Bloomsday is traditionally held the first Sunday in May. The in-person race for Bloomsday 2022 will be held Sunday, May 1, 2022.

Future in-person race dates include:  

Yes. Bloomsday will also offer a virtual option for runners and walkers who prefer this format. More details can be found on our Virtual Bloomsday page.

Bloomsday will work with local and state health authorities to provide a safe race experience for our runners and walkers.  All participants of the in-person Bloomsday race will be required to follow the local and state health guidelines in place at the the time of Bloomsday weekend.  As of March 15, 2022, there is no mask mandate nor requirement for proof of vaccine or negative test result.   

When you sign up for Bloomsday between January 1 and March 19, you will be able to add your name to the front of the bib. Participants of the both editions of Bloomsday (in-person and virtual) may personalize their race bib with their name, but only if they complete their registration on or before March 19. Register today!

Yes. The Trade Show / Expo will take placed on Friday, April 29 and Saturday, April 30.  Runners and walkers will pick up their race numbers at the Spokane Convention Center and then may shop / browse the Bloomsday Expo. If you are interested in being a trade show vendor please check out the Trade Show page and how to contact our Trade Show coordinator. 

Yes. Jr. Bloomsday will be run on Saturday, April 16, 2022 at Spokane Falls Community College. Registration opens February 2 and more details are available on the Junior Bloomsday page.

For information on volunteering, click here

For Spokane lodging info, click here

Through Bloomsday 2021, 80 people had done every Bloomsday. We call them the Perennials, and they're listed under Results, Perennials.

Founder Don Kardong chose the name, which is a joining of Spokane's favorite flower to the word James Joyce scholars use to describe the day events in the novel Ulysses take place. Confused? Intrigued? Read on... 

According to Kardong, a road race is an odyssey, not unlike the one Ulysses endured in his return to Ithaca after the Trojan War, a journey described in great detail by the Greek poet Homer. In 1917 James Joyce wrote "Ulysses" about one day in the life of a man (Leopold Bloom) in Dublin, Ireland. Bloom spends the day wandering through the streets of Dublin in a rough parallel of his Greek counterpart Ulysses, and that day (June 16) has become known to Joyce scholars and aficionados as "Bloomsday." 

The 7-1/2-mile odyssey through the streets of Spokane was dubbed The Lilac Bloomsday Run, combining Spokane's moniker "The Lilac City" with the premise of Joyce's novel, which is that ordinary people are involved in unassuming and yet heroic journeys every day of their lives. A citizen who travels 7-1/2 miles on the first Sunday of May encounters trials, hazards and monsters during his or her odyssey through the Lilac City before ending up back home.

The Lilac Bloomsday Run is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Net proceeds are invested in future Bloomsday Runs. Bloomsday also supports a designated charity every year. This year's charity is the West Central Community Center.  

The Lilac Bloomsday Run is not affiliated with the Lilac Festival. Their website is www.spokanelilacfestival.org. You can also reach festival organizers at (509) 535-4554.

Yes! Bloomsday encourages the participation of anyone capable of completing the 12-kilometer distance, including children. Running is a safe activity, and every year thousands of kids successfully run, jog or walk the Bloomsday course. At a time when youth fitness nationally is in decline, parents in the Spokane region have a great opportunity to motivate kids by encouraging them to get in shape to complete the 7.46-mile Bloomsday Run. We leave it to parents and guardians to decide whether a child is mature enough to enjoy the challenge, and sufficiently trained and capable of going the distance.

But please note: To make sure kids have a safe and positive experience, Bloomsday discourages participants age 12 and younger from competing for a fast time or place. While we know competition can be a great motivator and lots of fun, the large number of adult runners in Bloomsday increases the risk to children who are trying to run as fast as possible. In addition, anecdotal evidence indicates that competition over long distances does not help prepubescent youngsters develop into more successful adolescent or adult runners, and more often leads to early "burn-out." Kids are also more susceptible to heat-related problems, and when the urge to compete overrides the body’s signals to slow down, trouble lies ahead.

For these reasons, Bloomsday believes that participation for those age 12 and under should focus on enjoyment rather than competition. Going the distance is the key, and preparation is encouraged. To underscore this, Bloomsday will not seed runners to the front of the pack until they’re at least 13 years of age, no matter how talented they are. In addition, Bloomsday will not publish comparative placing in divisions below age 13. In our book, every kid who runs, jogs, walks or wheels 7.46 miles is a winner. And we encourage parents to make sure that message comes through loud and clear.

