Women’s Distance Festival WDF 5K
The Howard County Striders host an annual race in the Maryland Women’s Distance Festival series. This race features female runners and gives special awards for mother/daughter teams
Sponsors
This year’s event is made possible with the support of:
General Information
Date: Sunday, May 17th, 2026
Time: 8:00am
Location: Howard Community College
10600 Hickory Ridge Road, Columbia, MD 21044
Registration & Fees
No Strollers, No Pets, and No Earbuds/Headphones Allowed
(Adaptive Racing Equipment exempt)
The course is 3.1 miles long and has a time cutoff of 1 hour to complete it (19mpm pace or quicker)
| Date | Registration Fee Individual | Registration Fee Team |
|---|---|---|
| 01/22 to 03/22 | $40 | $80 |
| 03/23 to 04/19 | $45 | $90 |
| 04/20 to 05/14 | $55 | $110 |
| RACE DAY 5/17 (Walk-up morning before race starts) | $60 (If CASH, EXACT change only) | N/A- Team not available as walk-up, individual only |
Note: FIT training participants receive a discount on registration. Please see your coach for details
Note: No discounts will be applied retroactively. They must be used at the time of initial registration.
How to Create a Mother/Guardian – Daughter Team
When the first person chooses the team reg. choice they should pick Create Team and provide a team name, but they will not be prompted to select their teammate during their own registration.
After selecting team name, select 1 of 3 team brackets based on daughter’s age:
- Under 14 = Mother/Maternal Guardian with a Daughter aged 13 years and younger
- 14-20 = Mother/Maternal Guardian with a Daughter aged 14-20 years
- Over 20 = Mother/Maternal Guardian with a Daughter aged 21 years & older
Once they have finished, the 2nd person starts their own registration under the team reg. choice and gets to the team selection slide, they will choose Join Existing and enter the name to find their team.
Premium
Finishers of this year’s WDF 5K will receive a Birdie personal alarm device in matcha green with the WDF Logo.
The Birdie 3.0 is the original Personal Safety Alarm made by women, for women. As loud as a jet engine overhead when activated, and made for everyday use, you can bring her everywhere you go for peace of mind. Use this USB rechargeable tool to stop a life altering tragedy. Birdie shares our vision of a world where women are safe.
*virtual finishers will receive instructions for picking up their premium once they have uploaded their results to RunSignup
Location and Course Map
The race takes place at Howard Community College, located at 10600 Hickory Ridge Road, Columbia, MD 21044
Reminder: No Strollers, No Pets, and No Earbuds Allowed (Adaptive Racing Equipment exempt)
Course route is:
Beginning in HCC: Dragon Pl to Campus Dr to Martin Rd to Owen Brown Rd to Sunny Spring Rd to Hickory Ridge Rd to Campus Dr to Dragon Pl
The course is 3.1 miles long and has a time cutoff of 1 hour to complete it (19mpm pace or quicker)
There will be one water only aid station approximately halfway in the vicinity of Jerry’s Drive
Link to course: Howard Country Striders WDF 5K
v2025 Course is certified as USATF #MD25007NP
Awards
Participants can win awards in a variety of categories including overall, age group and Mother/Guardian – Daughter teams.
Overall winners are NOT eligible for Age Group awards but ARE eligible for Team awards.
- Top 3 Overall
- 1st Overall Master[Race Age 40 – 59]
- 1st Overall Grand Master[Race Age 60 +]
- Top 3 Mother/Guardian – Daughter Teams Based on the Daughter’s Age:
- 13 & Under [Under 14]
- 14 – 20
- 21+ [Over 20]
- Top 3 in the following age groups:
- 9 & Under
- 10-19
- 20-29
- 30-39
- 40-49
- 50-59
- 60-69
- 70-79
- 80+
Race Results
Packet Pickup is Race Morning Only
Walk-up Registration is Race Morning Only
