Illinois State University Homecoming Town and Gown 5K

All registration will be done online.  To save time, please complete your registration prior to arriving on site.

Get ready to raise the banner high at the Town and Gown Hybrid 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run/Walk as a part of Homecoming. The in-person race will take off at the Student Fitness Center at 8 a.m. and go through Uptown Normal and around campus. One water stop will be set on the course, and refreshments, courtesy of the Town of Normal, will be available afterward for all run/walk participants. Check out the course to get ready to run.

The Office of Sustainability will be onsite with reusable water bottles and Zero Waste Crew to make this a zero-waste event. No pets, please. Strollers welcomed. Parking is available in the School Street Parking Garage off of Beaufort. Prizes will be awarded to overall male and female winners, overall male and female wheelchair racers, and overall non-binary racer. Additional awards for the top three male and female finishers in each age division: 14 & under, 15-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60 and over.  

This year’s registration cost is $20 for all ages and races. Five dollars of each registration will support the Marian H. Dean Scholarship. Online registration is available until 7:45 a.m. on race day. To guarantee a shirt, racers must register by midnight on September 16.

Packet pick-up is Friday (day before the race) in the Kasten Room at the Alumni Center or Saturday (race day_ from 7–7:45 a.m. at the Student Fitness Center (347 S. University).

Virtual runners will receive a confirmation email in the following weeks after registering, including a bib to print, further instructions, and a link to submit race time. Shirts will be mailed. All participants are encouraged to run on race day sporting their Redbird gear, but you can finish anytime before the date.

Join fellow runners on October 24, 2026 for the Illinois State University Homecoming Town and Gown 5K. It's a fantastic 5K, 1.6K featuring a flat and fast course in Normal.