Welcome to Good Grief's 2024 Princeton 5K Run & Walk, Together We Remember
We are so excited to gather for Good Grief's second annual Princeton area 2024 5K Run & Walk on Sunday, May 19th at Mercer County Community College(MCCC)! Join in with your family, friends, and community as we walk and run to raise funds and awareness for everyone who is grieving. The day provides an opportunity for you to walk or run in memory of a person who has died.
#IWalk4 #IRun4
Good Grief's 5K Run & Walk creates community, allows us to support one another, and provides many opportunities to remember and celebrate. As always, we will raise awareness and critical funds for grieving families who rely on Good Grief’s programs for support. Good Grief's mission is to build resilience in children, strengthen families, and empower communities to grow from loss and adversity. All of our programs are 100% privately funded, and our peer support programming is free of charge to all participants for as long as they need our services.
Our 5K Run & Walk is a fun, family-friendly event for all ages and abilities!
How Do I Get Involved?
There are so many different ways to get involved at our 5K Run & Walk. Join us in person or virtually... walk, run, volunteer! Sponsor the event. Start a team, join a team. Fundraise. Remember. Celebrate. You can...
Register as an Individual or start a Team
Donate to a team, an individual, or the event
Become an Event Sponsor
Join us as a Volunteer
Event Timeline
Our 2024 event timeline will be updated as we get closer to the day! We will be at Mercer County Community College enjoying the day on the beautiful campus! The festival space is the perfect place to meet family, friends, and your team before and after your run or walk! Bring camp chairs, blankets, coolers, and make a full morning of it.
Please register online by May 19th to ensure you secure your space for the 5K and to receive your event day t-shirt when you arrive on Sunday. We will only be accepting a limited number of onsite registrations.
The timeline for our event is listed below. *Please note that this is subject to change.
8:30 AM Check In Opens
9:30 AM Welcome Ceremony
10:00 AM 5K Run & Walk Begin
10:45 AM Awards Tent opens
11:00 AM Kids Dash
11:30 AM Awards tent closes
12:30 PM Refreshment and Activity Tents close
5K Run Course
The 3.1 mile course takes you through the beautiful property of MCCC. Course marshals will guide you and cheer you on! All 5K timing will feature B-Tag electronic chips affixed to your assigned bib number.
Here is the 5K course map: Princeton 5K Course
Walk Course
This course also takes advantage of the scenic MCCC campus and stays entirely on paved walking areas. The course is fun and safe for the entire family, with activity and water stations along the way.
Kid Dashes
Kids age 11 and under are welcome to register for and take part in our Kid Dashes - a wonderful 5K Run & Walk tradition! Our youngest participants will dash up to 100 meters with their peers in this friendly competition. The younger the kiddo, the shorter the dash.
How Do I Register?
Register online through our 5K Run & Walk Website. Please note that we are only accepting a small number of day of registrations. We encourage everyone to register online by midnight on Wednesday, May 15th.
You can register to run, walk, dash, or volunteer as an individual by clicking HERE
If you want to start a team, click HERE
To join an existing team, click HERE
Registration Fees
Registration fees are as follows:
5K Run: $30.00
5K Run (Virtual): $25.00
2 Mile Walk: $25.00
Kid Dash: $5.00
Day of registrations: +$5.00
For our Good Grief families, if the registration fee is a barrier for the walk and kids dash, please speak to your Nights of Support facilitator to get a code to waive the fee.
Does the 5K Run & Walk Allow For Teams?
Yes! In fact, we encourage you to Start or Join a team in memory of your special person! The more the merrier when it comes to team size. Ready to build your super team? Gather your friends, family, fellow Good Griefers and pod squad and build the ultimate 5K Run & Walk team!
I Am Registered. Now What?
Check your email! You will receive an email confirming your registration and giving you instructions on how to access and customize your Participant Center and Personal Page. Your Participant Center allows you to quickly and easily customize your peer-to-peer fundraising page, send emails to your network, and connect to your social media platforms.
Can I Participate In Memory of Someone?
We have so many ways to celebrate your person who died, both before and during the 5K Run & Walk! We encourage you to:
Submit a photo and name to our Memorial Wall by emailing a photo and the name of the person you are Running or Walking for to events@good-grief.org. Our Memorial Wall will grow online in the weeks leading up to event day, and it will be displayed during the 5K Run & Walk under the activities tent. We will also have other special activities to do that will allow everyone the opportunity to remember, reflect, and celebrate their person.
