Several schools have run/walks to raise funds for various needs. We also know that it takes a lot of work and expense to organize. In an effort to support area schools, we invite you to join us for the 2022 Great Candy Run.

Benefit to your school:

• Receive 20% of registration fees for all participants that sign up under your school
• Opportunity to set up separate fundraising (100% to your school)
• Recruit volunteers, receive $5 donation per volunteer
• Dedicated meet-up tent in event village for teams of 20 or more
• Save time and money

A SWEET Experience

• Fun themed 5K Run/Walk
• Free pictures to all participants
• Sweet custom medal to all finishers
• Live music
• Sweet costume contest

The Great Candy Run is all about sweet fun, and sweet memories with family and friends. Want to be part of the sweetness? Contact Michelle at michelle@halsports.net.

Updated September 14th 2020

The in-person event will be produced with the utmost care and precaution to minimize contact points and keep everyone safe and healthy. The event will be capped to allow for proper social distancing.

With guidelines and restrictions ever changing we can’t predict exactly what race day will look like but we can share our high-level plans as they exist today.

Participants will be encouraged to come to advance bib pickup to reduce lines on event day. They may be assigned arrival time blocks for event day. In this case, it will be expected that you remain in your vehicle until your arrival time.

Participants will line up at the start line in rows of 3 in groups of 24, allowing for social distancing at all times. Masks may be required up until you cross the start line and then may be removed while on the race course.

We’ll update this post as the date gets closer!

Denver and Minneapolis/St Paul are getting ready for this fall’s sweetest event. The Great Candy Run is a timed 5k that attracts elite runners, families, strollers, and tiny tots for a day of fun. And Sugar.

Register or even make a team! Spread the word!

Fetal Health Foundation founder Lonnie Somers and Dr. Michael Zaretsky appeared on Colorado Today to talk about the Foundation and the Great Candy Run. Denise Plante took the Jelly Belly BeanBoozled® challenge. Did she get a tasty bean or not? Watch and find out…

DENVER, Colo. (October 19, 2016) – Evergreen-native Sarah Herron, who appeared on ABC’s “The Bachelor” (2013) and “Bachelor in Paradise” (2014, 2016) will be in Colorado for the 13th Annual Great Candy Run. Set for Sunday, November 6, in Denver’s Washington Park, this fun-filled event benefits the Fetal Health Foundation, which provides assistance to families experiencing complicated pregnancies and funds research into fetal syndromes.

Herron was born with Amniotic Band Syndrome, a fetal syndrome that affected her left arm and caused life-long insecurities. This experience prompted Herron, who now lives in Los Angeles, to create SheLift — a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that empowers girls to conquer their personal obstacles by providing them with the tools, experiences and mentorship to live an inspired, authentic life.

Visitors to Herron’s booth in the Great Candy Run expo area had an opportunity to have their picture taken with some of their favorite personalities from the popular ABC television shows, including Carly Waddell and Evan Bass, JJ Lane, Trista and Ryan Sutter, and Jade and Tanner Tolbert.

Presented by The Colorado Institute for Maternal and Fetal Health, the Great Candy Run is sweet fun for all ages, with a 5K Run/Walk, a free Kids Fun Run, costume contests, prize money, medals for all finishers, on-course entertainment, a huge post-race expo, and, of course, plenty of candy.

Do you like candy? Terrific: this race is for you! They’ve been begging for it, so September 17th we’re bringing The Great Candy Run to the Minneapolis suburb of Eden Prairie. The Great Candy Run Minneapolis features candy-themed nostalgia and fun for grown-ups, and sweet, fit memory-making for kids. There’s prize money and awards for costumes, too!

This family fun event combines treats and fitness, and includes a tiny tot run and a timed 5k. Thousands line the streets of Denver every year for this crowd favorite — Minneapolis is going to love it! Our Minneapolis Race Director, Stacy Hvinden, headed out to the race location at beautiful Staring Lake to give us a preview.

