About the Race
Get ready for family-friendly fun on the run at the Cow Paddy Run at Gulley Park! This is one of the oldest group races in Fayetteville and was started to promote education and active lifestyles back in the 1980s. The Spark Foundation revived this run in 2011 as part of our mission to create fun and accessible opportunities for physical activity in our community.
There’s a 5K for adults and older kids and a 1K Fun Run for the little ones. Don’t worry though, because there aren’t any real cow paddies to avoid. The name is just part of the tradition of this race, which has played a big part in developing Fayetteville’s pro-fitness, pro-fun culture over the years!
Proceeds go to Fayetteville Public Schools and Spark’s outreach programs, both of which support innovative education projects around health and fitness in our local schools and community.
Design Contest
Congratulations to all our previous year's winners! We love seeing the artwork from all our young artists. The winning design will be featured on this year's race shirt. These top three finalists also received cash prizes and FREE race entries.
Head over to the Design Contest page to learn more and get your design ready for this year's race!
The Spark Foundation
The Cow Paddy Run is produced by and benefits The Spark Foundation, a non-profit organization that strives to create a positive impact in the community by providing increased access to health and fitness education and opportunities. The Spark Foundation supports pioneering projects around health and fitness through its keystone fund with Fayetteville Public Education Foundation as well as mini-grants for area schools and clubs.