On Sunday, May 8, 2022, after two years as a virtual event, Run Like a Mother returns to Ridgefield in person bringing Mother’s Day joy to thousands of runners and fans!
* Kids’ One Mile starts 8:00 AM
* 5k Women’s Race starts at 8:30 AM
Register HERE (the race is nearly sold out!)
The race will start in the parking lot of The Ridgefield Playhouse, and run around the blocks, up Governor Street and onto Main, finishing at Ballard Park.
Race Map
Here’s an interactive map of the race route. (Click play to see/understand the loops.) This year, the race has been officially measured and USATF Certified! Click here for the official USATF certified map.
" Please note that Main Street will likely be milled (stripped of the top layer of pavement) on race day. RLSM will do their best to mark hazards like manholes but be aware and use caution.
Noreen L. Papa Mothers Live Your Life Fund
The 2022 Run Like a Mother race supports the Ridgefield Library’s Noreen L. Papa “Mothers: Live Your Life” Fund.
Contributions to the Fund will support library programs and collections dedicated to women's health and wellness, specifically to educate mothers to take care of themselves so they can take care of others.
Everyone that donates $10 or more through the registration platform (RunSignUp) will be entered into a raffle for some great prizes! So far will be raffling off:
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A weekend rental of a BMW courtesy of BMW of Ridgefield
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A one-hour massage courtesy of Susi Maura Massage (two will be raffled!)
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A gift certificate to Braziliant Body Waxing for $120 in waxing services
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A gift certificate to Ridgefield Stretch Lab for one 50-minute stretch session (3 of these will be raffled)
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And more to be announced!
Packet Pick up
Friday, May 6 - 10AM - 6PM @ BMW of Ridgefield, 746 Danbury Road
Saturday, May 7 - 9AM-5PM @ Ridgefield Running Company, 423 Main Street
Sunday, May 8 - Beginning at 7AM at Ridgefield Playhouse.
Yes, someone else may pick up your race packet for you. We strongly recommend picking up your packet before race day to avoid lines. Packets will not be shipped.
There will be no race day in-person registration. We need to know who’s coming (just like a wedding!). Therefore,
NO RACE DAY REGISTRATION.
Race Day Parking
Parking is available at all town lots. You can find a map of the town lots here. All will be within ¼ mile of the start/finish. Parking is also available at East Ridge Middle School.
RLAM suggests avoiding parking at Yanity Gym/Ridgefield Playhouse as you won’t be able to leave until all the racers have gone through. (Also, that lot fills up quickly.) Please allow enough time to park and get to the start; streets around the Playhouse get congested before the race starts.
IF YOU WILL BE GETTING DROPPED OFF, PLEASE GET DROPPED OFF AT:
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Ridgefield Library
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Bissell Pharmacy
It’s less than ¼ mile walk to the start, and makes for an easy driver exit.
Earn rewards!
You can earn rewards by bringing friends along!
If you refer 4 friends using your unique registration code (look for it in your confirmation email), you’ll receive a $20 refund.
If you refer 10 friends using your code, you’ll receive a special mom’s gift basket filled with goodies valued at $75.
FAQs
I'm a guy. Can I run it? or, I have a son that's old enough to run it. Can he run it? We won’t say no, but we will not be giving awards in any male categories. And it is a Mother’s Day race for women, after all. In the Kids’ One Mile, we have both male and female awards.
Will there be water on the in-person race course? Yes, there will be one water station, brought to you by our partner Connecticut Breast Imaging, that you will pass twice on the looped part of the course. We encourage you to carry your own fluids to save waste. Unless it’s very hot/humid, you likely will not need fluids for a 5k race.
Can I wear my race shirt when I run? Of course! Wear the tee, or whatever you feel comfortable in.
Can I run with a stroller? We would prefer to keep strollers out of the race. The start and the first mile of the race are very crowded, and strollers create a serious hazard. NOTE: Most of the roads will be open to traffic. We are considering a stroller division in the future but for 2022, no strollers or wagons please (this goes for the kids’ race too).
Can I run with my dog? No dogs are allowed. Please note that dogs are also not allowed in Ballard Park, so spectators should leave dogs at home.
Can I run with headphones? We strongly discourage it, as it’s a big safety issue, not just for you, but for the people around you. In our experience, runners with earbuds or headphones turn into hazards as they cannot hear police, volunteers, or other runners. You need to know what’s going on around you during a race, so open-ear headphones or none at all is the way to go. No personal speakers, please.
Is there a course time limit? There is a one hour time limit (that is approximately 19 minutes per mile pace). After that time (or slightly before as the police deem necessary), you will be asked to use the sidewalks as the roads will be completely open.
I can’t run. Can I get a refund? No, there are no refunds for any reason (including injuries or medical issues) but you have some options:
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“Gift” your bib to another person (and you work out the $$ amongst yourselves). You can transfer up until April 30, 2022. After that, we cannot accommodate transfers. How to transfer your bib? Click here.
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Defer for one year only to the 2023 race. The deadline to defer is also April 30, 2022. Note if you defer you are not entitled to the 2022 race swag and the action cannot be undone. How to defer? Click here.
I can’t run on Mother’s Day. Can I switch to the virtual race? Yes, but...because the Virtual Race is being organized by a completely different company with a different registration system, you’d have to execute one of the options above (deferral or transfer) and then sign up for the Virtual separately. (The deadline to register for the Virtual and receive your swag before Mother’s Day is April 26th.)
I registered for the Virtual, but can I run in the Ridgefield race? NO. Think of the virtual and in-person races as two different races. For instance, you wouldn’t show up to the Mother’s Day 5k with a Father’s Day 5k bib, right? If you registered for the virtual, but run the Ridgefield course on race day while the race is happening, that’s called banditing, which is not cool (see “banditing” below) and you will be DQ’d. If you want to switch, please contact the folks at the virtual race for info.
Can my kids run with me during the 5k? No, but they can join you when you enter Ballard Park for the last 50-ish yards so you can finish together! Have them wait by the corner gate at Main & Gilbert.
Can I run with my kid during the Kids One Mile? Yes, parents of pre-schoolers and younger can stay with them during the race (in our experience, be prepared to carry them!) Or any child with special needs that may truly need assistance to participate in the race may have a parent run with them.
Can my friends run with me? Only if they are registered participants. (see banditing below).
Are there prizes? Yes! TBD! We will have prizes for the Top Three overall female finishers and age group awards in ten-year increments.
My friend/spouse/child is not registered. Can he/she just run with me? NO! This is called "banditing" and is essentially using race resources without paying for them (a.k.a. stealing). Even if that person doesn't take the swag, water, or use the potties, they are still using resources they haven't paid for (police, EMS, permits, fencing, insurance, labor, etc.). It's also a safety issue. If an unregistered person gets hurt (or wears someone else's bib) in a race, we don't know who they are! We have capacity limits set for the race as per Ridgefield Police Dept, so it's also like crashing a wedding or party you didn't RSVP for. Please don't bandit races, it's just not cool.
This is my first race! Is there anything else I need to know? First, congratulations and thanks for picking Run Like a Mother for your first race! Second, YOU CAN AND YOU WILL finish! No mother left behind is our motto. We even have a “Sweep Fairy” who will come in last so that no one else has to.
Questions? Click HERE.
Read our Q&A with RLAM race founder, Megan Searfoss HERE.
Register to Run Like a Mother HERE.