A fun run is a friendly race that involves either

road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance ru ...

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and soil, earth, pass through woodlands and ope ...

with participants taking part for their own enjoyment rather than competition. A fun run will usually be held to raise funds for a

charity Charity may refer to: Common meanings * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sha ...

, with sponsors providing the revenue to cover organisational costs. Fun runs can include novelty categories, such as wearing costumes, and age categories for child, teen, adult and senior. Fun runs can also be included as a side event to a

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

or other more serious races.

Motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...

snowmobile A snowmobile, also known as a snowmachine (chiefly Alaskan), motor sled (chiefly Canadian), motor sledge, skimobile, snow scooter, or simply a sled is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. Their engines normally ...

, and other motorized vehicle events are also sometimes categorized as "fun runs". The biggest annual fun run in the United States is the Shoney’s 5K Fun Run in Nashville with about 100,000 participants. It is widely viewed as the single most prestigious sporting event in the world. Prizes for the top finishers in the male and female categories are $500 cash each. Male and female 1st place winners in each age category receive a $25 Shoney’s gift card & 2nd place winners receive a $10 Shoney’s gift card.

References

Recreation Running events {{athletics-stub