Mark your race calendar with these three 5Ks

Gear up, get moving in the new year!

Mark your race calendars! Celebrating the great outdoors and honoring Michigan’s history are part of three 5K run/walk events organized by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in the new year, and you’re invited to join the fun.

You'll be lacing up for a great cause – when you sign up for any or all of these races, you're directly supporting DNR parks and recreation programs.

Registration is open for the:

• Detroit Auto Show 5K, Saturday, Jan. 17 along the Detroit Riverfront.
• Lumberjack Pancake Run, Sunday, March 29 and featuring both 5K and mile distances.
• Run for the Trees: Happy Little (Virtual) 5K, which encourages participants to walk, run or roll anywhere outdoors between April 18-26.

“We’re so excited to host the Detroit Auto Show 5K in early 2026, and we’re equally as thrilled about having two additional 5K events in the following months that also raise awareness of our state’s beautiful landscapes and how we can help celebrate, honor and protect these spaces and places,” said Michelle O’Kelly, fund and resource development specialist for the DNR’s Parks and Recreation Division.

Here’s what you need to know:

Detroit Auto Show 5K

Join us Saturday, Jan. 17 for the Auto Show 5K, an event in the heart of Detroit that helps support the DNR Outdoor Adventure Center in the Motor City.

Invite your family and friends to join you at this race that begins at 9 a.m. at Huntington Place, Detroit's riverfront convention center formerly known as Cobo Hall. The route will start and finish outside the doors of the Detroit Auto Show and take you along the Detroit Riverfront. More details:

• Early packet pick-up is 4-6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 16 at the Outdoor Adventure Center, a hands-on museum and education center along the Detroit riverfront.
• Race day packet pick-up will take place one hour prior to the race start time at Huntington Place.
• Tickets to the Detroit Auto Show (public days) can be purchased at a discount through the 5K event. Tickets are discounted by 25%. Please note that Auto Show ticket sales end Jan. 10 to allow time for pick up.
• Each finisher receives a long-sleeve lightweight hoodie, commemorative bib and finisher's medal. 
• The DNR, the Detroit Auto Show and the Friends of the Outdoor Adventure Center are behind this race. All proceeds will directly support exhibit upgrades at the Outdoor Adventure Center, helping us keep the space current and meaningful for the community.

Lumberjack Pancake Run

Ready for a Paul Bunyan-sized adventure? Participate in the Lumberjack Pancake Run that's part of Lumberjack Days 2026, a three-day festival of fun and flannel in Detroit March 27-29.

On Sunday, March 29, run or walk the Silver Dollar Mile (beginning at 9:30 a.m.) or Flapjack 5K (starting at 10 a.m.) and refuel afterward at the Lumberjack Pancake Breakfast. You'll also receive a custom medal, lumberjack buff (neck warmer) and entry to the Outdoor Adventure Center. 

Feeling legendary, and ready for more? Tackle the Lumberjack’s Breakfast! Runners will compete in both the Silver Dollar Mile and the Flapjack 5K, and take home a unique finisher's pin, plus a lumberjack buff and medal. These participants also will receive entry to the Outdoor Adventure Center and enjoy a pancake breakfast.  

Each race takes place along the Dequindre Cut in Detroit – an out-and-back course that is flat and fast – with parking available across from Milliken State Park and Harbor. The races begin at the Outdoor Adventure Center, 1801 Atwater St. in Detroit. 

Wear your finest flannel apparel or sport your best lumberjack beard – prizes will be given for Best Beard and Best Dressed Lumberjack (adult and kids’ divisions). If family and friends want to join the pancake breakfast, extra food tickets are available for $5 each.

Run for the Trees: Happy Little (Virtual) 5K

Run for the Trees: Happy Little (Virtual) 5K, which takes place between April 18-26, honors iconic art instructor and television host Bob Ross while supporting tree-planting and forest-protection efforts. Registration for this event, which is a collaboration between the DNR, Bob Ross Inc. and 15 other states, supports tree-planting and forest health in state parks. Event details:

• Pick your pace and place, anywhere outdoors during the nine-day window that includes both Earth Day (April 22) and Arbor Day (April 24).
• Registration fee is $36 per person (and includes shipping). You'll be able to select the state of your choice when you register.
• You'll receive a keepsake T-shirt, sticker, commemorative bib and finisher’s medal.
• Participation grew again last year – more than 10,000 people in Michigan and across a dozen other states participated in the 2025 event. The 2025 event raised more than $200,000 for tree-planting and forest health, with each state receiving funds proportional to its participation.

Accompanying photos are available below for download. Caption information follows.

• Auto Show 5K: The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Detroit Auto Show and Friends of the Outdoor Adventure Center are teaming up to bring back the Detroit Auto Show 5K at 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 17 at Huntington Place in Detroit.
• Lumberjack Pancake Run: The Lumberjack Pancake Run – consisting of the Flapjack 5K, Silver Dollar Mile and Lumberjack's Breakfast combination race on Sunday, March 29 – is part of a three-day festival of fun and flannel starting Friday, March 27.
• Run for the Trees: Happy Little (Virtual) 5K is an event that started in Michigan and has expanded to include tree-planting efforts in 15 other states.