Enjoy the run wherever you are. Complete your distance at home on the treadmill or outside in your own community while practicing social distancing. Either way, you’re competing for your personal best while supporting Lincoln Park Zoo.

Run anywhere in your neighborhood, take photos, log your time and miles, and share your experience with us! Email us your stories (events@lpzoo.org) and encourage your fellow running community members on the event page (https://www.facebook.com/events/446240282720510/). Participants release liability to share submissions with the public.

All virtual 5K/10K participants will receive their packets in the mail. These will include a themed tech shirt, and racers who make an additional donation of $25 or more will also receive a Supporter Medal. Please be sure to verify your mailing address during the registration process, as Lincoln Park Zoo is not responsible for misdirected packets.

Each week from April 6–June 7, a virtual 5K and 10K participant will be randomly selected and awarded a special animal plush from the Gift Shop.

Encourage your little ones (recommended for kids ages 3–8), to get out in nature and express their inner animal. Children can create projects and crafts that connect their active lifestyle to nature. Participant stories and photos can be collected and shared via email (events@lpzoo.org) or through the event page (https://www.facebook.com/events/446240282720510/). Guardians release liability to share submissions with the public.

Each week from April 6–June 7, a Safari Stampede participant will be randomly selected and awarded a special animal plush from the Gift Shop.

All Virtual Safari Stampede participants will receive their packets in the mail. They will include a themed shirt and special participant medal. Please be sure to verify your mailing address during the registration process, as Lincoln Park Zoo is not responsible for misdirected packets.

Team up with coworkers, friends, or family and run for the zoo during this virtual 5K and 10K experience! The Team Challenge gives local businesses, churches, running clubs, families, and organizations the opportunity to promote health and fitness—all while supporting Lincoln Park Zoo. There will be fun prizes and awards for which your team can compete.

Team Registration Information

You can register your team online by clicking “create a team.” To form a team, appoint one person as team captain to represent your group. Then, simply follow the instructions below.

To qualify to participate in the Team Challenge, you must recruit at least three individuals to participate on your team. The team captain will then register and choose the “create the team” option during the online process, and tell team members their team name. Team members will select “join a team” when they begin registering. All team participants must be registered as a team by May 29.

Team Challenge Scoring and Awards

The Team Challenge event has been designed to support the promotion of fitness though virtual group exercise, community spirit, and good old-fashioned competition! Teams must have three participants in the virtual 10K or 5K to be eligible for awards.

Overall Largest Team

The team with the most registered participants will win a special signed copy of Reach: The Remarkable Impact of Lincoln Park Zoo signed by Zoo Director Megan Ross.

Biggest Fundraiser

The registered team that raises the most money for Lincoln Park Zoo will win one ticket, per team member, to the brand new Lincoln Park Zoo Cider Festival on September 19.

Participants who donate a minimum of $25 will earn a commemorative supporter medal!

Lincoln Park Zoo is home to more than 800 animals, including more than 50 threatened or endangered species. Each day, thanks to the support of generous donors like you, they receive specially formulated diets, expert veterinary care, and customized enrichment to keep them active and healthy.

Your donation could go toward enrichment activities like:

$25

Black bears spend much of their time foraging for fruit, nuts, and vegetation. Lincoln Park Zoo’s resident bears—Birch and Katai—enjoy a nutritious diet that includes nuts, raisins, honey, and restaurant-grade produce. $25 supplies the zoo’s bears with a week’s worth of fresh, leafy greens!

Durable Kong toys are an excellent match for curious snouts and sharp digging claws. $25 buys a new Kong toy for animals like Paatsy, the zoo’s resident aardvark.

$50

Keepers at Regenstein Center for African Apes stuff healthy food items into puzzle feeders to make mealtime more enriching for western lowland gorillas. $50 provides the great apes with new puzzle feeders, which encourage natural foraging behaviors and minimizes waste.

The curious birds at Robert and Mayari Pritzker Penguin Cove flip for the crunchy snacks that keepers make using cereal. $50 supplies the penguins with enough cereal to keep them snacking for two months!

$75

Lincoln Park Zoo is proud to host the only two Puerto Rican parrots in the continental U.S. The zoo has been helping to save this species in the wild since 2006, and the two young males who reside at Regenstein Small Mammal-Reptile House stay healthy with a balanced diet that contains nuts and fruit. $75 provides a year’s worth of fresh fruit for this dynamic duo!

African painted dogs have a barrel of fun with barrels—a favorite enrichment item—whether pawing them around their yard or rolling around inside them. $75 provides the playful pups with five new barrels!

$100

Bactrian camels store fat reserves, not water, in their signature humps. But that doesn’t mean they don’t get thirsty. The camels at the zoo stay hydrated with sturdy, automatic water dispensers—at approximately $100 each, they’re the gift that keeps on giving!

What would you do for a peanut butter treat? The resident polar bears will do just about anything… which makes it a perfect training tool! $100 provides Siku and Talini with a five-month supply of peanut buttery goodness.

Virtual 5K & 10K Race Awards

The first place male and female runner for the virtual 5K and 10K races will each receive a special animal plush from the Gift Shop. To qualify for this award, participants must submit a photo of GPS verification.

Any individual that raises or donates more than $1,000 to Lincoln Park Zoo will be entered into a random drawing to win two United Airlines round-trip economy certificates good for travel within the continental U.S. Rules & regulations subject to Lincoln Park Zoo discretion.

In honor of the 42nd year of Run for the Zoo, the 42nd-place male and female runner for the virtual 5K and 10K races will each win a membership to Lincoln Park Zoo. (This will be based on the honor system.)

