Spring Lake Memorial Classic returns to Brooksville for charity runs
A Brooksville race will send walkers and runners onto Neff Lake Road, with entry fees funding services for people with developmental disabilities across three counties.
Brooksville’s Spring Lake Memorial Classic will turn a morning run into direct support for The Arc Nature Coast, with every registration helping fund services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families in Hernando, Pasco and Sumter counties.
The annual race is set for Saturday, May 23, 2026, at The Arc Nature Coast campus, 5283 Neff Lake Road in Brooksville. Runners and walkers can choose from three events: a 2 Mile Walk/Run called The Perfect Stroll, a 5K billed as Florida’s Toughest 5K!, and a 10K known as The Neff Lake Monster.
Race-day logistics are already laid out. The 10K will start at 7:30 a.m., the 5K at 7:40 a.m. and the 2-mile event at 7:45 a.m. Registration prices listed on the race page are $25 for the 2-mile, $40 for the 5K and $45 for the 10K. Registration ends at 8:30 a.m. on race day.
The course is part of what has made the Spring Lake Memorial Classic a longtime draw for local runners. The route cuts through shaded, tree-lined roads and rolling hills in eastern Hernando County, with oak and magnolia canopies overhead and native wildlife including hawks, deer and wild turkeys often visible along the way. That terrain has helped build the race’s reputation as one of Florida’s tougher hill courses, while still making it one of the region’s most scenic runs.
The benefit goes beyond the finish line. The Arc Nature Coast says the organization was established in 1972 by citizens concerned about the lack of services and activities for adults with developmental disabilities. It has operated from its Neff Lake Road property after acquiring 30 acres of wooded land there, and it now serves more than 230 individuals and their families each year from 17 staffed locations.
Its services include education, outreach, advocacy, family support, skilled training, employment, residential and transportation programs. Recent Hernando Sun reporting has put the organization’s reach above 300 people, and at times above 350, across Hernando, Pasco and Sumter counties, underscoring how much of the region depends on the nonprofit’s work.
For Brooksville and greater Hernando County, the Spring Lake Memorial Classic is more than a fitness event. It is a fundraiser, a public show of support and a practical way to connect a morning on county roads with services that reach some of the area’s most vulnerable residents.
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