Decorate a special Run Memory Bib or Walk Memory Bib to wear on race day. Who do you run or walk for? Memory Bibs will also be available on May 19th in the activities tent.
Join us for our Welcome Ceremony on May 19th at 9:30 AM* - Mercer County Community College. You'll have a chance to hear from some very brave Good Grief kids who will share their stories and experiences with you. This is a meaningful moment you won't want to miss.
Create custom team t-shirts in memory of your person. Or make a team sign! There are so many special ways to remember and celebrate your person.
Finally, share your participation and support on social media using the hashtags #IRun4 or #IWalk4.
Where is the Event?
Our event is taking place at Mercer County Community College. GPS Address: 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor Township, NJ 08550
The location on campus is the West Lot, closest to the Conference Center.
Here is a map of the campus: MCCC Map
How Do I Get There?
FROM NORTH OR SOUTH VIA U.S. 1
- Exit onto Quakerbridge Road / South 533.
- After 2 miles (through 4 traffic lights), turn left at the Youngs Road traffic light.
- At the end of Youngs Road, turn right onto Hughes Drive and follow past Mercer County Park entrance.
- MCCC campus entrance is on the left.
- From 206 South, turn left onto Province Line Road (at traffic light).
- From 206 North, turn right onto Province Line Road.
- Follow Province Line Road through the next traffic light (Princeton Pike), continue to the next traffic light and turn right onto Quakerbridge Road / South 533.
- On Quakerbridge Road, follow directions from Route 1 (see above).
- Take Interstate 95 (which becomes Interstate 295) to Exit 65A: Sloan Ave. East
- Continue straight on Sloan Ave. East (becomes Flock Road) to the end.
- Turn left at traffic light, onto Edinburg Road
- Continue straight through one traffic light (becomes Old Trenton Road).
- Take right jug handle that leads to the MCCC campus entrance.
- Follow Route 33 West until you see signs for Route 133 West (the new bypass route).
- Turn right onto Route 133 West.
- Take Route 133 West to the end and exit immediately onto Route 571 West (Princeton-Hightstown Road).
- Move immediately to the far-left turning lane and turn left onto Route 535 / Old Trenton Road.
- Follow Route 535 / Old Trenton Rd for approximately 5 miles.
- MCCC campus entrance is on the right.
- Take Turnpike Exit 8 at Hightstown onto Route 33 West.
- Follow signs onto Route 133 West (the new bypass).
- Turn right onto Route 571 West (Princeton-Hightstown Road).
- Move immediately to the far-left turning lane and turn left onto Route 535 / Old Trenton Road.
- Follow Route 535 / Old Trenton Road for approximately 5 miles.
- MCCC campus entrance is on the right.
- Take Turnpike Exit 7A.
- Go West on I-195 to Exit 5B (first exit off I-195).
- North on Route 130, proceed to the second traffic light and turn left onto Robbinsville-Allentown Road (526 West).
- Go through traffic light and make immediate right onto Robbinsville-Edinburg Road (526 West).
- At the end of Robbinsville-Edinburg Road (526 West), turn left onto Old Trenton Road (535).
- Follow Old Trenton Road for 2 miles to campus entrance on right, after Mercer County Park.
Where Do I Park?
Parking is located on site at the West Lot closest to the Conference Center. Signs and volunteers will direct you to the West Lot parking lot. Please note there is no vehicle traffic permitted within our festival space! If you need to make special arrangements or accommodations, please contact Good Grief ASAP!
Is There a Festival Area?
Our festival area features wide open spaces for you to gather with family, friends, and your team. Feel free to bring along camp chairs, a picnic, etc. to the festival space and set up your spot for the day. The area includes check in, our Welcome Ceremony, a DJ, porta-potties, sanitation stations, refreshments, activities, and our Memorial Wall. It is easily accessed from the parking lot, and the 5K and 2 Mile walk start and finish lines.
Our refreshment tent features snacks including a limited selection of gluten free snacks.
Please note - Good Grief is not responsible for items left unattended while you are on the festival grounds.
Do I Have to Fundraise?
Our community needs Good Grief's services more than ever. We are experiencing our 15th consecutive year of growth. Your fundraising will help us meet the demand of the community and enable us to continue providing programming and support to the individuals, schools, and communities we serve.
