Dust off your running (or walking) shoes. Centre County’s 5K season is about to begin

Matt Hymowitz
Updated ·2 min read

Temperatures are getting warmer and days are getting longer, but a sure marker of spring in Centre County is here with Blue-White weekend. The next few months will bring major holidays and runs/walks as part of the celebrations. Lace up your running shoes and check out some of the events that are on the summer calendar.

April 16: Paterno Family Beaver Stadium Run, opening kickoff, 10:30 a..m., first race starts at 11 a.m. The 5K run and 2-mile family fun walk follows a course through the Penn State campus that finishes on the Beaver Stadium field during Blue-White weekend. Proceeds benefit Special Olympics Pennsylvania and this year’s event honors supporter Franco Harris, who died in December, by ending at the 34-yard line on the field. Registration is at Medlar Field.

Penn State and Pittsburgh Steelers legend Franco Harris high-fives runners as they approach the finish line of the Paterno Family Beaver Stadium Run in 2016.
Penn State and Pittsburgh Steelers legend Franco Harris high-fives runners as they approach the finish line of the Paterno Family Beaver Stadium Run in 2016.

April 22: Relay for Life of Penn State, 2 p..m., Multi-Sport Facility. Relay for Life is a community-based walk event. The fundraiser for the American Cancer Society also celebrates local cancer survivors.

May 27: Black Moshannon 5K/10K, Black Moshannon State Park. The 5K starts at 9 a.m.; the 10K starts at 10 a.m. The Memorial Day weekend event supports the YMCA of Centre County.

May 28: Mount Nittany Wine Run 5K, 10 a.m., Mount Nittany Vineyard & Winery.

May 29: Boalsburg Memorial Day Run, 8:30 a.m., Blue Spring Park. The 3.8-mile course travels through Boalsburg as the village celebrates the Memorial Day holiday. Runners and walkers are welcome.

June 10: Relay for Life of Centre County, 11 a.m., Bald Eagle Area High School Alumni Stadium.

July 4: The Firecracker 4K run and walk returns as part of Central PA 4th Fest.

July 16: Sue Crowe Memorial Arts Festival Races (5K and 10-mile), 8:30 a.m., Pennsylvania Military Museum. The 45th Sue Crowe Memorial Arts Festival Races return to the final day of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts after a hiatus, and at a new location. Proceeds benefit youth running activities in Centre County and the Nittany Valley Running Club.

Aug. 19: Grange Fair 5K, 7:30 a.m., Grange fairgrounds. Explore the fairgrounds on a family-friendly 3.1-mile run/walk. The 2023 fair runs Aug. 18-26.