One of the oldest 5K’s in the Triangle where every female finisher receives a red rose, the North Carolina Roadrunners Club is proud to present the 44th Annual Run for the Roses 5K. This fun traditional weekend race offers a fun-filled afternoon for the family to raise money to benefit Four Paws and a Wake Up-NC an organization which trains service dogs for veterans and Team Red, White and Blue NC, an organization with the mission to enrich the lives of America’s veterans by connecting them to their community through physical and social activity.

In 2024, there were 294 entries with yet again rainy weather. Theo Reynolds of Raleigh took top honors with a time of 18:02, while Brigid Brennan (5th overall) of Raleigh led the women in 19:36.

The 2025 race will be held at the same venue, the Walnut Creek Athletic Complex at 1201 Sunnybrook Rd, Raleigh, 27610.

Registration
The last day to register online is Friday, February 14, 2025.

$35 until midnight on December 23, 2024 - Early Bird Special
$40 until midnight on February 14, 2025
$45 on race day and early packet pickup 
Special rate - $20 for all entries under 18 years old
NCRC members get a $10 discount and Team Red White & Blue members get a $5 discount.
** The fee includes a long sleeved shirt to all those who enter by midnight on Sunday, February 2, 2025. There will be youth sizes this year! If you desire to donate all of your registration fee to the two charities, select "no shirt" on the registration form.

Early Packet Pickup/Late Registration
Location: Fleet Feet Raleigh - Ridgewood Shopping Center 3524 Wade Avenue, Raleigh, NC 27607
When: Saturday, February 15, 2025
Time: 2-6pm

Race Day: Sunday, February 16, 2025
Location: Walnut Creek Athletic Complex - 1201 Sunnybrook Road, Raleigh, NC 
12:30 PM - Race Day Registration and Packet Pickup
2:00 PM - 5K Start
3:00 PM - Kids Fun Runs Start
3:15 PM - Awards   

Course
New course! The race will be run partly on the greenway but you'll still have to run on the gravel parking lot to enter and exit the greenway. Course map coming soon. 

Jogging Strollers
UPDATE - The new course will have portions that are offroad and gravel. We are still a jogging stroller friendly race and participants are welcome to run or walk with jogging strollers but wanted to give you a heads up about the new course. We also ask that you start towards the back of the pack to allow the other runners a clear start. 

Fundraising
We will donate a portion of the race proceeds to Four Paws and a Wake Up-NC and Team Red, White and Blue NC (in 2022 the race was able to donate $2000 to each charity, our best to date). You can also raise money that will go directly to the charities using our "fundraising" service. Once you have registered for the race you can create your own fundraising page.

Team Competition
There will be a 2-person team competition: 1 male and 1 female, any age, can register as a team. They will run against other "couples" for the fastest combined course time. There is no fee for the team competition and teams can register at early packet pickup or on race day.

Awards
New awards sponsor! Fleet Feet will be our new sponsor since Mark Allard with New Balance retired. Awards will be presented to the top three overall male and female, and to the top three finishers in each of the following age groups (male and female): 15-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70+. In the team competition, awards will be given to the top three teams with the fastest combined times.

Children's Events
Face painting - Mimi the Clown (12:30-2:30)
100 meter dash for 6 years old and younger
400 meter dash (1/4 mile) for 6-10 years old
Registration for the Children’s Races will take place on race day. Parents are welcome and encouraged to run with their children. All children participating in these events will receive a medal for completing their race. These races will start at 3:00 pm. 

Refunds/Race Cancellation
There are no refunds for any reason. If, for reasons out of our control (i.e. an ice storm or such), we are unable to hold the event on the scheduled day, the race will be cancelled and not rescheduled. However, we will make all t-shirts available to those that registered. We will make every effort to run the race as long as it is safe to do so.

Pet Food Collections
We will be collecting pet food for the Wake County SPCA and other Animal Rescue Organizations. Please bring your donation on race day or to early packet pickup!

Sponsors
If you are interested in donating cash (100% of which will be passed on to our charities) or “in-kind” items (which will help NCRC reduce our race day costs and result in more money being donated to our charities) please contact Elizabeth Werner (roses@ncroadrunners.org)


Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact Elizabeth Werner at roses@ncroadrunners.org