Friday, April 17 & Saturday, April 18

Name: Charlotte Racefest
Start: 2026-04-18T07:30:00-04:00
Location: Symphony Park, Sharon Road, Charlotte, NC

Run with the Dogwoods

Charlotte Racefest is celebrating its 25th anniversary as the premier spring half marathon welcoming thousands to the streets of Charlotte through multiple distances. From a Half Marathon to a 10K to a Mile to a Kid’s Dash, this festival of running has something for every runner to celebrate. We are proud to work hand and hand with communities that surround SouthPark Mall to raise money for Go Jen Go, our beneficiary helping navigate breast cancer.

In 2026, Crown Collective, the team that brings you events like Around the Crown 10K, Forward Motion, and NoDa 5K has taken the reigns on the legacy of Charlotte Racefest. We're keeping a lot of the pieces that you know and love, but we're also putting our own charm on it.

Updated Course: The start/finish line will now be in the parking lot by Symphony Park and the first and last 2 miles will be on Sharon Road and Carnegie Boulevard. This will help with corralling and growth as the years tick on.

Rebrand: We're excited to honor the 25th running of Charlotte Racefest with an updated brand to highlight the pop of Spring we get to experience here in the Southeast through the colors and font you'll see throughout the brand.

Pillars: The core tenants you've come to expect at Crown Collective events will be brought to the marketing and start line of Racefest. We'll be bringing an emphasis of sustainability, inclusivity, and a pure love for Charlotte from here on out.

2026 Race Swag: At Crown Collective, we’re proud to continue to work with our partner in sustainability, Recover, for the 2026 shirt. On top of that, our newest partner, Badges and Medals, also has a focus on sustainability for your 2026 medal. In total, the shirt and medal helps remove 10 plastic bottles from the landfill and looks damn good while it does.

This year’s design speaks to the state flower of North Carolina, the flowering dogwood, which you’ll see along the brand new course. It's bold, yet clean, making it wearable way beyond race day with a subtle flex of your running status. This hand drawn rendition of our favorite flora on the back of shirt and front of the medal is where the design really comes to life.

Shirt Upgrade: Yep, we had to take it one step further. We’re excited to work with a new product from Recover, their custom long sleeve Sport Stretch. This new material is tech, but buttery soft - the perfect feel for those cooler mornings that like to stick around in the spring in the South.

The Brooks Mile: This corralled, family friendly race is made for those chasing sub 5 or sub 15 all kicking off at 7pm the night before the big day! That means we’re adding the opportunity to race Friday night as well as Saturday morning and kick off our distance challenges. Those running the mile will receive a technical Brooks tee or have the opportunity to upgrade to an elite Brooks tank!