The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama Kids Marathon is an innovative, endurance building program for children in kindergarten (K5) through 5th grades (runners must be at least 5 years old on race day.)

Participants run the distance of a full marathon (26.2 miles) over the course of the program. To achieve this goal, kids must train for the last mile of their marathon by running a total of 25.2 miles in 1/4 mile, 1/2 mile, 3/4 mile or 1 mile increments between registration and race day to qualify for race day participation. There are NO official winners, but the event is timed so your child can chart their progress from the beginning of their training until the event.

Students run in PE class and/or with a parent and keep a running log sheet to track their progress. Participating schools can enroll in digital runner tracking through Marathon Kids (click for info). Mileage is based on adult supervision and the honor system. As each child completes the final mile on the actual marathon course on event day they receive a Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama Kids Marathon finisher’s medal on the track at Spain Park High School in Hoover.

5th graders kick off the race with each grade following in 15 minute waves (approximately). Details for start location and times will be confirmed by email ahead of the event.

2025 START TIMES BY GRADE WAVE

10:30 a.m. – 5th graders (black t-shirts)


10:40 a.m. – 4th graders (yellow t-shirts)


10:50 a.m. – 3rd graders (green t-shirts)


11:00 a.m. – 2nd graders (white t-shirts)


11:10  – 1st graders (blue t-shirts)


11:20 p.m. – Kindergarteners (red t-shirts)


11:30AM – Children Running with Parents – All grades K-5th

Only coaches wearing official race t-shirts and coaches race bibs are allowed to run in any grade wave.

Parents will NOT be allowed to run with their child unless they previously purchased a parent bib when they registered their child. Parents will NOT be allowed to run with strollers or unregistered younger or older siblings during the event on race day. It is our goal to keep the children safe and keep anyone not registered off of the course for safety reasons.

This race is timed, but there are no winners and no awards will be given out. Your child will have a timing device on the back of their race bib so they can compare their timing progress from the beginning of their training in the fall until race day. Race times will be listed on our web site by bib number only; not by their name. The timing is done by chip time, not gun time which means it will be an accurate time from the starting pad to the finish line so there is no need to push your child to the front of the line. This event is to help children learn about a healthy lifestyle with a major component being exercise.

Our first priority is the safety of your children. Unless there is a weather danger to the children, we will still run. Cold weather will not stop the race nor will rain, unless there are storms associated with it. Snow has never been an issue. Be sure they wear their race shirt as the outer layer with their bib number attached to the shirt.

Now through December 25 – $25

LATE REGISTRATION December 26-February 10 – $40 online registration ONLY

You can also register by getting a registration form from your PE teacher and turning it in through him/her. (Not all schools participate as a school so this may not be an option.) Hard copy registration is $30.

If your school does not currently participate in the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama Kids Marathon as a school/PE activity and you would like us to contact them about participation, please email KidsMarathonAL@gmail.com.

There will be NO make-up date.

No check-in is required on race day.

YOUR CHILD MUST RUN THEIR FINAL MILE ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2025 ON THE MARATHON COURSE TO RECEIVE THEIR MEDAL. As with any other sporting event, they must be there to finish their goal and receive their Bling!

Your child’s safety is the most important priority for our race staff. We go to great measures to insure their safety and we appreciate everyone abiding by our rules to accomplish our mission.

Each grade will have a designated colored T-shirt that your child must wear on race day. Your packet will also contain your child’s race number that MUST be worn on the front of their shirt. Attached to the race number is a PARENT CLAIM TAG. You must detach this and keep it with you so that you may identify and claim your child after the race. No child will be allowed to leave their designated fenced area unless the parent/guardian has the matching number on their claim tag. No IDs will be accepted in place of the race number. You MUST have the matching race number!

A police officer will be stationed at every street intersection along with a course marshal so your child will not be able to make a turn that is not on the course. Race staff and PE coaches will also be on the course running and walking with the children. They will insure that the runners stay on the correct course while offering them encouragement to finish their marathon goal.

Please educate your child on how the actual race will take place and that they should not leave the finish line corrals for any reason except when their parent/guardian picks them up using the matching claim number from their race bib.

Kindergarten – Red

First Grade – Blue

Second Grade- White

Third Grade – Green

Fourth Grade – Gold

Fifth Grade – Black

All runners must keep track of their miles. Participating schools can enroll in digital runner tracking through Marathon Kids (click for info), use their own spreadsheets or download the individual log sheet here.

Your child can chart their miles in 0.25-mile increments and won’t have to feel pressured to run a complete mile when they begin their training. However, if your child is training with their school’s PE class they may structure it differently. Upon completion of 25.2 miles, each child/school must email, mail or fax their log sheet/s by February 17, 2025 to Birmingham Marathon, Inc. Our fax number is (205) 870-7729, or email to  KidsMarathonAL@gmail.com or mail to Kids Marathon, 1911 27th Avenue, South, Birmingham, AL 35209.

Only parents who purchased a Parent Bib in advance will be allowed to run with their child on race day. Parents running with their child/children will run in the group designated for “Children Running with Parents” at noon.

You may run with your child regardless of their grade, K-5th. That group will be the last to run on Saturday and it will begin at approximately noon. No parents will be allowed to run with the individual grades that run from 10:30 - 11:45. Only PE coaches wearing official race t-shirts and coaches race bibs are allowed to run in any grade wave.

If you run with your child, your child will not be allowed to run in the individual grade groups. They must wait and run with you at noon. No unregistered younger or older siblings are allowed to run on the course and no strollers are allowed due to safety precautions and insurance purposes. Please do not take a medal or a BodyArmor Sports Drink for yourself or a younger sibling. We only have enough for registered students in grades K-5th.

PE teachers with participating schools will pick up all their students’ race packets on Thursday, February 6th between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. at our office/warehouse.  The PE teachers will distribute those at school. 

Individuals not participating with a school will need to pick up their packets at this time as well. Plans for late or race day packet pickup will be announced ASAP.