Sunday Strides Races
The Sunday Strides (formerly “weekly series”) races are conducted at various locations around Howard County. Separate races ranging in distance from 1 mile to 15 kilometers are scheduled for throughout the spring, fall, and winter seasons. Each series culminates in the distribution of series awards. While these races emphasize participation, we also reward performance.

General Information
- All races begin at 2pm unless otherwise noted
- Show up no more than 30 minutes before the race to register.
- Runners of all abilities and ages are welcome, including non-Striders!
- Sorry, no bathroom facilities will be available
- Course finding is your responsibility! Minimal markings will be provided, but races are on open roads or paths and there may be few or no course marshals.
- Water will be available on longer courses.
Schedule
Winter 2026 (Operation Iceberg)
| Date | Series | Distance 1 | Distance 2 | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01/04/2026 | Operation Iceberg #1 | 1 Mile | 5k | Hammond Middle School |
| 01/18/2026 | Operation Iceberg #2 | 2 Mile | 5 Mile | Burleigh Manor Middle School |
| 5k | Oakland Mills Middle School | |||
| 02/22/2026 | Operation Iceberg #4 | 5k | 10k | Hammond High School |
| 03/01/2026 | Operation Iceberg #5 | 5k | Northfield Elementary School | |
| 03/15/2026 | Operation Iceberg #6 | 5k | 10k | Patuxent Valley Middle School |
| 03/29/2026 | Operation Iceberg #7 | 1 Mile | 5k | Swansfield Elementary |
Spring 2026 (Vernal Velocity)
| Date | Series | Distance 1 | Distance 2 | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04/12/2026 | Vernal Velocity #1 | 2 Mile | 10k | Jeffers Hill Elementary School |
| 04/26/2026 | Vernal Velocity #2 | 2 Mile | 10k | Longfellow Elementary School |
| 05/10/2026 | Vernal Velocity #3 | 2 Mile | 5 Mile | Burleigh Manor Middle School |
| 05/24/2026 | Vernal Velocity #4 | All Fruit Relay | All Fruit Relay | Oakland Mills Middle School |
| 05/31/2026 | Vernal Velocity #5 | 5k | 8k | Meadowbrook Park |
| 06/14/2026 | Vernal Velocity #6 | 2 Mile | 4 Mile | Clemens Crossing Elementary School |
Fall 2026 (Legends of the Fall)
TBD
Course Maps
Registration
All registration takes place on the day of the race. Fees are CASH ONLY (exact change). No credit card reader on site.
| Date | Registration Fee: HCS Member | Registration Fee: Non-HCS Member |
|---|---|---|
| RACE DAY (Walk-up before race starts) | Individual: $1 Family: $2 | Individual: $3 Family: $5 |
Results
Volunteering
Sunday Race Lead Officials
The Sunday Strides Lead Race Coordinator is responsible for ensuring that a complete team of officials is available for the event and notifying other officials at least five days in advance of the race. The Lead is responsible for assigning race tasks and for a safe run.
Sunday Strides Race Officials
Please arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the scheduled race. Responsibilities include assisting with equipment set-up, performing race day activities (such as start, finish and water stops) and post-race clean-up. If officials switch from the assigned schedule, they are expected to contact the Sunday Strides Race Officials who will be impacted. Note: failure to work or provide a substitute will result in disqualification from the point standings. Officials assigned to work may not find a substitute and then run in an event the week he/she was assigned to officiate.
Email sundaystrides@striders.net if you are interested in being a lead official! Regular volunteer signups can be done through SignUp.com
Safety
Although the courses are designed to be as safe as possible, you run at your own risk. Runs take place on public roads and pathways with little or no traffic control. Neither medical assistance nor police assistance is available at weekly events. Officials reserve the right to eliminate bonus points and/or cancel any event due to inclement weather or other unsafe conditions.
Officials have the right and responsibility to disqualify any runner who doesn’t complete the course. For safety reasons, strollers, dogs and headphones are not allowed at any Striders events.
Scoring
Racers accumulate points throughout each race of the series. Each person scores a minimum of 10 points and a maximum of 22 points for completing a race. Volunteers score 22 points for their first time volunteering in a series, and 10 points for each additional race in the series for which they volunteer.
Series awards are presented to male and female finishers accumulating minimum points in either a long distance (10K, 15K, 6M, etc.) or short distance (3M or less) series of races. Minimum series points are calculated based on total number of races minus one (1) race. The resulting number is multiplied by 10 to determine the minimum total points to qualify for awards. So for a race series with six races, the minimum number of points is 50.
| Place | Points |
|---|---|
| 1 | 22 |
| 2 | 21 |
| 3 | 20 |
| 4 | 19 |
| 5 | 18 |
| 6 | 17 |
| 7 | 16 |
| 8 | 15 |
| 9 | 14 |
| 10 | 13 |
| 11 | 12 |
| 12 | 11 |
| 13+ | 10 |
| Volunteers | 22/10 |
PLEASE NOTE THERE WILL BE NO BATHROOMS AVAILABLE (sorry!)






