The Nittany Valley Running Club’s Arts Festival Races are set for Sunday, July 12, and will once again feature 5K, 10K, and Kids Fun Run events, said Pamela Snyder Etters, executive director of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts.

“We are excited to welcome both new and returning racers for what promises to be a fun but challenging race and to welcome back Mount Nittany Health as the Presenting Sponsor of the Arts Festival Races again in 2026,” Etters said.

From start to finish, runners will enjoy some of the area’s most beautiful scenery at the 48th Annual Sue Crowe Memorial Arts Festival Races. The races begin and end on the Penn State campus at the intersection of University Drive and Services Road, with the rolling course heading from the north end of campus along Services Road before winding through the Bellefonte Central Rail Trail and the trails of The Arboretum at Penn State.

The 5K and 10K races will begin at 8:30 am. Racers should have plenty of time to be back in downtown State College before the Arts Festival booths open for the final day of the festival at 11 am.

The registration fee is $25 for the 5K race and $35 for the 10K. Participants may also register online through RunSignup. Shirts are guaranteed for the first 250 registrants. On the day of the race, registration fees increase by $5.

Participants may pick up race packets or register from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 11, at the Arts Festival at the Nittany Valley Running Club booth in the Mount Nittany Health tent across from Schlow Centre Region Library or on the morning of the race, from 7:15 to 8:15 a.m. Sunday, July 12, at the race start.

The top three male and female finishers will receive awards for each of the following categories in each race: Overall, 10 & Under, 11-14, 15-18, 19-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70 & older. Medals will be awarded in the youth age groups under 18.

A Kids Fun Run will be free. No shirt, no timing, just something fun for the little ones. Sign up for the Kids Fun Run on the main race registration page.

Race registration proceeds benefit youth running activities in Centre County and the continuing operations of the Nittany Valley Running Club.

“The Nittany Valley Running Club is excited to once again partner with the CPFA to present these races as part of the Arts Festival program,” said Hayden Davidson, the Nittany Valley Running Club’s 2026 Arts Festival Races coordinator. “These races truly bring out the spirit of both the festival and the local running community, and we can’t wait for this year’s races.”

The races are named in memory of local running legend Sue Crowe.

In addition to being a runner of note, Crowe gave back to the running community through her work coaching young competitors. She and her family were fixtures at the Arts Festival races, and she was a repeat race winner at both 10K and 10-mile distances.