Be a part of America’s Friendliest Marathon by conquering an 8k (4.97 miles) run or walk through downtown Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University. You’ll be the first on the course to experience our awesome crowd support and enthusiastic spectators. Go your own speed, as this race welcomes all paces, from the super-fast, to those just starting out, and walkers as well!
After making our triumphant return to our downtown course, we are excited to continue to provide you the same superior race day experience that you’ve come to expect when you run Richmond! The 8k starts at 8th & Broad Street in downtown Richmond, one block from the start line of the CarMax Richmond Half Marathon.
Learn MoreAs part of America’s Friendliest Marathon, our course features spirit groups, party zones, amazing spectators, bands, a post-race party, world-class event execution, and more! Come discover Richmond!
All VCU Health Richmond 8k SWAG packets will include: Long sleeve technical race shirt and finisher medal.
Need help preparing? We offer in-person and virtual training teams to help you get to the finish line and reach your goals!
Early Bird Pricing, November 17 – 21: $35
November 22 – March 31: $35
April 1 – June 30: $35
July 1 – September 15: $40
September 16 – November 10: $45
Race Week, November 11 – November 14: $55
Race Day, November 15: $65
Note: A $50 donation to Sports Backers Youth Programs (our official event charity) will automatically reduce your race entry fee by $20.
Register offline with a printable entry form
Income-based rates are available. Details can be found at the bottom of this page.
You’re running Richmond!! Let us roll out the red carpet for you, and add that one-of-a-kind touch to your race experience. You’ve trained hard and now it’s time to make your journey to the finish line complete with an epic bang. With the Run Richmond Premium Package, you and your friends can enjoy things like pre-race indoor hospitality, expedited packet pickup, access to the invite-only party area, a champagne toast, and more! Go ahead, you deserve it!
It was such a great experience! Thank you ALL so much for everything you’ve been doing. So glad I was able to run Richmond today!!
– Marcia Chipperfield
Thanks for an amazing event and for adapting and overcoming! Trifecta completed this morning. Way to go Sports Backers.
– Sinead Lynch Hall
Thank you very much for making the Richmond challenge experience feasible with all the chaos going on around us. It has made some sort of normalcy for the running community.
– Daniel Lee Jordan
At Sports Backers, our mission is to inspire people to live actively. Engaging underserved populations is one of our core values and one way we act on this value is by offering Income Based Rates for our events. These special rates are offered to those who qualify and would otherwise not be able to participate.
Those who qualify are eligible for the special $15 rate for the VCU Health Richmond 8k. To learn more and apply please visit the Income Based Rate page.
Questions? Need more information, please email [email protected].
Course Support
Overall awards are determined by clock time; age group awards by chip time. Awards will be presented to the top five in all age groups in all races. Age groups for the 8k are: 9 & under, 10-14, 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75- 79, 80-84 and 85 & up.
Age group winners will be notified by email in early December, with instructions on how to redeem their personalized award.*
*Please note, a minimum of 6 participants must be in an age group in order to receive an award.
Participants in the 8k will be corralled for the start based on predicted times listed on their completed entry form. The 8k begins at 7:30 a.m. sharp. Note: Start Corrals and race start time are subject to change.
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Corral
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Predicted Times
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1
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49 minutes & under
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2
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:50 – :59
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3
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1 hour – 1:10
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4
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1:11 & over
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Already registered? You can confirm your entry here.
Entry fees are non-refundable, even in the case of a race postponement, cancellation, updated race format, and/or if you are unable to participate; race numbers and entries cannot be transferred to another person. No exceptions. This means once we have received your entry, you will not receive a refund if you cannot participate, and you may not give or sell your number or timing tag to anyone else.
There will be no refunds and no transfer of entries from person-to-person. You may switch between the three events (8k, half, and full) for a $10 distance switch fee if going down in distance. If going up in distance, it’s $10 plus the difference in entry fee at the time of the switch. If you are already signed up for one race and want to switch to the other, you may do so online through November 5 or in person at the Race Expo, provided the race you are switching to has not reached its capacity. You will not receive a refund of any entry fees.
PLEASE NOTE: If you deferred your race entry from 2024 to 2025 and would now like switch distances, you must email [email protected] in order to process the switch.
EXAMPLE: If you registered for the half marathon and now want to do the 8k, you would pay the $10 distance switch fee.
EXAMPLE: If you registered for the half marathon for $90 and would like to switch to the marathon in July when the marathon’s entry fee is $125, you will owe $45 ($35 difference in entry fee + $10 distance switch fee).
Still have questions or trying to switch between one of our training teams? Please e-mail [email protected].
You may defer your registration from the 2025 Allianz Richmond Marathon, CarMax Richmond Half Marathon, or VCU Health Richmond 8k to the 2026 event. You may only defer to and from the same event distance. Deferred registrations may not be transferred to another person. Refunds will not be issued under any circumstances. The fee to defer a registration is $10 for the 8k and $25 for the half or full marathons through September 15 and then $20 for the 8k and $35 for the half or full marathons. All deferrals must be done by October 30, 2025 and may be used only for the 2026 event. You may only defer an entry once (i.e., if you defer your 2025 entry to 2026, you will not be able to defer it again to 2027).
Please note: Training team registrations have different deferral rules and deadlines. Check each Training Team page for details.
Still have questions? Please e-mail [email protected].
If you need to make a change to your registration, you may do so online. You have the ability to change the following online through October 30, 2025 unless otherwise noted:
To edit any of your registration information, click here for instructions.
If you need to change information other than is listed above, please e-mail [email protected].
Are you part of your local running club? Do you run with a group of friends or co-workers? Do you just want to do this thing with your people? Either way, running as a team is always more fun and at the Allianz Richmond Marathon, we invite you and your squad to join in on that fun, TOGETHER! Bring your community to be a part of our community—after all, we are America’s Friendliest Marathon! Click here to learn more!