Spring is in the air and summer is right around the corner. If you're looking to fit in a few weekend races before it's beach season, or looking to do some good for charity, or just looking to run for beer and mimosas — here are your best bets.
April 2
Take Back the Night 5K, Agnes Scott College, 5 p.m., $25
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and the women of Agnes Scott College want to bring runners together to race for the benefit of Day League, a sexual assault survivors service organization with a 24-hour crisis hotline and counseling. This 5K raises funds and awareness to help prevent sexual assaults, especially among young women in high school and college. All proceeds will go to benefit Day League.
Agnes Scott College, 141 East College Ave., Decatur, Ga. 30030, runsignup.com/Race/GA/Decatur/TakeBacktheNight5K
April 9
Atlanta Track Club Fast Break 5K, Philips Arena, 8 a.m., $45
Run this 5K and snag a free ticket to an Atlanta Hawk's game. That's right: Being one of the first 1,500 people to register for this race earns you more than a Mizuno tech T-shirt. You'll also receive a free ticket to the game of your choice (April 5 against the Phoenix Suns, April 7 against the Toronto Raptors or April 9 against the Boston Celtics).
Philips Arena, 1 Philips Drive, Atlanta, Ga. 30303, atlantatrackclub.org/fast-break-5k
Atlanta Dogwood Festival Mimosa 5K, Piedmont Park, 8 a.m., $30
If you're a fan of the beloved Dogwood Festival, then you'll want to sign up for this 5K to help celebrate the fine arts fest's 80th year. Run through historic Midtown's quaint neighborhood streets, then celebrate your victory lap with mimosas in Piedmont Park.
Piedmont Park, Charles Allen Drive and Tenth Street, Atlanta, Ga. 30309, rungeorgia.com/atldogwood5k.html
Run Before You Crawl 5K, Grant Park/Zoo Atlanta, 9:30 a.m., $45
You've heard the term "running for bling." But with this road race, you're running for beer. Begin your morning with a run through a Grant Park neighborhood full of charming bungalows, then grab your pint glass and chase that race with a pub crawl at six locations.
(They say beer is the best run recovery drink.)
Grant Park/Zoo Atlanta, 800 Cherokee Ave., Atlanta, Ga. 30312, runsignup.com/Race/GA/Atlanta/RunBeforeYouCrawl
April 16
Run the River 5K/10K, Roswell, 7:30 a.m., 5K $30, 10K $40
Now in its 15th year, Run the River has become a popular race for runners and walkers of all ages and distances. Choose to run a quick 5K or go the distance with a 6.2-mile jaunt along the river's fast and flat 10K course. But this is more than a run along the Chattahoochee though: It's a race with a heart of gold. Proceeds will go to benefit HomeStretch which provides housing and life skills for homeless families in the North Fulton community.
St. Andrew Catholic Church, 675 Riverside Road, Roswell, Ga. 30075, runtheriver.org
Atlanta Track Club Singleton 5K/10K, Norcross, 7:30 a.m., 5K $10, 10K $10, Free for ATC members
The third event in the Grand Prix series, the Singleton is named for one of the founding members of the Atlanta Track Club, and a pioneer in the sport of road racing, Dr. Tim Singleton.
It was his vision of celebrating runners of all abilities that is now at the heart of the largest 10K in the world, Atlanta's own Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race. Choose between running a 5K or testing your legs in anticipation of this year's Peachtree in July with the 10K.
Thrasher Park, 93 Park Drive, Norcross, Ga. 30071, atlantatrackclub.org/2016-singleton-5k/10k
April 23
Girls on the Run 5K, Georgia Tech, 8 a.m., $25
This race is all about girl power. Run with your lady squad, your daughter, your friend's daughter or any important woman in your life and help end the GOTR season with a giant 5K victory lap finishing in Bobby Dodd stadium.
Over the course of 12 weeks, girls from schools across metro Atlanta have been training hard for this moment while learning about the importance of loving themselves and having a healthy body image. This race is one big love fest — and the best part is cheering on the littlest ladies as they cross the finish line and achieve a hard-earned goal.
Georgia Tech, IC Lawn, 391 Ferst St., Atlanta, Ga. 30318, girlsontherunatlanta.org/gotr-5k/5k-race-info
April 30
Soulshine 5K, Emory University, 8 a.m., $25
End your April with a 5K benefiting Parent to Parent Georgia, an organization helping families of children with disabilities or special health care needs. Run 3.1 miles among the shade trees and rolling hills in the Emory-area neighborhoods. Plus: free parking in the Peavine I and Peavine II parking decks.
Woodruff Field at Emory University, 201 Dowman Drive, Atlanta, Ga. 30322, active.com/atlanta-ga/running/distance-running-races/soulshine-5k-atlanta-2016
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