Sacramento's Run to Feed the Hungry is back for its 33rd year on Thursday, Nov. 26, 2026, with a 10K kicking off at 8:15 a.m. and a 5K following at 9 a.m. through the streets of East Sacramento. Runners and walkers don't even have to commit to a distance in advance — organizers say participants can choose whether to do the 5K or 10K on race day itself.
A Sellout Encore and a New Perk for Everyone
Last year's race was a record-setter. More than 34,000 runners and walkers flocked to East Sacramento for the 2025 event, according to The Sacramento Bee, and registration completely sold out for the first time in the event's history. The race has come a long way since 1994, when it drew around 700 participants, the Bee reported, growing from that first-year turnout into a major Sacramento Thanksgiving tradition.
This year, participants can choose chip timing and join a timed runners’ corral to compete for awards. The event's results page tracks each participant's finish-line crossing time and elapsed time, per the Run to Feed the Hungry FAQ.
Registration, Pricing and Team Deadlines
Registration is open online, with pricing that climbs the closer race day gets, as reported by KCRA. Adult registration runs $45.26 from Nov. 1 through Nov. 20, then rises to $50.56 from Nov. 21 through Nov. 25, and hits $53.74 on race day itself, per KCRA's reporting. Youth registration for ages 17 and under follows a similar tiered structure, starting at $25.38 through Nov. 20 and reaching $31.74 on Nov. 26.
Teams representing a company, family, school or other group get their own pricing tier — $55.06 for adults and $38.63 for youth through Nov. 20 — and come with perks including an upgraded tech shirt, a team area stocked with coffee, water and breakfast snacks, and a professional photo, KCRA notes. The deadline to join or create a team is Nov. 20, 2026, according to the event's own FAQ. As with individual entries, registration fees are nonrefundable and not transferable, the FAQ states, and all donations to the cause are described as 100% tax deductible.
Runners who want their bib and shirt mailed ahead of time can pay an extra $10 per person, but that request is due by Nov. 12, per the FAQ. If the in-person event can't happen for any reason, organizers say it will shift to a virtual format, with participants still receiving a bib and shirt.
Packet Pickup Dates and Race-Day Logistics
Packet pickup stretches across nearly a week before the race, all at Fremont Presbyterian Church, 5770 Carlson Drive, according to KCRA's reporting: Nov. 21 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Nov. 22 from 1:30 to 6 p.m., Nov. 23 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Nov. 24 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Nov. 25 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. A final window opens race morning, Nov. 26, from 7 to 9 a.m. Additional parking is available across the street at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center, per the same report.
The course starts on J Street west of the Sacramento State entrance, loops through East Sacramento, and finishes at the Scottish Rite Temple at 56th and H streets, KCRA reports. The J Street entrance to Sacramento State will stay closed until after the race finishes. Event organizers are also providing free bike parking near the start line on the Sac State Esplanade.
Strollers are welcome but must start in the walking corral and aren't allowed in the timed races, organizers note, while dogs are barred entirely from the race course as well as the pre-race and post-race areas, according to the Run to Feed the Hungry FAQ. Bikes, skateboards and scooters are also prohibited on the course.
Prizes for Top Finishers
Medals go to the top three finishers in each of 16 age groups, ranging from 12 and under up through 80 and older, per KCRA. Overall winners in both the 5K and 10K earn plaques along with cash prizes: $300 for first place, $200 for second, and $100 for third. A separate masters division for runners 40 and older awards $150 for first place, $100 for second, and $50 for third.
Why the Fundraiser Matters More Than Ever
Run to Feed the Hungry is the largest annual fundraiser for the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services, which describes the race as the largest Thanksgiving Day fun run in the entire nation. Every dollar raised goes toward feeding what the organization calls the more than 1 in 4 Sacramentans at risk of hunger.
The need behind the race has been climbing for years. Nearly 330,000 people turn to the food bank and its network of 112 partner agencies for food assistance every month, and the organization says demand has increased for six straight years, leaving its resources increasingly stretched. That tracks with what the food bank's CEO, Blake Young, told KCRA in earlier reporting: the organization is now feeding 332,000 people monthly, up sharply from the 150,000 it served before the pandemic.
KCRA 3 and MY58 are among the sponsors helping support the 2026 race, according to KCRA's report. For a city where the Thanksgiving morning jog has become as much a ritual as the turkey itself, the race once again doubles as a lifeline for neighbors facing hunger across Sacramento County.
