Grab your running shoes, Bethlehem.
The city will host a multiday running festival for the first time in four years this fall.
The Bethlehem Running Festival will take place Oct. 21 and 22 and includes a 5K, 10K and half-marathon course, all of which start at the Steelstacks and weave through the city.
Bethlehem previously hosted the Runner’s World Half & Festival from 2012 to 2019 before it was cancelled in 2020. Runner’s World, a Hearst publication based in Easton, did not detail a reason for the cancellation.
The RUNegades, a running club based in Phoenixville, is organizing this year’s event. Michael Ragozzino, a RUNegades member, said demand was high for the festival to return to Bethlehem.
“Every time we ran in the Lehigh Valley … we would always hear, ‘When is there going be a festival again? Is it ever going to come back?’ ” he said. “Finally, after hearing that so many times, I decided to give Bart [Yasso] a call, and here we are today.”
Yasso is the former “chief running officer” of Runner’s World magazine and one of a handful of people worldwide to have run a marathon on all seven continents.
Yasso, who said he got his start running on the “gritty streets of south Bethlehem” 45 years ago, designed the three courses for the race. The city’s many hills and inclines will make for a challenging race, he said, but are designed to showcase Bethlehem as a whole.
“I always get beat up about these hilly courses, but I design these courses to really get a feel for the city. You go through some historic neighborhoods you really take in all the city from start to finish,” Yasso said.
Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds said the running festival could have a “tremendous economic and cultural impact” in the city, which is known for its seasonal festivals and events.
“A lot of people in the Lehigh Valley are going to come to Bethlehem, a lot of people that are residents in Bethlehem, people are going to come from all over the country and see what makes our community so special,” Reynolds said.
The Bethlehem Running Festival’s half-marathon sponsor is Lehigh Valley Health Network. Bob Begliomini, senior vice president at LVHN, said the network will host several training opportunities leading up to the three races.
Organizers are still seeking primary sponsors for the 5K and 10K, Ragozzino said.
The 5K will begin at 7:30 a.m. Oct. 21, followed by the 10K at 8 a.m. The half-marathon begins 8 a.m. Oct. 22.
Interested participants can register at runbethlehem.com. Proceeds from the festival will benefit the American Cancer Society.
