Over the past 13 years, the Downtown Willoughby 5k has donated $238,000 to Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. Let's keep it rolling toward $250k next September while you run or walk in beautiful DTW 5k and celebrate with your friends and community after the race.

 

Roads will be closed beginning at 9:30am on Sunday, September 13, 2026 and will remain closed until approximately 11:30am.  Volunteers and Willoughby Police and Fire Departments will be on-hand to keep traffic routed away from the course and keep everyone safe.  The route is a relatively flat 3.1 miles through the gorgeous streets of Downtown Willoughby, starting and ending on Erie Street in DTW.

Race Starts at 10:15am on Sunday, September 13, 2026

View on RunKeeper 

Thank you for participating in the DTW 5k and being an important part of this event!  Over the past 13 years of the DTW 5k, we’ve been able to donate $238,000 to Make-A-Wish and look forward to sponsoring more wishes this year for children in our community with a critical illness.

General Information for Participating Restaurants/Bars

• Each participant will receive 2 drink tickets at the race finish line on Sunday, September 13th, starting at 10am.
• They’ll be able to use their drink tickets only on Sunday, Sept 13th, starting at 10:30am until you close.
• I will pay you $2 per ticket on Monday, September 14th.
• Please count the tickets and I’ll write a check for the number of tickets x $2 on Monday.
• If you will not be available on Monday, please call or text me at 216-849-4403
• In previous years, we have hosted between 1,500 - 2,250 participants.

For Bartenders:

• Have at least 1 beer available for a single ticket or multiple domestic beers
• Please allow participants to order soda/non-alcoholic drinks for 1 ticket
• You can ask for 2 or more tickets for other drinks, imports, craft, etc, but please be consistent throughout the day.
• The only drink tickets to accept are the 2026 DTW 5k tickets from race bibs.
• Attached is a sign you can hang for what runners can get for 1 or 2 tickets, so you don’t have to repeat yourself all day.

If you have any questions, please call me at 216-849-4403 or email craig@willoughby5k.com.

The Downtown Willoughby 5k brings a great race experience together with a fantastic charity, the Make-A-Wish® Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.

Over the past 13 years, the Downtown Willoughby 5k has donated $238,000 to Make-A-Wish® Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. Your efforts and generosity helped us sponsor numerous wishes to children in our area.

Fundraising isn't always an easy task, but there's huge potential in leveraging a large group of participants. 

Raffle tickets are $10 each and can be purchased separately from a race registration or during registration.  100% of raffle ticket sales is donated to Make-A-Wish. 

Thanks so much for your generosity and support!

Multiple Day Packet Pick Up for All Participants

Friday, September 11, 2026: 11:30am - 2pm
Saturday, September 12, 2026: 11:30am - 6pm

Second Sole Mentor
8791 Mentor Ave, Mentor, Ohio

Pick up all your race goodies including your Downtown Willoughby 5k shirt, bib with drink tickets attached, and tote bag.  

Friends may pick up your race packet with a copy of your confirmation email with QR code. Please print or have your QR code confirmation email ready for check-in to speed up the process.  QR codes will be emailed race week.

---

Volunteer Packet Pick Up

Saturday, September 5, 2026: 11:30 - 2:00pm

The Wild Goose
4144 Erie St Willoughby, Ohio

This pick up is only for those who are volunteering for the DTW 5k.  Since you're such a special group of people, you'll get a private volunteer pick up at The Wild Goose.  While you're here, your first drink is on us and we'll have pizza and appetizers to munch on, while you think about what a good person you are for helping us out.  

If you can't make it to the volunteer pick up, you can still pick up on September 11th or 12th at Second Sole (see above), or on race day in front of the Willoughby Post Office. 

---

Race-Day Packet Pick Up (Volunteers & Participants)

Sunday, September 13, 2026: 8:00am - 9:30am

Race-day packet pick up is in front of the Willoughby Post Office near the start/finish line.

---

Shirt Sizing & Exchanges:  To ensure all runners get the shirt sizes they ordered first, we cannot exchange shirts at packet pickup.  You can exchange your shirt starting at 9:30am at the truck in front of the post office, and after the race until 11:00am.  We will only be able to exchange shirts based on what's available and there are no guarantees you will be able to exchange for a specific size.

Free parking is available in the following lots:

• Todd Field (Mentor Ave Entrance)
• Municipal Court (Erie St, north of Vine St)
• Public lot north of City Hall by 1899 (Glenn Ave)
• Fifth Third Bank - Currently Closed (38201 Mentor Ave)   

You may also park on any residential streets not on the race route. Please pay attention to any no parking signs, do not block driveways and do not park on the hydrant side of the street. Please consider carpooling or using Uber or Lyft.

Meow... Looking Good!

I'm not sure how we packed such a good looking group of people into one race, but it happened.