If your Bloomsday questions have not been answered here (or in the rest of this website) you can email your questions directly to the Bloomsday Office.

Yes! Bloomsday super fans are welcome to register for both editions of the race. In fact, the finisher shirt for the virtual race will have a slightly different look than the in-person 12k finisher shirt!

To register for both, participants will need to complete the registration process twice (selecting the virtual option in Step 3 during one of their registrations).

Until March 19, we can accommodate changes to your assigned color group. Simply contact us to request changes. However, please keep in mind that no color change is necessary if you want to MOVE BACK to join a color group that starts later than your color. But don’t line up in a color group that starts earlier than your assigned group, or you won’t be timed and you may be disqualified.

After March 19, we’re happy to accommodate your color change at race check-in. Please pick up your race bib at race check-in on Friday, April 29 or Saturday, April 30, then take it to the “Color Changes” table and they will help you make any changes needed. Please keep in mind that no color change is necessary if you want to MOVE BACK to join a color group that starts later than your color. But don’t line up in a color group that starts earlier than your assigned group, or you won’t be timed and you may be disqualified.

You can sign up for Bloomsday 2022 beginning January 1, 2022. Registration for Bloomsday is exclusively available online and more details can be found at our registration page.

Your E-Gift Certificate came with a unique promo code on it. To receive the full promotional value of your E-Gift Certificate you must register for Bloomsday by April 22, 2023. When you are finished adding participants and are ready to pay, enter your unique promo codes (one at a time) in the "Discounts and Credits" section BEFORE you click the green "Checkout" button. Your E-Gift Certificate's promo code will allow you to register for either the in-person Bloomsday race or the Virtual Bloomsday option.

IMPORTANT: You must redeem your E-Gift Certificate's unique promo code no later than April 22, 2023, in order to receive the full promotional value of the certificate. Beginning April 22, 2023, the E-Gift Certificate's unique promo code will only apply the $25 face value towards the cost of entry and you will be required to pay any balance remaining to complete your registration.   

The simplest way to keep a group of runners together in the same start color group is for everyone to enter online at the same time (or for the same person to do all the registrations for the group) During online registration, once you click the green Checkout button, look for the "RUN AS A GROUP" option and check the box to have everyone being registered start in the same color group. By selecting this option, your group will all be seeded to the color group of the person in your group with the slowest qualifying time.

For those who don't register together with the "Run As Group" option: If you pick up your number at Check-In and you find that you’re not in the same group with people you want to participate with, keep in mind that you’re allowed to move BACK to a color group that starts later than yours. You can’t move forward to a faster color group, but it’s fine to move back. So if members of your group don’t have the same color, you don’t need to do anything other than move back on race morning to the color group of the member of your group who starts latest.

If moving back isn’t an acceptable solution for some reason, please ask volunteers at the Solutions desk at Check-In for assistance.

No, as of 2020, Bloomsday registration is completely online. Simply click here and you can register today!

You may register for the in-person Bloomsday race on race weekend (Friday, April 29 or Saturday, April 30). The entry fee is $50.00 and you may register online or in-person at the Spokane Convention Center.

There is no registration on Sunday, May 1.

For Virtual Bloomsday, online registration will remain open until Sunday, May 8, 2022.

Yes, just reply to the email receipt you received to let us know what information needs to change. If you don't have your email receipt, use the Contact Us form.

 

Note: T-shirt selections do not need to be corrected (we use the information to place the order, but you can select any size you want at T-shirt distribution after you finish).

Yes, online registration for the Marmot March opens on February 1. Marmot March is limited to 300 participants, and details are available by clicking the Marmot March button on the Blooomsday website.

Yes, as long as you have all the information requested, and you have authorization from the person you're signing up to e-sign the waiver.

Absolutely! Well over half of Bloomsday participants are walkers.

They're welcome! For safety reasons, operators and occupants of strollers, Baby Joggers, and non-competitive wheelchairs MUST line up in the Red section and MUST WALK the entire course. In addition, anyone with a Red number, even if not pushing a stroller or chair, must walk the entire course. Any operator or occupant of a stroller or wheelchair, and anyone wearing a red number, whose net finish time is faster than 1:40 will not be timed and may be disqualified.

