Courage Day 5K

🏃‍♀️ Courage Day 5K Overview

The Courage Closet is dedicated to supporting survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse in Northern Virginia. Our donations help ensure all survivors are treated with dignity, respect, have access to compassionate medical care, and state of the art evidence collection.

Our founder and leader Liz Sands was kidnapped and raped on April 17, 1999 at the age of 17. Following her attack, her family proclaimed April 17th her “Courage Day”, a celebration of her survival. Her family held a party with family and friends on the first anniversary of her attack and has celebrated every year since.

The Courage Day 5K and Fun Run is held at beautiful Franklin Park in Western Loudoun County, VA. Franklin Park boasts 200+ acres of rolling hills and views of the Blue Ridge mountains. This is a trail course, while not technical it is also not paved.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Event Details

• Family Friendly: This a family friendly event! In addition to the 5k, we will also have a Kids fun run and a Tot Trot! Tot trot is a short sprint and is a free event for toddlers with an adult registration.
• Virtual Option: We also have a virtual 5k and fun run option, if you are unable to join us in person.
• Race Location: Franklin Park, 17501 Franklin Park Dr, Purcellville, VA 20132
• Date: Sunday, May 18, 2025

🕗 Event Schedule

• 7:45 AM: Race day packet pickup starts
• 8:45 AM: Fun Run
• 9:00 AM: 5K
• 10:00 AM: Tot Trot (when 5K is done)

💰 Registration Fees

• 5K: $30 through March 15, $35 until online registration closes on Thursday, April 11 at 8:00 pm, $40 through race day
• Fun Run: $15 through Thursday, April 1 at 8:00 pm, $20 through race day (during packet pickup and race day). Fun Run participants will receive a shirt and kid's medal.
• Tot Trot: FREE and sign up will be on race day and will receive a medal only.
• Virtual 5K: $40 and includes packet shipping if needed.

📦 Packet Pickup

Packet pickup will be at the =PR= Leesburg store on Friday, May 16 from 3-6pm, then again on race day, at Franklin Park starting at 7:45 am. Participants are encouraged to pick up their packet before race day. Shipping is also an option for Virtual Event option only for a small fee.

🏆 Awards

Awards for the live event will be given to the top 3 overall Male & Female finishers and the top 3 boys and girls 10 & under.

❤️ Support for Survivors

All proceeds will go directly to The Courage Closet. This is our 6th annual 5k, to date the Courage Day 5K is our largest fundraiser. We have a goal of raising $20,000 from the 5K to support survivors through the INOVA FACT department. The Inova Ewing Forensic Assessment and Consultation Teams address the unique needs of abused children and adults. They offer expert medical evaluation, forensic evidence collection, and provide expert interpretation based on training, experience and medical data. The majority of funding for the department is philanthropic. The department receives very little reimbursement through the state.

💡 Top 5 Areas of Need

• Additional staffing: With 3 full-time, 4 part-time and 5 PRNs there is a great need to bring on more providers. Staffing shortages mean the Cornwall Location is not currently staffed 24/7 - it would cost approximately $115,000/year to have a full-time nurse at Cornwall.
• Patient Assistance: This is a broad category of need from meals for a patient during their exam to Lyft rides for appointments. This need is growing as the number of cases increases.
• Equipment Maintenance: The FACT Department uses Cortexflo technology. Having the best technology comes at a cost - one camera costs approximately $20,000-25,000 and maintenance is around $10,000-$15,000/year.
• Professional development: Continuing education/professional development opportunities often become a personal expense. Supporting team members in attending seminars/conferences is essential.

For more information and to register, visit our registration page.