2025 - Photos and Video by S. Glenn Behra / Behra Photography www.behra.us 

• Photos
• Race Start & First Turn
• Timelapse
• On Course / River Rd
• On Course / Cool Down
• Finish Line
  

2024 - Photos from S. Glenn Behra / Behra Photography www.behra.us

• Pre-Race
• Start Line
• Post-Race 
• On-Course Video
• Start/Finish Line Timelapse Video
• Finish Line Video

2023 - Video and Photo from S. Glenn Behra / Behra Photography www.behra.us

• Pre-Race & Race Photos
• Post-Race Photos
• Finish Line Video
• Finish Line Video - Ground View 
• Behind the Start Line Video
• Time Lapse Video of Start & Finish Line

2022

• Race Video
• Facebook Photo Album

2021

• Race Video
• Facebook Photo Album

2019

• Race Video
• Facebook Photo Album

2018

• Race Video
• Facebook Photo Album

2017

• Race Video
• Facebook Album
• To download your photos for free, go to https://www.capstonephotostore.com/events/1745 and enter your bib number or last name.  Click on a photo and you’ll see “Download for Free” in a black icon to the top right of the photo.  Thanks to The Brim Kitchen + Brewery for sponsoring the photography, allowing you to download all of your high-resolution photos at no cost.  If you cannot find your photos, check out the Lost and Found, which has photos where bibs couldn’t be read for some reason. 

2016

• Race Video
• Facebook Album
• All participants were emailed individual photos.

2015

• Race Video
• Facebook Photos
• All participants were emailed individual photos.

2014

• Facebook: Album 1 | Album 2
• Flickr (Full Resolution): Flickr Album

2013

• Facebook: Album 1 | Album 2
• Flickr (Full Resolution): Flickr Album

 

This is what you worked for...

For some, this is the real event of the day.  The 5k is a great way to support Make-A-Wish, get out with friends, and make a day of it.  You'll receive your 2 free drink tickets on your race bib to use on Sunday, September 13, 2026.

Use your tickets for your free beer or drinks at any of these fine establishments in Downtown Willoughby.

• 1899 Pub 38228 Glenn Ave
• Ballantine 4113 Erie Street
• Barrio 4061 Erie St
• Erie + Vine 4027 Erie St
• Fiona's Coffee Bar & Bakery 4148 Erie Street
• Frank and Tony's Place 38107 Second Street
• Garage Bar Willoughby 37825 Vine Street
• Kava Sol 4055 Erie St
• Mickey's Ice Cream 14 E. Spaulding St
• Mullarkey's Pub 4110 Erie Street
• Nóra’s Public House 4054 Erie Street
• Sage Karma Kitchen 4051 Erie St
• Sol 38257 Glenn Ave
• Westel's 4084 Erie St
• The Wild Goose 4144 Erie Street
• The Yard on 3rd 38040 3rd Street

13th Annual Downtown Willoughby 5k Race Booklet

Download Here ⤵️

Course Record:

• Male Course Record:  15:03 / Clay Burnett (2023)
• Female Course Record:  17:22  / Suzanne Koziol (2019)

Past results can be found at the following pages.  

• 2025
• 2024
• 2023
• 2022
• 2021
• 2020 - Virtual run.  Just assume you won.
• 2019
• 2018
• 2017
• 2016
• 2015
• 2014
• 2013

The Downtown Willoughby 5k continues to provide the great swag you love.  This year, you'll receive the following:

• Unisex race shirt (Register by Sept 1st)
• Finisher Medal
• Eco-friendly tote bag
• 2 drink tickets to use at participating bars and restaurants on Sunday, September 13th.

2025 shirt shown

Packet Pickup - Saturday, September 12, 2026

11:00am - 6:00pm

• Packet Pickup at Second Sole Mentor
• Raffle ticket drawing. You do not need to be present to win.

Race Day - Sunday, September 13, 2026

8:00am - 9:30am

• Race Day Packet Pickup in front of the Willoughby Post Office on Erie Street

9:30am

• Erie Street Closes
• Harmony Studios will lead a 30 minute pre-race stretch on Third Street
• Shirt exchange starts in front of the post office

10:00am

• Walkers, please line up down Third Street.  Runners line up on Erie Street behind the starting line, with the fastest of the fast runners toward the front and the most honest of runners toward the back.

10:15am - Race Starts!

• Runners head out first, followed by walkers behind the last runners.

Finish Line

• Volunteers will hand you a water and your finisher's medal. Your two free drink tickets are already on your bib.  Just head to your favorite participating bar or restaurant.

Awards

• Top 3 male and female runners get beer boot trophies at the finish line
• Top 3 male and female runners in each age group can pick up their award glass growlers at post office beginning around 10:45am.  
• Results will be available near the finish line and texted to you, if you signed up for text results during registration.

11:00am +

• Post-Race Party in Downtown Willoughby

Be Part of the Downtown Willoughby 5k

Downtown Willoughby is an amazing community of good people, great shops, outstanding restaurants, and loyal residents that can't get enough of the city. Sponsoring the Downtown Willoughby 5k is a great way to connect with the community and race participants.

In the past 13 years, we've donated $238,000 to Make-A-Wish® Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, while tens of thousands of runners and walkers participated in the event. 

Our runners are highly engaged with posts and updates on social media, by email, and throughout Northeast Ohio. The community is heavily involved. The feedback has been amazing each year. We'd love to have you be part of the 14th Annual Downtown Willoughby 5k.

All sponsorships opportunities include the following:

• Your logo and website link on the Downtown Willoughby 5k website.
• Your logo and website link in all email distributions and updates
• Your name on the official race t-shirt
• Post on Downtown Willoughby 5k social media pages
• The sooner you secure your sponsorship, the greater exposure you'll get.

Please contact Geoff Weber by email at geoff@gcxcracing.com for more information or to secure your sponsorship.  View available sponsorship levels here.

 

Standard 5k Registration: Unisex T-Shirt