Also, both operators and occupants must be officially entered by paying the entry fee. That way everyone's time will be recorded, and everyone will receive a finisher's T-shirt. Your infant or toddler may not be able to wear that shirt now, but he or she will thank you for it later!

Yes, all participants, whether running, walking or being pushed MUST register for Bloomsday.  We have youth size shirts for young registrants. Our youngest Bloomies may not be able to wear that shirt now, but he or she will thank you for it some day!

Corporate Cup registration opens at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, February 27.

The deadline to register your team is Friday, March 24, 2023 or when the number of paid teams reaches 300, whichever comes first. Almost every year Corporate Cup fills up rather quickly, so please enter early to make sure your team is included! 

You can read the Corporate Cup Entry Rules by clicking here.

Yes, registration will close early if the number of paid teams reaches 300 before the registration deadline. Be sure to register early!

No. Mail-in entries are not permitted. All registrations must be completed online.

The team registration fee for 2023 is $600.

You must pay your team registration fee online. You can pay with the following debit or credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover. Note: Check payments are not accepted.

No. Check payments are not accepted for Corporate Cup entry fees.

The last day for team captains to make changes to their Corporate Cup team(s) for no fee is Friday, March 24, 2023. After March 24, there will be a $25.00 fee for team captains to make changes to their team(s). To make a change after the deadline, please contact Sarah Ranson.

Here's the link: https://www.facebook.com/bloomsdaycorporatecup

Search on IG for @BloomsdayCorporateCup

Around the first part of April, your Corporate Cup team packet with your tech tees for your team members will be mailed to your team captain. To make your tech tee distribution streamlined, team captains can login into the Corporate Cup registration site to view the names of team members and their chosen tech tee size. Please try on your tech tees before personalization. We encourage each team member to wear the tech tee; however, wearing this is not required to gain entrance into the Corporate Cup start area. Rather, each member must wear his or her runner bib on the front of their tee (bibs are distributed on race weekend). Anyone not wearing a PINK corporate cup number will not be allowed to enter the Corporate Cup starting area.  Please note if one of your team members registered after the registration deadline, he or she may not have his or her chosen tech tee size. However, we do our best to facilitate exchanges if possible.

Feel free to personalize your tee with your company name, individual name, or team name or motto on your tech tee. Please first make sure the tee fits the person it is intended for.  We cannot accept exchanges for tees that have been personalized.

If you need to exchange your tech tee, and it has not been personalized, you may exchange it at the Corporate Cup check in on race weekend. If you need it earlier than race weekend, you may contact Sarah Ranson. Available sizes for exchange are subject to availability.

Corporate Cup team members or someone else on his or her behalf (i.e. team captain, teammate, friend, relative, etc) must pick up their bib numbers at the Corporate Cup check-in located at Spokane Convention Center. All Corporate Cup team members will receive a PINK number. Each timing chip is affixed to the runner number. If you wear a number of any other color you will not be permitted to start in the Corporate Cup start area, and your results will not be counted in the Corporate Cup competition. Bibs are organized by company name, so please be prepared to give that information to the check-in volunteer.

Corporate Cup check-in will be open the same hours as the regular Bloomsday check-in: Friday, May 5, 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m., and Saturday, May 6, 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m. For out of town entrants only, check in is offered on Sunday, May 7, 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. 

If any team member registered for Bloomsday individually prior to joining your team, make sure he or she picks up their PINK Corporate Cup number at check-in. No other runner number can be used. Without the PINK Corporate Cup number and corresponding timing chip, your team member will NOT be able to enter the Corporate Cup start area and will NOT be included in the Corporate Cup results. Make certain team members do not apply for Elite Seeding because runners who wear an "Elite" number are also deleted from Corporate Cup results. Please note: Registration fees are non-refundable.

If a team member is injured or otherwise unable to participate, you may find a replacement for him or her. There will be a $25.00 charge for each replacement and this must be presented with the injured runner’s identification information and a completed Bloomsday registration form for the substitute runner, or runner identification if already registered (see ‘I registered individually before joining a Corporate Cup Team. What now?’)  Substitutions can be performed via email to Sarah Ranson through April 18^th. After April 18^th, substitutions can only be done at the check-in desk on Friday and Saturday of race weekend. The exiting participant should provide their tech tee to their substitute. Tech tee exchanges may be made at the time of check-in (see ‘Can I exchange my tech tee for another size?’), Please remember, personalized tees cannot be exchanged.

