Kennett Run

The Kennett Run Charities has reached its 36th year of giving back to the community which has always been center stage.  Take part in supporting our great community and register for one of our exciting events.

Event Race Choices:

• 5K Presented by ChristianaCare
• 10K
• 5K PoweRun – PoweRunners either perform bench presses or pull-ups prior to running in the 5K. Each lift completed reduces running times by 30 seconds
• 10K PoweRun – PoweRunners either perform bench presses or pull-ups prior to running in the 10K. Each lift completed reduces running times by 1 minute
• 1 Mile Walk/Run
• Kids Pond Run

Race Course Information:

All courses start and end within Anson Nixon Park, making it very easy to watch these key parts of the races.

• The 5K and 10K courses are of moderate difficulty featuring both hills and flat terrain. The finish is an easy downhill glide.  About 70% of the 5K and 10K course is on the main streets of Kennett Square, the remaining 30% on Anson Nixon Park trails and roads and the road accessing the park.

• The 1-mile course is flat for the first half, then a couple of moderate hills.

• The Kids Pond Run is a flat course around the ponds within Anson Nixon Park.

Race Day Schedule:

6 AM: Anson Nixon Park opens

6:30 AM: Race Registration and packet pickup begin; runners may pick up their shirts and bibs

7:30 AM: Roads through Kennett Square close (State St from N Walnut St to Mill Rd., and N Walnut St from State St to Anson Nixon Park entrance)

7 AM: PoweRunners start their exercise

8:15 AM: PoweRunners complete their exercise

8:20 AM: Last bus pickup from the high school and borough hall before races start.

8:30 AM: Registration closes; N., Walnut Street closes out to Route 1 Bypass bridge.

8:45 AM: Runner packet pickup ends.

8:45 AM: Bands start to play along the State St part of the course (Library second floor deck, intersection of State and Union St., in parking lot in front of El Ranchero)

9:00 AM: 10K race starts; (est. slowest end time is 10:10 AM); beverage and food are available for runners

9:10 AM: 5K race starts (est. slowest end time is 10:10 AM)

9:15 AM: 1 mile walk/run starts (est. slowest end time is 9:45 AM)

10:20 AM: Kids Pond Run starts

10:30 AM: Race results announcements start (approximate time, actual will be after last 5K/10K runner has finished)

10:45 AM: Mascot race starts

12:00 PM: Race Day concludes

Packet Pick up and On-Site Registration: 

Packet pick-up will be at the Kennett YMCA on Friday, May 2nd from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm.  Race Day packet pickup will start at 6:30am at the Start/Finish Line in Anson B. Nixon Park.

Awards: 

Awards are presented to the fastest man and woman of each race. In addition, there are age bracket winners recognized for the 5K and 10K races. The age brackets are: Under 10, 10-13, 14-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, and 70-99. Runners may only win recognition in one race. That means a 5K PoweRun contestant cannot win both the 5K PoweRun and the 5K from his/her run. They must choose which award to receive.

Records:

The current Kennett Run course record times are:

Men's 5K - Fastest: 16:12.6   Average: 29:26.5

Women's 5K - Fastest: 18:50.4   Average: 35:19.1

Men's 5k PoweRun - Time adjusted for pre-run lifts:  6.23.3. Fastest: 19:56.1   Average: 26:09.2

Women's 5K PoweRun - Time adjusted for pre-run lifts: 15.29.8. Fastest: 23:11.0   Average: 28:39.6

New 10K Course!​ The 10K course is new this year because of increasing concern for runner safety on N. Walnut Road above the Route 1 Bypass. The new course is 2 laps of the 5K course. We think the increased crowd support will make it faster. Run it, and let us know.

Are you ready to set a new record for yourself?  For the course? 

Swag: 

T-SHIRTS ONLY GUARANTEED FOR RUNNERS REGISTERED BEFORE APRIL 19, 2025!!

Post Race Party:

A post-race party will be held at Anson B. Nixon park and is open to all participants and spectators.  The party features food and beverages (including beer for those 21 and over) will be provided for everyone.  We hope you bring your whole family as well as friends.

Directions:

Traveling South on Route 1: Take the first exit on the Route 1 Bypass, it is identified as the Kennett Square exit. Turn left onto Route 82 and drive through Kennett Square to the Kennett High School. Parking is available in the front parking lot of Kennett High School (entrances to the lot are on E South St and S Union St). Buses will take you to the park.

Traveling North on Route 1: Take the Kennett Square exit. At the end of the ramp turn right onto Route 82. Follow the directions above to park at the Kennett High School.

Traveling south on Rout 82: Drive into Kennett Square. Turn left on to E Linden St. Park in the Kennett Square Parking Garage on your right and walk to Anson Nixon Park. Or, at the intersection of Routes 82 and 926, turn left onto Rt 926. Drive about a mile and turn right onto N Walnut Rd. Just after the Rt 1 Bypass bridge, turn right into the parking lot for the Tino Leto fields and park. Walk on into Anson Nixon Park to the stage area.

Traveling North on Route 82 or Route 7/Kaolin Rd.:  Drive to the Kennett High School. Park in the lot at the front of the school. Buses will take you to the park.

Parking:

Anson B. Nixon Park

405 N. Walnut Road, Kennett Square, PA

There is limited parking at Anson B. Nixon Park available on a first-come, first served basis but keep in mind that space is usually exhausted by 7:30am. One lot is off the entrance road near the center of the park. The other is the Tino Leto Field on N. Walnut Road.

Kennett High School

100 E. South Street, Kennett Square, PA

Your best bet for parking on race day is to head over to Kennett High School. There are entrances off South Street and Union Street and we will be running shuttle buses from the high school parking lot to and from Anson B. Nixon Park.

Kennett Square Parking Garage

East Linden and North Union Streets, Kennett Square, PA

Metered parking is available at the centrally-located Kennett Square Parking Garage on East Linden and North Union Streets. It's a pleasant and easy walk into the park. Mapping software can show you the way. For more information, please visit:

https://www.kennettsq.org/departments/parking/index.php

Kennett Borough Offices at 600 South Street  

This parking is across South Street from the Kennett High School parking lot. The entrance is on S Broad St. The shuttle bus serving the high school will also provide transportation to the park from this lot.

Safety Note:

We strongly discourage unofficial entrants (bandits) from competing in our race. Bandits consume scarce resources and can delay or inhibit accurate race results. Unregistered runners, running with dogs and strollers, rollerblading, riding a bicycle, and the wearing of headphones are prohibited on the race course at any time, to ensure runner safety and to comply with liability insurance standards.