Copperas Cove opens registration for Mayfest 5K Fun Run

Registration is open for the annual Mayfest 5K Fun Run in Copperas Cove, a race that pairs city festival tradition with fundraising for local nonprofits working to prevent child abuse. The event is scheduled for Saturday, May 2, at 8:30 a.m. at Ogletree Gap Park, with the RunSignup listing setting the race window from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

The Copperas Cove Noon Exchange Club is hosting the run and says it brings together runners, walkers, families and businesses in support of strengthening families and protecting children. Registration is listed at $30 through Friday, May 1, and the online signup page says registration ends at 11:59 a.m. CDT that day. The race is being promoted under the themed title Mayfest - Return of The Jedi.

The fundraiser is tied to a broader Mayfest celebration, giving Copperas Cove residents a single event that combines recreation, civic pride and charitable support. The club is also seeking business sponsorships from companies in Copperas Cove, Killeen and Harker Heights, and it is promoting a raffle with tickets priced at $10. For families deciding how to spend part of the spring weekend, the event offers an easy entry point as a runner, walker or supporter.

The payoff is more than symbolic. The Leader-Press reported that over the past five years, the club has donated more than $105,500 in race proceeds to area nonprofits. Past beneficiaries named in that coverage include the Boys & Girls Club, Communities In Schools, The Rainbow Room, Hope Pregnancy Center, Cove House and AWARE. For Coryell County, that makes the 5K one of the more direct local examples of a public festival feeding money back into child and family services.

Ogletree Gap Park adds its own local significance. Copperas Cove Parks & Recreation describes it as a historical town site that includes the original stage stop and the historical first post office of Copperas Cove. The park also has a covered pavilion that can be reserved for special events, placing the race in a setting closely tied to the city’s early history.

Exchange Clubs nationwide adopted child abuse prevention as their national project in 1979, giving the Copperas Cove fundraiser a long-running purpose that reaches beyond one morning’s race. With Mayfest approaching, the 5K will again serve as both a community gathering and a direct source of support for organizations helping vulnerable children and families across the area.