Royston's Monster Mile

Royston's Monster Mile is held in Royston, Georgia, on October 31, 2026, at Royston Wellness Park. The event is a single mile starting at 9:00 a.m., open to every age and fitness level. There is a costume contest for the most imaginative outfits, awards by age group for the competitive runners, and an official event shirt plus a finisher medal for everyone who takes part.

A mile is a race you can enter on almost no training and still finish, but racing one well is its own skill. The effort is high from the first ten seconds, so warm up more than you would for a 5K: fifteen minutes of jogging plus four or five strides at mile pace. Go through halfway under control and the second half will hurt less than if you sprint the start. For children and first-timers, the distance is short enough to be genuinely fun rather than daunting.