Photo: Abhiram Juvvadi · CC BY-SA 4.0
Raleigh · United States

Cycling & running events in Raleigh, 2026

178events this year

178 races within 80 km of Raleigh

Road, trail, gravel, MTB — you name it, we've got it. Find something worth telling your friends about.

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Top events

A few races to know in Raleigh

We all need a goal — why not think big? Pick one and start training for it. Already happened this year? Find some practice races to build toward next year's edition.
Run·Road
Raleigh

Race 13.1 Raleigh Spring Half Marathon, 10K & 5K

Race 13.1 Raleigh Spring is a running event in Raleigh, North Carolina, offering a half marathon, 10K, and 5K. It belongs to the Race 13.1 series and takes place in early June, marking a transition from spring to summer in the state capital. The event accommodates runners of all levels within a single program, featuring distances from the half marathon down to the 5K and 10K.

Road
Run·Road
Raleigh

Day of the Dead 5k & Street Festival

The Day of the Dead 5K & Street Festival is a 5K race in downtown Raleigh, beginning at Centro Mexican Restaurant at 9:00 AM. The event honors Día de los Muertos and serves as a fundraiser for the Fox Road Boys & Girls Club. The course goes through historic Oakwood Cemetery, offering a setting more fitting for the holiday than a typical urban route. Following the race, Wilmington Street transforms into a street festival featuring local vendors, food, music, traditional dancers, family activities, Día de los Muertos altars, and a costume contest. This marks the event's fourteenth year, and it is recognized locally as a Raleigh tradition.

Road
Run·Road
Raleigh

Tunnel to Towers 5K Run & Walk - The Triangle

Listed in our event index as Tunnel to Towers 5K Run & Walk - The Triangle.

Road
About cycling & running in Raleigh

Raleigh-Cary Training Notes

Running: Raleigh runners get a lot done on the Capital Area Greenway System, which carries over 100 miles of routes. Dock 1053 to 5 points to Glenwood to Downtown feels like an OG city run, with beautiful houses, Glenwood South buzz, and easy miles back toward downtown. Meredith College gives you Hillsborough, Ridge Road, and the hillier pull to the Art Museum. Crabtree Creek Trail works for long runs with no interruption, and Umstead gives trail legs. Fleet Feet Raleigh, Latinos Run Raleigh, nOG Run Club, and Dix Park Run Club keep the week social. Race 13.1 Raleigh Spring Half Marathon, 10K & 5K anchors the road calendar.

Cycling: Raleigh-Cary riders lean hard on the Neuse River trail, which rolls gently for 30 miles and runs from Wake Forest to Clayton at about 75 miles round trip. The Art to Heart corridor links the North Carolina Museum of Art to downtown and plugs into the 2,900-mile East Coast Greenway. Gyros Cycling Club, Carolina Tarwheels, Pony Ride at Ponysaurus Brewing, Glass Jug Beer Lab, and Team on Draft Road Cycling cover group rides. Umstead State Park handles gravel. Lake Crabtree Country Park gives beginner-friendly flow. Briar Chapel and Bennett Mountain bring rocky singletrack. The western fringes of the Triangle transition to hillier countryside for real climbing work.

Season: Fall colors are good on the Cary Pkwy to Dynasty section, and the creek-level shade keeps it cooler in summer. Summer runners can stack Z2 on Black Creek Greenway, White Oak Creek Greenway, Lake Johnson, and Third Fork Creek, then save intervals for shaded bits. Summer riders can use the same greenway web for base miles, or go to Umstead and Lake Crabtree when dirt sounds better. Winter keeps both sports on the paved greenways because Wake County paths are generally flat to slightly inclined. Locals still find hills through Cary connectors, Art Museum routes, and the western edge when the legs need work.

Upcoming

Coming soon in Raleigh

All races within 80 km, sorted by date. Click any event for the route, registration link, and past results.
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What runners & riders are signing up for

If you're traveling — or just curious — here's where the action is across two of the most active markets on TrainerDay.