Rivertown Races

Join Us on April 17 & 18, 2026!

Celebrating our 14th year...Rivertown Races has become a popular family-friendly 1/2 Marathon, 10k, & 5k, with a kids event the evening before. Any of the distances are great for first-timer runners to elites. These events start and finish at the beautiful Meadows of Millennium Park, the largest urban park in the area, located in Walker, MI, southwest of Grand Rapids. Runners will travel over roads, paved trails, and bridges while enjoying the rolling terrain, wetlands, and lakes that encompass this unique location. Food and beverages, music, and family fun will be available throughout the event.

This year we are excited to announce that the Rivertown Races will be presented by our friends at Striders! 

"Striders is excited to partner with this premier local spring race, and support the important mission of Bridge Street Ministries (owner and beneficiary) as they work to equip and empower local youth to be future leaders of restoration and hope." -Jeff Jauch, owner

Register by April 1st to lock your shirt size in!

We are excited to introduce the Rivertown Kids Fun Run! This fun run will be an untimed, competitive run designed to give kids a positive experience and introduction to the sport of running. 
Kids will get to experience the feel of the start line, the sense of accomplishment after completing a significant effort, and the thrill of the finish line...all this without the added pressure of performance. 
Don’t get us wrong, we love to win and love to see people push themselves. This just is not that type of event.

Each participant will get a shirt, a medal, and a bib.

Parents or older siblings are welcome to run with the kids.
When: Friday, April 25, 6 PM
Age: 10 and under
Cost: $15

CHARITY - About Bridge Street Ministries
Bridge Street Ministries is a youth-focused Christian Community Development organization located in the heart of Grand Rapids West Side.  100% of registration donations will go to help complete a new youth center building project that the ministry is currently working on.

To find out more about our ministry, visit bsmgr.org/

Rivertown Races is excited to invite you to partner with us. For over a decade, Rivertown Races has been hosting one of West Michigan's premier running races, offering half marathon, 10k, and 5k distances. 

Rivertown Races is a family-friendly race that draws over 800 athletes and nearly 100 volunteers each year. Rivertown Races has something for everyone! Our beautiful, flat, and fast courses provide a perfect race for both beginner and elite athletes. And in 2022 we added a 1-mile fun run for kids and families to enjoy. 

Not only is Rivertown Races a premier West Michigan running event, it is a fundraiser for Bridge Street Ministries, a local Christian urban youth organization on a mission to equip and empower youth, through holistic development, to become future leaders of restoration and hope in their communities. We are proud to say that 100% of the proceeds of Rivertown Races goes directly to help advance this important initiative.

We would like to invite you to consider sponsoring this great event. As a race sponsor, your organization can benefit from a variety of advertising opportunities, including promotion on volunteer and race t-shirts, race day banner, and our website, among other things! Click the file below to view all of the opportunities, then set up a time to connect with us!

2026 Rivertown Races Training

For 2026, AtoZrunning is back again with Rivertown Races to provide exclusive training and coaching services for all Rivertown Races participants! Andi & Zach call West Michigan their home and are PASSIONATE about runners with all goals, realizing their full potential. The website below contains the 2024 plans, explains what "effort" means, and decodes each workout type so that you can get the most out of your training. 

Rivertown Races - Training Plans - AtoZrunning

AtoZrunning has created the option for the workouts to arrive in your inbox daily! Click HERE to subscribe. Each email will provide explanations of how to achieve the goal for the workout as well as why that workout helps achieve the overall goal of training during that time. Additionally, Andi & Zach are going to include in the daily email a direct link to our pre-run warmup recommendations and other resources.

If you find yourself wanting more than a generic training plan, Andi and Zach have a special promotion on custom plans on the website, exclusive to Rivertown Races participants! 

Good luck with your training...and don't forget to have fun along the way!

“The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.” – John Bingham

2026 Finisher Medal & Participant Shirt!

Stay tuned for the reveal in early 2026!

Click the file below to access all of the "need to know" 2025 race day info to get a sense for our our race weekend flows. The 2026 information will be posted about 10 out from race day. If you still have a question, email us at info@rivertownraces.com. 

For your GPS, use 1400 Maynard Ave SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49534 to get to the Meadows at Millennium Park. 

Packet Pick Ups:
April 17 - Friday: Striders - Grandville, MI - 3 PM - 6 PM (ONLY for the 5k, 10k & half marathon)
April 17 - Friday for Rivertown Kids: Millennium Park - 5 PM - 5:45 PM (no 5k, 10k, or half marathon)
April 17 - Saturday: Millennium Park - Race Day 6:00 AM - 7:15 AM

Race Start Times:
April 17 - Friday, Millennium Park - Rivertown Kids: 6 PM
April 18 - Saturday, Millennium Park - Half Marathon Starts - 7:55 AM
April 18 - Saturday, Millennium Park - 5K & 10K Starts - 8:25 AM