2025 Racing for Rescues

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Register to Run or Walk In-person!
Register to Run or Walk Remotely!
Unleash the Giving: Donate to a Participant or to the Event Goal!
Win Big: Purchase Raffle Tickets to win a $1,500 VISA gift card! (Need not be present to win!)
13th Annual Racing for Rescues
Sunday, May 18, 2025
WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, NC
8:00 am - 12:00 pm
The 2025 Racing for Rescues event features:
• A timed 5K race with prizes for fastest runners in their age categories both WITH and WITHOUT dogs
• A separate one-mile walking course for people (and their dogs!) who prefer to take it easy
• A special event t-shirt
• A fun costume contest for people and their pets -- open to everyone! Several prizes available!
• An amazing $1,500 VISA gift card raffle prize! (need not be present to win)
• Games and activities ... fun for the whole family!
• Complimentary snacks and beverages to help you power up and cool down
• A vendor village catering to pet owners and athletes alike
This event is also a hybrid event!
People can participate from anywhere in the U.S.! Remote participants are eligible for raffle and fundraising prizes!
Participating remotely? Welcome! May 5-18, you'll be able to:
• Submit your 5K results to see how your timing compares (optional, of course)
• Receive the official event t-shirt (we can mail to anywhere in the U.S.)
• Give more stray and abandoned cats and dogs a second chance!

Adult/non-student in-person runners:

  • Early Bird Special through March 24: $35, t-shirt included
  • March 25-April 28:  $40, t-shirt available for purchase ($20), receive before/at event
  • April 29-May 16 (5:00 p.m. Eastern):  $40, t-shirt available for purchase ($20), receive after event
  • Day-of Event (May 18): $45, t-shirt available for purchase ($20), receive after event (shipping fees apply if not picking up)

Student in-person runners:

  • Early Bird Special through March 24: $30, t-shirt included
  • March 25-April 28:  $35, t-shirt available for purchase ($20), receive before/at event
  • April 29-May 16 (5:00 p.m. Eastern):  $35, t-shirt available for purchase ($20), receive after event
  • Day-of Event (May 18): $40, t-shirt available for purchase ($20), receive after event (shipping fees apply if not picking up)

Adult/non-student in-person walkers:

  • Early Bird Special through March 24: $30, t-shirt included
  • March 25-April 28: $35, t-shirt available for purchase ($20), receive before/at event
  • April 29-May 16 (5:00 p.m. Eastern): $35, t-shirt available for purchase ($20), receive after event
  • Day-of Event (May 18): $40, t-shirt available for purchase ($20), receive after event (shipping fees apply if not picking up)

Student in-person walkers:

  • Early Bird Special through March 24: $25, t-shirt included
  • March 25-April 28: $30, t-shirt available for purchase ($20), receive before/at event
  • April 29-May 16 (5:00 p.m. Eastern): $30, t-shirt available for purchase ($20) receive after event
  • Day-of Event (May 18): $35, t-shirt available for purchase ($20), receive after event (shipping fees apply if not picking up)

Remote (virtual) adult/non-student runners and walkers:

  • Early Bird Special through March 24: $30, t-shirt included
  • March 25-April 28: $35, t-shirt available for purchase ($20), receive before event
  • April 29 – May 18: $35, t-shirt available for purchase ($20), receive after event
  • Shipping fees apply if not picking up shirts at Second Chance

Remote (virtual) student runners and walkers:

  • Early Bird Special through March 24: $25, t-shirt included
  • March 25-April 28: $30, t-shirt available for purchase ($20), receive before event
  • April 29 – May 18: $30, t-shirt available for purchase ($20), receive after event
  • Shipping fees apply if not picking up shirts at Second Chance

Registration Fee Schedule and Important Notes About T-Shirts:

Any remote participants who opt to pick their shirts up from Second Chance (rather than having them mailed) will be asked to pick up by July 1, 2025 (or at least be in touch with us about coming at a later date if needed); shirts remaining at the adoption center after July 2, 2025 will be considered donated back to Second Chance.

You could win a $1,500 Raffle Prize!

We’re raffling off an AMAZING prize!

You can win by purchasing your tickets HERE by 5:00 p.m. Eastern on Friday, May 16, 2025, or by purchasing tickets at the event with cash, check, Venmo, or credit card. 

Not sure if you’ll make it or planning to participate remotely? Play it safe and buy tickets online, and no worries, you don’t need to be present to win (or even registered for the in-person or virtual event!)

