, North Carolina

Trail

Groundhog’s Lap Race: January 31, 2026 at Haw River State Park, North Carolina

Moonlight Bootlegger 5K:  May 2, 2026 at Hagan Stone Park in Pleasant Garden, North Carolina

Carpe Diem Carpe Noctem Morning & Evening Half Marathon & 10K:  September 12, 2026 at Hagan-Stone Park in Pleasant Garden, North Carolina

Pilot Mountain to Hanging Rock Ultra & Relay:  September 19, 2026 in Danbury, North Carolina

Road

Running of the Lights:  January 1st at Tanglewood Park in Clemmons, North Carolina

Blackbeard's Revenge 100 Ultra & Relay 100M, 100K, & 100M Relay:  March 21-22, 2026 in the Outer Banks in Corolla, North Carolina

Pennsylvania

End of the Road Half Marathon & One Tunnel 4 Mile:  October 24-25, 2026 on the old Pennsylvania Turnpike in Waterfall, Pennsylvania

West Virginia

Highball to Thurmond Ultra & Relay 50M, 50K, & 50M Relay:  May 17, 2026 in New River Gorge National Park, running from Montgomery to Thurmond, West Virginia

With an all new course, we will have a new athlete guide up as soon as our courses and information are finalized!

Chariot racing is for people with disabilities often referred to as adapted carriage driving or therapeutic carriage driving, where individuals with mobility limitations can participate in the sport using specialized equipment and support.  This can include teams of two or more participants with one athlete riding in the adaptive chariot, while one or more able bodied athletes push the chariot.

 
Note, each runner and rider should sign up separately to receive a shirt and a medal.  Trivium is not responsible for pairing runners and riders. Contact Priscilla priscilla@triviumracing.com with questions.

If your team has 10+ members registered two weeks before race day, you’ll enjoy:

• A team tent set up by Trivium, featuring a banner with your club's name/logo
• Your registration packets, ready at the tent (skip packet pickup lines)
  •  In order for your race packet (shirt, bib, etc.) to be pulled and available at your club tent, you must be registered as part of the club by the Monday before the race at 11:59 pm EST.
• Dedicated club porta potties!
• Food, drinks, and goodies waiting for your team.

Check the Club/Teams tab and see how many people your team currently has registered!  Questions about Club Benefits? Reach out to Delaney at delaney@triviumracing.com.
 

Only Fools Run Club Competition

• All clubs, regardless of size, are part of the club competition.
• Awards go to the winning club
• All finishes count toward the 2026 Trivium Club Cup Competition

How Club Scoring Works at Only Fools Run

• All finishers earn 1 point just for completing the race, so the more runners your team brings, the more you score.
• Age group placement earns additional points, with top finishers scoring up to 20 points (1st place) and down to 2 points (for 16th–20th).
• Overall podium winners (1st, 2nd, 3rd) earn double their age group points—for example, an overall 10K winner scores 41 points!
• Volunteers are a huge part of race day too, earning 5 points each for their club.
• The Half Marathon is worth double points across the board—making it a huge opportunity to rack up a big score for your team.

2026 Trivium Racing Club Competition

• All clubs who compete also earn points toward the Overall, 2026 Trivium Club Competition
• The Overall season winner will be treated to a club party and receive the club cup to proudly display for the next year!
• Points will start at 500 for first place and decrease by 50 points for each placement. (1st = 500, 2nd = 450, 3rd = 400, etc.)
• Clubs placing 11 – 20 will receive 25 points.
• Club placing 21 and up will receive 10 points.
   

Check out the full club cup schedule and how points are earned here:  https://triviumracing.com/cup-challenge/

Club Program

Love racing with your club/team with Trivium Racing?  Check out our Club Program!  Clubs receive a 10% discount code, a free race entry to raffle at run group, and can potentially partner to do more fun stuff!  Complete this form to request to participate.

Save time on race day, plus get any last minute items you need to have a successful race when you pick up your packet early!

• Date Thursday, March 26, 2026
• Time 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
• Location Fleet Feet Greensboro, 3731 Lawndale Dr, Greensboro, NC 27455

Present your bib at check out & receive a 10% discount! 

• Date Friday, March 27, 2026
• Time 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
• Location The Social on Main, 433 Spring Garden Street, Greensboro, NC 24701

They will have drink specials for all runners! 

The 2024 and 2025 course was fun, but this race was created to be something more! For 2026, we have a new and exciting course to bring to you! 

We still have a few tweaks to make with the city, but here is a preview of what is to come! 

Half Marathon Pacers will be provided by Beast Pacing to help you achieve your race day timing goal.  Beast pacers follow some important pacing rules:  They finish within a minute of their pacing time, and never over.  They do not bank time.  They run with an even effort.

