Next Play Athletic Foundation 5k

Next Play Athletic Foundation 5k is run in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, on November 1, 2026. The 5K (3.1 miles) and a 1-mile kids fun run both start at 8 a.m., so families can take on the morning together, with the shorter distance giving younger runners their own event rather than a shortened version of the adult race.

An early start on the Jersey Shore points to flat coastal roads, and flat suits even pacing, which makes a 5K here a fair place to chase a personal best rather than a course to survive. A month of three to four runs a week, with one short interval session, will have you ready to race it rather than survive it. If you are bringing kids, the mile means nobody spends the morning waiting on the sidelines.