Race Day Information

Timing of the Events

  • 8:00 am  —  Registration and check-in opens for all runners and walkers, Vendor Village is OPEN!
  • 8:30 am —  Costume parade!
  • 9:00 am  —  5K race for runners both WITH and WITHOUT dogs starts 
  • 9:30 am — Walkers start
  • 10:30 am  —  Adoptable dog parade.  Awards Announced: 5K awards, fundraising awards, winner of the raffle prize.  Costume Contest, Howl & Meow contest.
  • 12:00 pm —  Event concludes

Early Packet-Pickup

For those who wish to get their bibs, shirts, and doggy bags before the event, we’re offering two opportunities for early packet pick-up: one at Fleet Feet (3524 Wade Ave. in Raleigh) on Friday, May 16 (4:00 – 6:00 p.m.) and one at our adoption center (6003 Chapel Hill Road, Suite 133, in Raleigh) on Saturday, May 17 (12:00 – 3:00 p.m.). All other in-person attendees who are waiting until the event can pick up their items at the Registration/Check-In tent.

Remote attendees (who register before April 28) can pick shirts up at either Fleet Feet or Second Chance, but not at the event; those who register April 29 or later and ordered shirts will pick up their shirts from the adoption center later in May (when shirts arrive–we will email you) or have their shirts mailed to the address with which they registered (if you paid $5 for shipping when ordering the shirt).

Address and Parking

WakeMed Soccer Park is located at 101 Soccer Park Drive, Cary NC 27511. Parking is free and volunteers will be on-site to assist with parking.

Food and Vendors

Food

We will have water, fruit and post-race snacks available.  Several food trucks will be on hand to offer additional food and/or beverages (for a separate fee.)  Of course, you can also bring your own!

Vendors

You can look forward to visiting lots of vendor booths to learn more about local businesses that cater to runners, pet owners, and lots of other clientele! Check in for freebies, goods for sale, and more.

VENDORS: Click HERE to download the 2025 Vendor Form and return it to us to join the fun!

Really just here today for an official event t-shirt?

Click HERE to order one separately from registration, to order additional shirts, or to order a shirt after registering elsewhere.

See photos from the 2024 event

Win a Race Prize!

Do you have a competitive streak? 

The fastest runner in each of the age categories in the Male, Female, and Non Binary categories for the race receive medals! Additionally, the overall fastest runners in Male, Female, and Non Binary win a $50 Fleet Feet gift card to stock up on more athletic gear!

What are you waiting for? Sign up today to compete in your first real 5K, improve your time, push yourself further, or take one of our awards on May 18! You gotta be in it to win it, so sign up now!

Remote runners: we’re unable to send medals and prizes to our virtual runners, but from May 5-18, you’ll be able to submit your timing through Strava (if you use it) or manually to see where you rank in this event. Timings for in-person runners will also be made visible after the event if you’d like to test your speed against all Racing for Rescues participants.

Have Fun on Race Day AND  Raise Money for Second Chance!

We make it easy for you to set up your own fundraising page and encourage your family and friends (and colleagues!) to support you in raising money to support the animals.

Just email us and we’ll send you an easy-to-follow toolkit giving you everything you need to know to set up your page, set a goal, make a donation and ask for donations.

Click on this link to download our Peer-to-Peer toolkit! FINAL P2P Toolkit 2025

Everyone who creates a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign has a chance to WIN A PRIZE!  We’ll be awarding prizes for (1) the most money raised overall, (2) the person who receives the most donations over $50, and (3) a randomly-selected person who raises $100 or more!

* *Need not be present to win!

From Snapshot to Mascot:

The 2025 Design will be revealed on Friday, April 4!

The 2024 Design REVEALED!

We once again gave YOUR pets the opportunity to be the star of the show! Many pet parents submitted their photos for the contest and now, we’re thrilled to release this year’s design featuring Gemma and Hobbes!

Thanks to all who entered the contest!  Because of you, more homeless animals will be adopted into the kind of loving forever homes enjoyed by Gemma and Hobbes.

Please see the notes above regarding the t-shirt inclusion schedule, post-event t-shirt mailings, and the ability to order shirts through the form linked above.

 

Thank you to our Sponsors!

Care First Animal Hospital
Triangle Law Group

Interested in sponsoring this year’s event?

Click HERE  for information on sponsorship; or

click HERE for a 2025 Sponsor Application.