Pacers will be wearing a custom pace shirt and will be carrying pace signs. Find your pace goal sign when lining up for the start and stay with the pacer to meet your time goal.  You do not need to register ahead of time.

2026 Pace Groups:

1:50 (8:23/mile)
2:00 (9:09/mile)
2:15 (10:18/mile)
2:30 (11:27/mile)
2:45 (12:35/mile)
3:00 (13:44/mile)
3:15 (14:50/mile) (Sweeper)

Pacers are still be added.

Should you have any questions about the pacers or would like to become a pacer, email Vanessa Kline at info@beastpacing.com.

We will have best parking practices updated soon! 

Only Fools Run Half Marathon, 10K, & 5K offers a referral code program. This is a fun & easy way to get your friends to sign up to race with you, plus you get a little money back on your registration fee!

Referral incentives

• Half Marathon Participants: Refer 5 people who sign up to race, and you get a $20 race registration refund
• 10K Participants: Refer 5 people who sign up to race, and you get a $15 race registration refund
• 5K Participants: Refer 5 people who sign up to race, and you get a $10 race registration refund

How does this work? Share the referral code link you were given when you signed up for this race. You will get your registration refund once you get 5 people to register using your code. Start sharing your link today! 

You can also locate your personal referral link by clicking this link for instructions.

Check out these participant reviews

Thursday, March 26th 

• 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm Early Packet Pickup at Fleet Feet Greensboro, 3731 Lawndale Dr, Greensboro, NC 27455

Friday, March 27th 

• 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm Early Packet Pickup at The Social on Garden, 433 Spring Garden S, Greensboro, NC 27401

Saturday, March 28th 

Start/Finish/Pick up is located at: The Social on Garden, 433 Spring Garden S, Greensboro, NC 27401

• 6:45 am – 7:50 am | Packet Pick Up/Registration
• 8:00 am | Half Marathon Start
• 8:20 am | 10K Start
• 8:30 am | 5K Start
• 9:30 am | 5K Awards (approx.)
• 10:00 am | 10K Awards (approx.)
• 10:30 am | Half Marathon awards (approx.)
• 11:15 am | Course closes

Course Cut-off Times 

This event has a 3 hour and 15 minute cutoff for the Half Marathon. At any point after the halfway point you can be asked to move to the sidewalks or pulled from the course if you fall drastically behind the course cut off pace. Those cut off times will be:

• Mile 3 – 8:45 AM
• Mile 6.6 - 9:35 AM
• Mile 10.25 – 10:15 AM
  

Awards to the top 3 overall males, females, and non-binary, and top 3 males and females in the following age groups for each race distance: 14 and under,15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80+

Awards not picked up on race day will be subject to a $10 shipping fee. Awards will only be mailed 2 weeks from the event date.

This race is chip timed by Trivium Racing.

Check out some of these articles to help you get race ready!

Half Marathon

• 3 Essential Training Ingredients for Your Fastest Half Marathon
• This Half Marathon Training Plan Can Work for Every Runner’s Schedule

10K

• How to train for a 10K

5K

• The Ultimate 5-Week Training Plan for Your First 5K

To complete your virtual race and receive your finisher medal and shirt, follow these steps:

1. Run your race at a place and time of your choosing.
2. Track your time with a watch or fitness app.
3. Report your time on our results page by clicking "Submit Virtual Results". Results can be submitted anytime between March 15th and March 29th. Don't forget to share your virtual race selfies too! If you have trouble, here's a step-by-step guide!

Shirts and finisher medals will be mailed out within 10 days after race day.  Please double check that your mailing address is correct on your registration before race day.  No packets will be available after April 8th. 

Any changes to virtual on or after race day will be subject a shipping charge.

Virtual participants are not eligible for awards. 

Regular Registration

• Finishers medal - This race is part of the 2026 North Carolina Road Mega Medal Series! 
• Custom race shirt (unisex & women's sizing) Shirt size is not guaranteed within 2 weeks of race day. Shirt size availability is visible when registering.
• Beer ticket (1) (21 & over)*
• Live results
• Awesome post-race food & drinks
• Great awards
• Race photos
• Half Marathon pacers

Economy Registration

• Finishers medal
• Custom race shirt 
• Live results
• Awesome post-race food & drinks
• Great awards
• Race photos
• Half Marathon pacers

Virtual Registration

• Finishers Medal: This race is part of the 2025 North Carolina Road Mega Medal Series!  All medals will connect magnetically to make one giant medal
• Custom Only Fools Run Shirt 

2025 Custom Shirt - 2026 Shirt coming soon!