- The Bethlehem Running Festival takes to the streets this Saturday and Sunday from SteelStacks. Roads throughout the city will be closed
- Races include the 5k, 10k, half marathon and half marathon team relay, with registration ending Friday
- Some proceeds and all donations will go to the American Cancer Society, with a Making Strides Against Cancer walk at noon
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The Bethlehem Running Festival, the city’s first major multi-day running event since the final Runner’s World Half and Festival in 2019, will hit the streets this weekend.
Race routes are intended to highlight the various parts of the Christmas City.
The festival, scheduled Oct. 21-22, will feature 5K and 10K races on Saturday and half marathon and half-marathon relay races on Sunday. A half-marathon relay also allows for a three-person team to run two five-mile legs and one 5K leg.
"We really want to create a festival atmosphere, not just running, but a whole weekend of running and people gathering and sharing running stories and meet other runners. The ArtsQuest property is really set up for that. So it's about running these races, but also being part of the running community raising money for the Cancer Society."Race host and course designer Bart Yasso
Saturday also will have an American Cancer Society Making Strides against Cancer Walk at noon, with a part of registration fees and all donations collected going to the charity.
Each race in the festival will start and end on South Bethlehem’s SteelStacks campus, heading west to cross the Lehigh River over the Fahy Bridge before returning.
Event registration ends Friday, Oct. 20 at 11:59 p.m. EDT.
Race host and course designer Bart Yasso said the routes all include some of his favorite parts and views of the city.
"We really want to create a festival atmosphere, not just running, but a whole weekend of running and people gathering and sharing running stories and meet other runners," Yasso said.
"The ArtsQuest property is really set up for that. So it's about running these races, but also being part of the running community raising money for the Cancer Society."
'A race for everybody'
As course designer, Yasso noted the 5k (about 3.1 miles) is a race that runners of nearly all levels should be able to do, with the 10k (about 6.2 miles) a bit more challenging with more hills.
He concedes the half marathon (13 miles) is a challenging course, intended for those who have been actively training in long distance.
And if you're not up for it this year, Yasso said the festival still is seeking volunteers, and there will be plenty of opportunity to engage with the race as a spectator.
"If you come to the race or be part of it, you will understand what it's all about. You could get hooked on running, sign up for next year's race. It's not all for the professional runners and past runners, we tried to have a race for everybody."Race host and course designer Bart Yasso
"If you come to the race or be part of it, you will understand what it's all about," Yasso said. "You could get hooked on running, sign up for next year's race."
"It's not all for the professional runners and past runners, we tried to have a race for everybody."
City roads will be reopened after the races, which have maximum finishing times of:
- 5K: 1:15
- 10K: 1:55
- Half marathon: 3:30
A festival attitude
Yasso said he hopes the maximum race times can lead to participants and spectators taking in the restaurants and shops of Bethlehem after the races.
He said he anticipates entrants from neighboring states and even further away, in addition to those racing from the Lehigh Valley.
"There's a lot of runners that come to race that have never been to Downtown Bethlehem and then once they're there, they fall in love with it," Yasso said.
"When someone says to me, 'Why would you have a race that starts and finishes in an abandoned steel company?' I always know that person's never been to property at SteelStacks.
"Once they get there, everyone has the exact opposite reaction. They always say to me, 'This was the coolest spot to start a race ever.'"
A Bethlehem native who grew up during the days of Bethlehem Steel, Yasso noted that festivals have been a big part of revitalizing the city since the economic downturns of the late 20th Century.
"I'm just glad [the race] is back because it's something that's vital to the city," Yasso said.
"Bethlehem doing these festivals almost every weekend, it really brought the city and made it a vibrant place to live in and to be part of."
Continuing the city's running legacy
Yasso has competed in more than 1,200 races on all seven continents over his three decades serving as the public face of Runner’s World magazine and the unofficial Mayor of Running.
He may be best known for creating the Yasso 800 workout for marathoners, and was inducted into Running USA’s Hall of Champions in 2007.
He previously oversaw the Runner’s World half-marathon and festival in Bethlehem, which ended in 2019 after eight events. It brought thousands of runners and spectators to the city and had more than 8,000 entrants at its peak.
Awards for the next festival are set for:
- Top 3 Overall male/female in all three events
- Top 3 Overall Masters (age 40 and older) in the half marathon
- Top 3 male/female for all events in the age groups: 19 and under, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80 and older
- Top 3 male/female in the 5K for the additional age groups: 6-9, 10-12, 13-15, 16-19
Yasso and organizers with RUNegades Running Club say the City of Bethlehem has been great to work with to put on the event, establishing road closures that will occur and making sure of emergency vehicle access.
Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds previously said he intends to run all three races, which would be his first time doing the local half marathon race as mayor.
EDITOR'S NOTE: LehighValleyNews.com is the primary media sponsor of the Bethlehem Running Festival.
