Fun Runs/5K Events

Fun runs and 5K events are a great way to get participants outside and enjoy the beautiful Cornell campus. In order to maintain the natural beauty of our campus, and ensure the safety of participants and community members, Cornell has instituted several policies and guidelines around holding these events on campus property.

The following guidelines must be followed when sponsoring a fun run or 5K event:

• All events must be registered in the 25Live Scheduling System no later than four (4) weeks prior to the event.
• The event must be sponsored by an on campus university department, registered student organization, or registered social Greek organization¹.
• The event must take place on a Saturday or Sunday morning between 7:00 am and 10:00 am (other non-business days, like recognized holidays, may be considered).
• All participants must be registered using Campus Groups and sign a waiver.
• All participants must run/walk on approved sidewalks/pathways, and stay out of the roadways.
• Event sponsors must supply event staff/course marshals along the route in order to direct participants and ensure the safety of all participants. Event staff/course marshals must be easily identified by wearing similar shirts/jackets and/or yellow safety vests², and should have radios or another form of communication to easily notify event coordinators in case of emergency.
• The course should be clearly marked using signs or chalking on the sidewalks (note that only small wire signs may be placed in the ground - wooden stakes are not permitted).
• Participants should be launched in small groups of 6-8 people (depending on skill level) in order to avoid large groups running together along sidewalks.
• Only approved routes may be used. With the help of student organizations, the university has established two (2) approved routes that may be used. The first route (North Campus route) is approximately 1.5 miles, and utilizes the sidewalks along Jessup Road, Program House Drive, Rawlings Green, and the Court-Kay-Bauer Quad. The second route (Athletics Complex route) is approximately 1.3 miles long, and travels along Campus Road to Judd Falls Road, to Tower Road and Garden Avenue, and back to Campus Road. These routes have been vetted by university officials, and are meant to avoid high traffic areas in order to ensure the safety of participants. Small adjustments may be made to the routes with proper approval, such as the start/finish line. The event sponsor may designate a start/finish line and check-in line along the route.
• The university's decision to approve or deny a request may based on other events/activities scheduled for the area on the same day (i.e. Athletic events, events on North Campus, etc.).

For additional facility needs, including tables, chairs, pop-up tents, and two-way radios, please contact the Facilities Events Office, and/or visit the Facilities Event Support website.

For general event planning tools and resources, please visit the Event Planning website.

¹The University Events Office has yellow vests available for use, if needed. Please email events@cornell.edu for more information.

²The annual Skunk Cabbage Run (Finger Lakes Running Club) and Reunions 5K (Alumni Affairs and Development) have had their events approved to take place on campus at specified times and locations.