Day of the Dead Family 5K Run/Walk

Day of the Dead Family 5K Run/Walk is held in Wheeling, Illinois, on October 25, 2026. One distance is offered, a 5K that can be run or walked, starting at 9:00 a.m. The word family in the title is a fair guide to the format: 3.1 miles on the road, open to a wide range of paces and to people who have never raced before.

Events like this are the easiest entry point into road racing. If you have never pinned on a bib, a 5K with a walk option removes the pressure of a cutoff and lets you find out what the distance actually feels like. Runners with a base can still use it as an end-of-season sharpener. Either way, four weeks of consistent running beforehand changes the experience considerably.