HOF Marathon Hosting Centennial Celebration 5K

Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon will host a special Centennial Celebration 5K on Saturday, Sept. 19. Participants can take part in the event in-person or virtually.

“This event, with its virtual option, is a great way for fans of football and of the Hall of Fame, regardless of where they live, to join us in celebrating the league’s Centennial and supporting the Hall and its mission,” said Pat Lindesmith, the Hall’s Chief Partnership Officer and Senior Vice President of Gold Jacket Relations. “We’d love to see runners from every corner of the country become part of this special way to mark the league’s 100^th birthday.”

In conjunction with the NFL’s birthday celebration, the in-person and virtual 5K run/walk will take participants through the 10 decades of professional football. The in-person race starts at 9 a.m. ET in downtown Canton and will take runners past the location where the NFL was founded on Sept. 17, 1920:Ralph Hay’s Hupmobile dealership.

“The Centennial Celebration 5K is truly a once-in-a-generation experience that can be celebrated in your own community at the same time we are celebrating here in Canton, Ohio,” shared Jim Chaney, executive race director for Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon. “Runners and walkers of all abilities are encouraged to participate and will earn an event shirt, a commemorative finisher medal, an event bib and the chance for a variety of prizes. We expect thousands to run together alone across the country on the morning of Saturday, September 19.”

Virtual runners will receive their packets, including event shirt, finisher medal and race bib, one week prior to the event. In-person runners will be able to pick up their packets the week prior to or the morning of the race. Additionally, in-person runners will receive a silicone bracelet indicating their social distancing preference.

Each runner randomly will be placed on one of 10 teams that represents a specific decade of the NFL. There is a friendly team score competition based on finishing place. All members of the winning team will receive a special commemorative item. An awards ceremony will take place virtually at 4 p.m. ET on the day of the event via Facebook Live.

The race beneficiary is the Timken Family Cancer Center, a 77,600-square-foot treatment facility that soon will be under construction on the Aultman Hospital campus in Canton.

“The comprehensive center continues to move forward,” said Lisa Zellers, executive director of The Aultman Foundation. “We remain on track to serve a need in our community. Every dollar brings us closer to transforming the care experience for patients and caregivers by bringing many vital, life-saving services under one roof at The Timken Family Cancer Center.”

This 5K race is also the State of Ohio Championship for the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA).

As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, additional safety procedures will be released – especially as it relates to in-person runners. Race officials are working closely with state and local government and health officials to ensure the health and safety of all. If for some reason the race cannot take place in-person, all runners/walkers would participate virtually on their own.

The fee to participate in the race is $40 for adult runners/walkers and $20 for youth.

To learn more and to register for the race, visit www.hofmarathon.com/centennial-5k