The 5K Run & Walk is a peer-to-peer fundraising event, and we encourage each individual participant to commit to raising at least $200. The overall goal for this year's event is to raise $50,000 to help support our mission. Good Grief builds resilience in children, strengthens families, and empowers communities to grow from adversity and loss.
How Do I Fundraise?
Your Participant Center has all of the tools you need to make your fundraising efforts quick, easy, and fun. Customize your participant page with a special photo and tell your story. Then engage your network. We have all of the tools and templates you need to get started. The keys to fundraising success are:
Ask - Email, social media, calls, texts - it doesn’t matter how you ask, it just matters that you do!
Get Social - Connect on social media to fulfill your fundraising goals. Use the hashtag #IRun4 or #IWalk4.
Instagram: @goodgriefnj Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goodgriefnj/ Always include a link back to your participant center.
Tell Your Story - Share why you fundraise for Good Grief and why you are involved with the 5K Run & Walk.
Set and Share Goals for yourself along the way. Example: When I reach 50% of my fundraising goal, I’ll dye my hair blue, shave my beard, wear all pink for a day, etc.
Follow Up - Send reminders, and don’t be afraid to ask again.
Thank Everyone, Often - Find a reason to say thank you to your network, and always send a thank you when someone makes a gift, and then again at the end of the event.
Do I Get an Event T-Shirt?
Yes! All participants who register online will get an event t-shirt! Runners, walkers, dashers, volunteers - t-shirts for everyone! We will do our best to have t-shirts available for day of registrations.
Ways to Get Involved
Start or Join a Team
Sponsor 5K Run & Walk
Spread the word
Share on social media #IRun4 or #IWalk4
Smile! You May Be on Camera... and Drone!
Our 2024 5K Run & Walk will feature on-site photographers and videographers with a drone capturing images and video of our event. By attending our 2024 event you are consenting to your image being used in Good Grief marketing materials, including, but not limited to, social media platforms, websites, press releases, and other printed or digital materials.Are Donations to Good Grief's 5K Run & Walk Tax Deductible?
Yes. Good Grief, Inc. is a federally recognized 501(c)3 organization, Federal Tax ID #20-0514996, and as such all gifts made to Good Grief are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowable by law.
Where Does the Money We Raise Go?
Good Grief is 100% privately funded and our programs are free to all of our families. All funds collected from race registration, fundraising efforts and sponsorships go directly to support the children and families we serve.
Can I Bring Strollers/Scooter/Trikes/Wagons?
Yes. For the 5K Run, only jogging strollers are welcome.
For the 2 Mile Walk, you are welcome to walk with “extra wheels”, especially if you bring little ones!
We welcome para-athletes for both events. If you are a para-athlete and require specific accommodations for the start line please contact tears@practicehard.com.
If you have extra wheels, no matter the type, please start a good distance from those around you and walk across the finish line. This protects the ankles and toes of the runners or walkers around you.
Will There Be Bag Storage On Site?
No. Please only bring what you need for the 5K Run and 2 Mile Walk. If you choose to bring items for picnicking in the festival area, please note that Good Grief is not responsible for unattended items.
Are Dogs Allowed?
For the health and safety of our four-legged friends, dogs are NOT allowed at this event.
What's the Rain Plan?
The 5K Run & Walk takes place rain or shine. Think positive…Think dry! But follow the next few steps and be prepared, just in case...
Check the weather forecast and dress accordingly!
In the case of lightning, a tornado, or other unsafe conditions, we will delay the 5K and Walk start time, and award ceremony. An announcement will be made, and participants will be directed to a safe location until the storms pass.
In the event of a pre-event delay (before 7:30 AM), we will send an email to all registered participants and post updates on the 5K event website and social media platforms.
If I Can’t Make It, Will You Refund My Registration Fee?
If your plans change, or you are unwell, we will convert you to a virtual participant. Registration for this event is non-refundable and non-transferable.
Who is the Race Management/Timing Company?
Proudly managed by Sports A/R. For event info call 908-245-3000 or email tears@practicehard.com. Timing & Scoring is provided by Best Racing Systems and results will be found at www.bestrace.com. Mobile results will be available immediately on event day.
I Have a Question Not Answered Here!
If you have additional questions, just ask Good Grief!! Thank you!!
