Cow Paddy Run – Fayetteville, AR 2026

There’s a 5K for adults and older kids and a 1K Fun Run for the little ones. Don’t worry though, because there aren’t any real cow paddies to avoid. The name is just part of the tradition of this race, which has played a big part in developing Fayetteville’s pro-fitness, pro-fun culture over the years! The Cow Paddy Run produced by The Spark Foundation focuses on helping students and families build habits for an active, healthy lifestyle. We offer a “pay-your-age” program for runners 5-12 and proceeds directly support physical education in local schools through the school participation prize. As part of our mission, we want the focus on running to be fun and accessible. All runners get a chip time, participant shirt and finisher’s medal. We do not offer overall or age group awards for these events, but rather focus on the love of running by creating a fun, family-friendly atmosphere! 5K Strava Map — The course uses the paved loop around Gulley Park and the grass loop by Apple Seeds — p