In honor of the 152nd year of Lincoln Park Zoo, the 152^nd-place male and female runner for the virtual 5K and 10K races will each win a large animal plush from the Gift Shop. (This will be based on the honor system.)

Team Awards

The team with the largest number of registered participants as a team will win a special signed copy of Reach: The Remarkable Impact of Lincoln Park Zoo signed by Zoo Director Megan Ross.

The registered team that raises the most money for Lincoln Park Zoo will win one tickets, per team member, to the brand new Lincoln Park Zoo Cider Festival on September 19.

Individual Fundraisers and Donors

The individual that raises the most money for the Lincoln Park Zoo in the $25 to $999 category will win four tickets to any Lincoln Park Zoo public event of their choice in 2020, plus a free meal for them and three friends at The Patio at Café Brauer. If multiple individuals tie as the largest fundraisers, a winner will be randomly selected.

The individual participant that donates the most money to Lincoln Park Zoo in the $25 to $999 category will win four tickets to any Lincoln Park Zoo public event of their choice in 2020, plus a free meal for them and three friends at The Patio at Café Brauer. If multiple individuals tie as the largest fundraisers, a winner will be randomly selected.

Any individual that raises or donates more than $1,000 to Lincoln Park Zoo will be entered into a random drawing to win two United Airlines round-trip economy certificates good for travel within the continental U.S.

Tech shirts will be offered in men’s and women's sizes once again for all virtual 5K and 10K participants. Virtual Safari Stampede T-shirts are unisex and available in youth extra small, small, medium, and large.

We cannot guarantee T-shirt exchanges due to fit, so please choose carefully at registration.

Where is Run for the Zoo taking place, what is accessible, and will I see animals?

Run for the Zoo will be virtual this year. We encourage participants to choose between the 5K or 10K distance, set a goal, and run in the comforts of their home or community, allowing for social distancing—all while supporting everything Lincoln Park Zoo has to offer.

All runners must be registered by June 7, 2020, and complete their distance by June 21, 2020.

What is a virtual run and why should I participate?

We want to give everyone the opportunity to experience Run for the Zoo, as well as provide a safe experience during an unprecedented time. Through this event, you can:

• run whenever you want, although the goal is to complete your selected distance by June 7, 2020. With a virtual race, you pick the day that is best for you.
• run wherever you want. Pick the path that works best and the course that is the most convenient. Race in your neighborhood or local park, allowing for social distancing. It’s completely up to you.
• Run as far as you want. We are here to encourage you to run your selected distance, but you can run whatever distance you are most comfortable with.

The goal of the event is to stay active while supporting a good cause. With a virtual run, you can walk, job, bike, or swim. Just set your sights on getting it done.

Your participation helps keep the zoo open and free 365 days a year. Thanks to your support, Lincoln Park Zoo can continue to connect people with nature by providing a free, family-oriented wildlife experience in the heart of Chicago and by advancing the highest quality of animal care, education, science and conservation.

What are the age restrictions for Run for the Zoo?

There is no age restriction, but we recommend that ages 3–8 participate in the virtual Safari Stampede.

Can I sign up for Run for the Zoo the day of the virtual event and when will packets be mailed?

If registrations remain available, a limited number of registrations will be for sale online on the day of the event. We highly recommend advanced registration, though, as participants who register after May 25 might not receive a packet receipt prior to June 7. We hope to begin mailing packets on the following dates:

• First Mailing: May 18
• Second Mailing: May 26
• Final Mailing: June 9

Where can I participate to complete my virtual run?

Anywhere! This is your opportunity to train for the distance, track your accomplishments, and engage with your community in a virtual way. You can complete the run however you want–whether outdoors or on a treadmill Make this run your own!

How do I track my distance and do I need to submit a finish time to get my participant packet?

For the virtual run, we accept finish times based on the honor system, but for the most accurate tracking, we encourage you to track through a GPS-enabled device, such as the Runkeeper app or something similar.

You do not need to submit your time to receive a packet. Your shirts will be mailed to the address with which you registered. We will also track all donations and fundraising efforts through your registration online, as well. If you want to be considered for further awards and random supporter prizes, we do request that you submit your time. While we can’t verify your accuracy, we hope you follow the honor system.

Please track your time through this link (https://results.raceroster.com/results/9pj7k54hmntynuwr).

How will awards and prizes be distributed?

All prize- and award-winners will receive an email announcing their status. We would also appreciate the ability to promote these individuals through our communication channels.

Digital prizes will be sent to the email address that was used to register for the event. All other ‘physical’ prizes and awards will be made available onsite at Lincoln Park Zoo. We will contact you to arrange a specific pick-up window and/or logistics, if applicable.

All finishers will be notified of prizes, if applicable, by June 30, 2020.

Can registrations be traded, transferred, or refunded?

There are no refunds for registrations purchased for special events at Lincoln Park Zoo. So that we may continue to offer the unique Run for the Zoo experience to the running community year after year, we must uphold our no refund and no deferment policy. Considerable time and effort has already been dedicated to planning for this year's event and a significant portion of our expenditures have already been incurred and are irreversible. Thank you for understanding and for continuing to support your zoo.

Each runner must complete an application and sign a waiver, so registrations are non-transferable.

Participants who have previously signed up for the event will be automatically transferred over to their selected virtual distance.

All proceeds from this event go to Lincoln Park Zoo and supports state-of-the-art animal care and worldwide conservation, and helps keep the zoo free and open every day of the year.

If I have more questions, who can I reach out to?

If you have a question regarding this event, please email info@visioneventmanagement.com

If you have a question regarding events at Lincoln Park Zoo, please email events@lpzoo.org.

If you are interested in being a sponsor of this event, please email corporatealliances@lpzoo.org.