The setting for the race is perfect: we will be running one of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes! Our race will begin and end on the beautiful trail that surrounds Staring Lake. Can you imagine how much fun this will be with CANDY? See you September 17th, Minnesota! The Great Candy Run Minneapolis is the benefit event for the Fetal Health Foundation.

Eleven years ago when we set out to create a charity 5K to raise money and awareness about fetal syndromes, I didn’t want it to be just another charity 5K. I wanted it to be a celebration of family — an event that allowed families the opportunity to spend time together and make wonderful memories. We also wanted those who came, whether to honor a lost angel or to celebrate their survivor, to have an outlet to share and pay tribute to their loved children.

In 2009, in only our 6th year, we were voted the #1 5K in Colorado by readers of Colorado Running Magazine — a huge honor given the hundreds of 5Ks in Colorado. Each year our team works to make our event better. In 2013 we took a chance and renamed our event “The Great Candy Run,” creating a fun theme that everyone, young and old, could resonate with, while staying true to our charity and the families it serves.

We were honored and shocked to learn that our Denver event was voted the 2014 Best Kids Run by readers of Competitor Magazine. In Denver, we had over 2,000 kids from ages 5–13 participate in their very first 5K. Their excitement and the glow in their eyes was second only to the same emotions felt on Christmas morning. We thank you all for your loyal support — our battle against fetal syndromes is not even close to being over.

On November 11th, longstanding partner Panera Bread of Colorado will unite with The Great Candy Run. The event is presented by The Colorado Institute for Maternal and Fetal Health in conjunction with the University of Colorado Hospital, Children’s Hospital Colorado, and the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Panera Bread believes the universal spirit of bread is about sharing and giving back to the community. Through Panera’s Operation Dough-Nation program, unsold bread and baked items are donated to community organizations feeding those in need. Last year, Panera Bread donated an estimated equivalent of $2.25 million in day-end product to local food banks and soup kitchens in Colorado.

“Panera Bread is proud to support The Great Candy Run,” said Amy Kaplan, Director of Marketing for Panera Bread of Colorado. “We truly appreciate and value the collaborative partnership we’ve shared with the Fetal Health Foundation for over a decade.”

Panera is joined by other local longstanding partners like Coda Coffee and Output Services. Proceeds from The Great Candy Run benefit the Fetal Health Foundation in funding its programs and annual Research Grant.

Touted as having the sweetest finish ever, this year’s Great Candy Run will feature a local favorite among young and old alike, with a candy buffet sponsored by Hammond’s Candies.

Hammond’s has been handcrafting confections in Denver since 1920. They offer classic candies such as oversized candy canes, ribbon candy and hand-twisted lollipops, but have also expanded the line to include caramel corns, chocolate bars, caramels, cotton candy, and much more. Hammond’s offers free tours Monday–Saturday so the public can see what it takes to make handmade candy.

“We are very excited to be a part of The Great Candy Run this year. This is a great event that involves our two favorite things — candy and families,” said Andy Schuman, CEO of Hammond’s Candies.

The confectioner joins local sponsors like Coda Coffee, BornFit, Colorado Runner Magazine, and the presenting sponsor, The Colorado Institute for Maternal and Fetal Health.

The 11th annual The Great Candy Run is yet again gearing up to offer the sweetest finish ever, set for November 9th. The event is presented by The Colorado Institute for Maternal and Fetal Health in conjunction with the University of Colorado Hospital, Children’s Hospital Colorado, and the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

With on-course entertainment, a costume contest for all ages, prize money, one of the area’s largest post-race expos, and of course sweet treats, there’s little wonder the event hosts a crowd of more than 5,000 participants and spectators, with numbers growing each year. The event includes a traditional 5K, including a competitive Stroller Division, and the free Gumdrop Kids Fun Run presented by Denver-based Coda Coffee.

This year’s event will also host celebrity emcee Tom Terwilliger, local mascots, and Ashley and Aspen Somers — the twin inspiration behind the event — plus over 2,000 kids running their first 5K with Girls on the Run. Proceeds benefit the Fetal Health Foundation.