About the 2021 Jim Thorpe Running Festival

About the Festival
The RUNegades are proud to present The 2021 Jim Thorpe Area Running Festival!  A portion of the proceeds from the race, and 100% of all donations collected will go to benefit Turn to Us, Inc., a vital Jim-Thorpe area non-profit that provides assistance to individuals and families impacted by chronic and major illnesses. 

Due to Covid-19, the 2020 festival was held in September of 2020 with limited participant numbers and strict social distancing policies. Despite the challenges presented by Covid-19, the festival was a tremendous success. The inaugural running of the Boston qualifying marathon drew rave reviews from our runners and we're excited to bring back such a unique event for 2021.

Half Marathon (May 22nd)
The 2021 half marathon course is an out-and-back that takes runners onto the Lehigh Gorge section of the D&L Trail, into the gorgeous Lehigh Gorge State Park. Run alongside and across the Lehigh River on this fast, flat, hard-packed rail trail. 
 
SCENIC RAILWAY Full Marathon and 7-Miler (May 23rd) 
This full marathon is an ABSOLUTE DREAM for runners a spectators alike, a POINT-TO-POINT BOSTON QUALIFIER with a STEADY 1-2% DOWNGRADE nearly the ENTIRE WAY.

Runners and spectators will TAKE THE FAMOUS READING & BLUE MT. NORTHERN SCENIC RAILWAY for 26 miles from Jim Thorpe to White Haven, PA. After dropping the runners at the start, the train will stop on a bridge overlooking the trail at mile 3 to allow spectators to cheer for their friends and loved ones as they run toward them and pass underneath.

After the last runner passes, the train will then take our 7-Mile runners down the trail to their starting point at Old Penn Haven before returning spectators to the finish area in Jim Thorpe. 

*7-mile runners will be given the choice to detrain and start their race on the way up to White Haven (before the start of the marathon) or on the way back from White Haven (after the start of the marathon).

*Runners and spectators must arrive at the train station by 6:30 am.

The Jim Thorpe Area Running Festival is organized and run by the RUNegades, Inc. RUNegade (Run-eh-gayd): A runner who behaves in a rebelliously unconventional manner.

The RUNegades began in the unconventional city of Phoenixville, PA with one clear principle: Running helps us, helps others, and is a hell of a lot of fun. (Okay, so that’s THREE clear principles!) We’re a group of fun-loving, run-loving, irreverent yahoos who care about laughing and camaraderie just as much as we care about setting a PR (a lot). We run, we eat, we drink, and we accept all paces and faces. Best of all, we are a 501(c)(3) non-profit that hosts quirky and unique running events for local charities. We’re not certain that we’ll change the world, but we’re going to have a blast trying.

Learn more at www.runegades.com