All Corporate Cup runners may start on Post and Riverside which is accessed via Post Street from either the north or the south. Please refer to the race map. You may warm up on Post Street to the north and south of the Corporate Cup start area prior to the prompt 9:00 a.m. start. Remember, your team members must wear their Corporate Cup PINK bibs (runner numbers) to gain access to the exclusive “front of the pack” Corporate Cup starting area. This start is for runners. If a Corporate Cup participant is determined to have walked within the first mile, his or her team may be subject to disqualification. Remember, this is for the safety of all Bloomsday participants.

You and/or your team members may choose to “self-seed” if you or they do not want to start at the front of the pack, if they are walkers, or if they are participating with non-Corporate Cup family and/or friends. It is imperative that walkers not start in the Corporate Cup area because they will impede the faster runners who start behind them.  With their PINK Corporate Cup Race Numbers, they may start with any color group (excluding the elite start) behind the Corporate Cup start (i.e. in yellow or any color behind yellow). Their times will still be accurately recorded as it will be determined by their timing chip, not the starting gun.

Thanks to our Corporate Cup sponsor, Northwest Orthopedic Specialty Clinic and the Lilac Bloomsday Association, each team member will receive a sturdy and reusable athletic bag at check-in to be used on race day. Just pack all the items you will need after the race inside the zippered portion of the bag, mark the bag with your race number, and hand it to the volunteers at one of the two gear bag trucks located to the North and South of the start line. Your team members’ bags will be waiting for them at the Post-Race Party.

Celebrate with your team members and other Corporate Cup participants! The Tent party will be held in the post-finish area. The PINK Corporate Cup race numbers are your team members’ tickets to the party. At the party, enjoy a massage, beverages and food, (including select items from David’s Pizza, Nick's Shameless Sausages, King of Tacos, Mac Daddy's Gourmet Mac and Cheese, Ben & Jerry's, Roast House Coffee and more). Entertainment music will be provided by a local DJ. Local beer from River City Brewing will be also available for you and your team to enjoy in the Corporate Cup beer garden (see Beer? Yes, Please!).

The Corporate Cup beer garden hosted by River City will be at the Corporate Cup Post-Race Party. Need we say more? (Well, yes…..) BE SURE TO PACK IDENTIFICATION IF YOU PLAN TO VISIT THE BEER GARDEN. NO EXCEPTIONS.

You may purchase additional guest tickets to the party for $25.00 per person.   If your team captain purchased additional guest tickets during registration, they'll be enclosed in your Corporate Cup Team Packet mailed in early April. If you did not pre-order any tickets and would like to purchase additional guest tickets, you may purchase them online, at Corporate Cup Check-In during Bloomsday weekend, or at the Bloomsday Office (click link for map) located at 1414 N Belt St, Spokane, WA 99201, or by calling (509) 838-1579.

You can view the results by logging on to our website, www.bloomsdayrun.org, on Monday, May 8, 2023.

Teams who have registered with creative team names are included in the list of names to be considered for this contest. Impartial judges meet before Bloomsday and the winners are decided. Click here to see if your team is among the finalists for this year's team name contest.  The top three will be announced in the Inlander's Bloomsday Results section.

Trophies will be presented to the top three overall teams, division champions, and team name contest winners at the fun-filled Corporate Cup Awards Luncheon. Details will be provided to those teams on Monday, May 8, 2023.

Corporate Cup is limited in number, and every year we turn away several teams who did not get registered. In order to maintain the integrity of the Corporate Cup competition, it is vital that your team complies with the eligibility rules. To remind yourself of the rules, please refer to the website under the "Entry and Eligibility Info" link. Bloomsday officials will disqualify any team that has an ineligible member.

If you have any questions about registering for Corporate Cup, please contact our registration partner using this form.

If you have any general questions about Corporate Cup, please contact Sarah Ranson, Corporate Cup Chairperson.

To purchase post-race party guest tickets, purchase them online, or call the Bloomsday Office at (509) 838-1579 or visit in person at 1414 N Belt St, Spokane, WA 99201.