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Great American 5000

June 13 - September 12, 2026

🌎 A Virtual Team Race Across the USA!

2026 Great American 5000

Price: $50
Price increases after June 13, 2026 at 12:10am EDT
Open to ages 5+.

👟Great American 5000

What started in 2020 as a way to bring runners together has become a can’t-miss virtual adventure! The Great American 5000 is a team challenge covering 5,000 kilometers (3,107 miles)—from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Empire State Building. Whether you’re running, walking, or just in it for the bragging rights, this event is all about friendly competition, team spirit, and an amazing active community. Log your miles, track your team’s progress, and see how you stack up on the leaderboard. Gather your team and hit the road—virtually!

✔️How it works

Form a team of up to 24 members and tackle the miles together! Each day, log your progress and watch your team’s dot move across the map in real time. Keep an eye on the leaderboard to track your standings, and enjoy fun facts and highlights about the places you pass along the way!

Your team has until September 13 to complete the journey—that’s as few as 33.7 miles per day for your team (1.4 for each individual)! Run, walk, hike—it can all count towards your team’s mileage.

✔️Teams

You must join a team, but you can compete as a team of one or with up to 24 of your closest friends. Then you register as individuals. You should assign one team captain to set-up your team, then they will be able to share the team name and password (optional) for others to register and join. For more information, visit our Team Captain Info page.

  • Team Sizes:
    • 12-Person Team: 1-12 members 
    • 24-Person Team: 13-24 members
  • Team Type:
    • Open
    • Female
    • Male

🏅What’s included

Opportunity to earn Virtual Badges

Event Shirt & Finisher Medal

Pre-mapped 5,000k course across the country

Leaderboard and Online Map with real time standings

Virtual travel experience provided through fun facts and photos of things you would see along the route

Exclusive access to the Great American 5000 Facebook Group

🏅Referral Rewards

The only thing better than the Great American 5000 experience is sharing it with friends & family! Invite others to join you on your journey and earn the following rewards:

  • Refer 7, receive event sticker & water bottle
  • Refer 15, receive sticker, water bottle, & Goodr sunglasses

Share your unique referral link (found in your confirmation email). You can share the link via email, social media, or text. Remind your friends/family to use your link to score all the rewards! To be counted towards your referrals, they must register using your unique link.

📌The Route

📍Tracking

📍How to Log Activities 

  • Participant Look Up
  • Lookup Registration
  • Log Activities 
    • Pro Tip: bookmark that page to easily return and log your daily mileage.
  • Submit Activities

📍How To Edit

  1. Participant Look Up
  2. Lookup Registration
  3. Log Activities next to event name
  4. Manage Activities
  5. Edit or Delete
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Sports Backers is a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring people across the Richmond region to live actively. We believe that everyone deserves access to safe, affordable, and inclusive opportunities to walk, run, bike, and be physically active, regardless of their background or where they live.

We bring this mission to life by hosting some of the region’s most beloved participatory events, advocating for safer bike and pedestrian infrastructure, and investing in community-led fitness programs in schools and neighborhoods. Through initiatives like Fitness Warriors, Kids On The Move, and Bike Walk RVA, we work alongside community members to break down barriers to active living and create lasting change.

Each year, our work reaches tens of thousands of people and helps build a more connected, healthier, and vibrant region. From first steps to finish lines, from neighborhood sidewalks to regional trails, we are committed to making active living possible for all.

Questions❓Feedback❓

Questions or Feedback please reach out below

SPORTS BACKERS
www.sportsbackers.org

Contact Us:
info@sportsbackers.org
804.285.9495

Mailing address:
4921 Lakeside Avenue
Henrico, VA 23228

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