William R, Gaines Jr Freedom Run 5K
About this race
Join us for one of the last 5k's of the year and let's leave 2026 in the dust! The race will start and end at the William R. Gaines Jr. Veterans Memorial Park. All proceeds will go toward the William R. Gaines Jr. Veterans Memorial Fund for the Beirut Peacekeepers Memorial Tower.
9am start time
The 5K Freedom Run at the William R. Gaines Jr. Veterans Memorial Park will take place at 9 a.m. on December 26, 2026.
The park is located at 20499 Edgewater Dr, Port Charlotte, FL 33952.
Packet Pickup race morning:
@ Large Pavilion at 20499 Edgewater Dr, Port Charlotte, FL 33952. starting at 7:30am
(ALL Registration will be open ONLINE. You must bring a phone to register.) NO CASH
The run will start in the park beginning the Beirut Peacekeepers Memorial Tower Plaza. Runners will make their way past athletic courts, as well as a Military themed playground and the Charlotte County Liberty Tree, on their way to the scenic Port Charlotte
Beach. The runners will follow their way back to the park for refreshments and the announcements of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd winners by age category.
This is a chance for the whole family to get outside after Christmas and exercise together. Runners will receive Freedom Run t-shirts, and dog tag shaped medals for the top runners in various age categories.
To sign up, please visit wrgainesjr.org/5k.
For more information
please contact Michael Gaines at 813-785-6709 or
michael.gaines@wrgainesjr.org.
Family/Dog-Friendly event.
Fruit, energy bars, water will be available after the run.
View the course Map Please stay on the Sidewalks as the streets will not be closed.
Course Map
Veterans Discount is available
Per USATF rules, gun time is used to determine prize money winners and time bonus recipients. Tag time (chip time) will be used to determine all age-group
Pick your distance
Running
William R, Gaines Jr Freedom Run 5K
Walking
FUN 1 Mile-ish walk
Typical race-day weather
Based on 6 years of Open-Meteo archive data for this event's race dates in Port Charlotte, plus the 3 days either side.
The sun rises at 7:15 AM and sets at 5:42 PM local time (EST) in Port Charlotte on December 26, 2026 — 10h 27m of daylight.
Course
No course map published yet.
The organizer hasn't released a route for this event, and we don't publish guesses. If you're the organizer, send us a GPX file and we'll draw the profile.
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Results — William R, Gaines Jr Freedom Run 5K
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🏃 Plan Your Next Race in Port Charlotte
Find upcoming events by distance:
- Port Charlotte 5K Races 7 races
- Port Charlotte Running Calendar 2026 10 races
Where this page comes from. Race details were last updated on . We re-check listings regularly and again in the week before race day.
- Entries, prices, waves and inclusions — the event's official registration page
- Temperature and humidity — Copernicus ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0)
- Elevation and terrain relief — Copernicus DEM GLO-90, ESA (CC BY 4.0)
- Comparisons and counts — Race Discovery calendar, 10 Port Charlotte events
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