Brian Kraft Memorial 5K Run

🏃‍♂️ Race Overview

Benefiting the University of Minnesota Foundation Masonic Cancer Center

A flat and fast USATF certified 5 km course around beautiful Lake Nokomis in South Minneapolis.

📍 Location

• Venue: Near the Lake Nokomis Community Center, 2401 East Minnehaha Parkway, Minneapolis, North end of Lake Nokomis.

📝 Registration

• Online Registration: $40 through 11.59 p.m. Thursday, 5/21/26. USATF-Minnesota members get a $5 discount (get the code from your USATF club coordinator).
• Late Registration: $50 from Friday, 5/22/26 through 11.59 p.m. Sunday, 5/24/26. No discounts for late registration.
• No Race Day Registration: Please ensure to register before the deadlines.

🎟️ Bib Number & Shirt Pick Up

• Location: Mill City Running will host Bib and Shirt Pick up at the store's Northeast location (411 E. Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis MN 55414) Saturday, May 23 and Sunday, May 24.
• Race Day Pick Up: If you are unable to pick up your Bib and Shirt ahead of time, you can pick it up Monday May 25, at Lake Nokomis Community Center from 7:00 to 8:15 AM.
• Size Swaps: Due to unanticipated growth of the event, we've run out of most shirt sizes. If your selected size doesn’t work, come back to the shirt table after the race for a possible swap.

👟 About Brian Kraft

Brian Kraft was an enthusiastic and talented runner from Bemidji, Minnesota. His running career was cut short at the age of 19 with the discovery of Ewing's sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, in his back. Brian lived with cancer for 15 years, undergoing chemotherapy, a bone marrow transplant, and countless surgical procedures.

Throughout the years, Brian continued to run. He ran the lakes and parkways and raced with the local running crowd. In spite of all that life threw his way, he kept a positive attitude. Brian attributed his strength in his fight against cancer to his love of running and to the work of his long-time friend, Dr. Arny Leonard.

🔬 Cancer Research

Dr. Arnold S. Leonard and his colleagues at the University of Minnesota and the National Cancer Institute have made significant advances in cancer research in the last five years. They are working on a series of projects that reduces cancers of all kinds by boosting the central immune system by genetic engineering. This exciting new field of cancer therapy has great promise.

💖 Contributions

All donations submitted with race entries and a portion of the race proceeds will go to the University of Minnesota Foundation Masonic Cancer Center.

🤝 Special Thanks

A special thanks to our sponsor this year -- Mill City Running!

🔗 More Information

For complete race details, visit the official race page: Brian Kraft Memorial 5K Run.