Veterans Day 5K Fun Run/Walk at Hampton Park

We will be conducting a fun run or walk to honor Veterans, at 9AM on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026.  

1.           LOCATION:  The run will start at 9 am on Saturday, Nov. 14, and it will be 3.1 times around the Hampton Park loop (Mary Murray Dr.).  Information, pre-run festivities, start and finish will all be on the north side of the park, in the vicinity of the Rose Pavilion and the Hampton Park public toilets.

2.           PARKING: 

              a.           HAMPTON PARK WILL BE CLOSED TO TRAFFIC FROM 8 AM TO NOON.  If you park within Hampton Park before it closes at 8, you will not be able to get your car out of Hampton Park until it reopens at noon.

              b.           There is public parking outside of, but very near, Hampton Park.  You can park in these public spaces but please:  i) comply with any limitations on how long your car can park there; ii) DO NOT PARK ON GRASS; iii) DO NOT PARK ACROSS DRIVEWAYS; and iv) be aware that folks live in the houses around the park and be respectful of them and their needs and rights.  Finally, consider sustainability, and whether you could carpool, walk, bike, use public transportation, or otherwise minimize the event’s carbon footprint.

3.           STAY AWARE:  During our run, bicyclists will be allowed to use the park and some of them may be traveling at high speeds.  The road will be divided into three lanes: 

              i) an innermost, narrow lane, which can be used by fast, competitive runners;

              ii) a middle, narrow lane marked for bicyclists; and

              iii) an outer, wide lane for cars, which will be closed to car traffic during our event and can easily accommodate all participants. 

STAY OUT OF THE BIKE LANE!  A collision with a bicyclist could be painful for all involved!

5.           FOOD DONATIONS:  Food donations can be made at packet pickup, or on race day. Items needed for the Veterans' causes include: canned ham, canned chicken, Vienna sausages, peanut butter, jelly, canned fruits, canned vegetables, and Hormel complete meals.

GENERAL INFORMATION, PREVIOUSLY POSTED, ABOUT OUR EVENT IS BELOW.

Participants can run or walk in beautiful Hampton Park, Charleston, SC, or they can participate virtually at the time and place of their choosing. 

All registrants will receive BOTH a long sleeve SHIRT and a MEDAL commemorating the event. 

             We will probably set up a time and place for picking up t-shirts and bibs on the day before the run:  Friday, Nov. 13.  Information about the packet pick-up will be posted on this website, and emailed to registered participants, before Nov. 1.  When you’re at the packet pick-up, can pick up these items for yourself, your team members, your friends, your family, and others.  THERE WILL BE NO PACKET PICK UP ON THE DAY OF THE RACE.  If you are traveling from out of town, or otherwise cannot get your gear picked up on Friday, please email Lisa ([email protected] ) to make other arrangements, if/as possible.  In your email, please include the names of all registrants in your party.

             Virtual participants will receive their shirts and medals by mail (to a US, APO or FPO address). 

If you registered on or after October 8, you will receive a shirt, but we cannot guarantee that it will be the size you select. 

For the event in Hampton Park, we will mark off a distance of 5k (going around the park 3 times) but participants can run or walk a shorter or longer distance, if they choose.  There will be no awards or timed results, but we plan to have a time clock at the finish line so participants can note their finish times.  Hampton Park is closed to traffic during the event. 

Virtual participants can run or walk a 5k distance (or shorter, or longer) distance at a time and place of their choosing, and will not need to submit any information about when they walked or ran the 5k, or how long it took them. They can, of course, post their results on whatever social media they would like.  It may take a month, or more, for the virtual participants to receive their shirts, depending on the number of people who register for the virtual option.  The virtual option allows you to show your support of our veterans, and get a shirt and medal commemorating your participation, without traveling to Charleston's Hampton Park that morning.

Please donate to help our veteran community.  Everyone -- whether you register for the event or not -- can donate to our veteran causes.  Donors can honor a veteran: with a flag (4 in by 6 in) with a donation of $10 or more; or with a large sign (2 ft by 1.5 ft) with a donation of $30 or more.  For the flag or sign, you will be able to make your donation “in honor of”, or “in memory of”, the name of a veteran.  That veteran's name will then be put on the flag or sign.  The flags will be placed together prominently at the event; the signs will be displayed, individually and prominently, along the course.  Participants at the event can pick up their flags there.  To make any donation (in any amount, for a flag, sign, or otherwise) to support our veterans, please click on the DONATE icon at the top of this page. 

Also, you can bring, to the packet pick-up and/or the event, food items for local veteran service organizations to distribute to veterans

• WHEN
  
  • November 14, 2026 at 9AM 

• WHERE
  • Hampton Park, 30 Mary Murray Drive, Charleston, South Carolina 29403

• WHY

Many Low Country veterans are in need of food and other basic essentials.  There are about 2,500 veterans living below the poverty line in Charleston, and one out of every five Low Country residents getting food at local food banks is a veteran.  Further, over 11% of veterans, from ages 18 to 64, report food insecurity; that's more than twice the rate for non-veterans.  Recently, these problems have worsened for our veterans, as government programs have been cut and inflation has risen.

Many local veterans also need support for their mental well-being.  Multiple deployments and other stresses of military service have left many veterans with invisible wounds:  injuries to their mental health.  The rate of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among soldiers is nearly 15 times higher than the rate for civilians. For veterans currently leaving military service, it is estimated that:  30% have, or will have, PTSD symptoms; 20% suffered a traumatic brain injury; and 10% have an addiction to substances.  These invisible wounds, often combined with the financial difficulties described above, have led to an alarming rate of homelessness and suicide within our veteran community.  The homeless rate for veterans is twice that of non-veterans, and the suicide rate is 1.5 times greater than that of non-veterans.  About 22 veterans commit suicide a day, and nearly three quarters are not under VA care.  Since 9/11, the number of veterans our country has lost to suicide is more than 4 times greater than the number of combat deaths.

This Veterans Day 5k event will help Low Country veterans who need -- and deserve -- our support.  Proceeds from this event will go to organizations that provide direct support to Low Country veterans:  the Lowcountry Veterans organization; a local veteran scholarship; and the Food Pantry at the Charleston VA Medical Center.  Lowcountry Veterans provides transitional housing to homeless veterans in the Charleston area, housing up to 300 veterans each year in a drug and alcohol-free environment.  It also provides food and transportation, and facilitates educational and employment opportunities, to help veterans find stable employment and housing.  The scholarship fund will support educational opportunities for Lowcountry veteran families.  The VA Food Pantry provides and distributes food to local veterans, and advises on nutrition and health.

Just as important as the financial support, this Veterans Day 5k provides moral support; it sends a message to all of our local veterans that Charleston cares for, values and honors them.  With this event, we can help to heal the invisible wounds to our veterans' morale by showing them that they matter to us, and by increasing awareness of these wounds.  At the event, participants can learn more about these invisible wounds, how to assess the risk of suicide, and how to get help for veterans at risk of hunger, homelessness or suicide.    

If you have any questions or concerns about the 5k, please feel free to call Lisa Deaton at 843-224-7878.