Naperville kids as young as 2 can line up for their first race this September when the Healthy Kids Running Series launches its five-week fall program at Frontier Sports Complex.

The series runs five consecutive Sundays beginning Sept. 13 and ending Oct. 11, with distances scaled by age group: a 50-yard dash for 2- and 3-year-olds, a 75-yard dash for 4- and 5-year-olds, a quarter-mile for kindergartners and first graders, a half-mile for second and third graders, and a full mile for fourth through eighth graders. Runners earn points each week based on finish position, building toward cumulative series standings.

Every participant who completes all five weeks receives a finisher medal. Trophies go to top finishers in each division.

Challenger Division opens the course to all

The series includes a Challenger Division, an adaptive 75-yard race for children with disabilities, according to the event listing on Macaroni Kid Naperville. Parents, siblings and friends can run alongside participants on the course, and kids may use their own assistive devices including crutches, braces and wheelchairs.

How to register

Full-series registration is open now at RunSignUp and includes race bibs, a runner shirt and the Week 5 finisher medal. Early Bird pricing ends around Aug. 23. Single-day walk-up registration is also available one hour before each race, though walk-up participants are not eligible for series scoring or an event shirt.

A makeup date is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 18.

Healthy Kids Running Series is a national nonprofit that has operated for 15 years across 35 states, with roughly 50,000 kids participating, according to the organization's website. Naperville is one of 20 Illinois locations.

Families can reach the local race director at [email protected] for venue and registration questions.