Save the Manatee Club 5K
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Save the Manatee 5K
The Save the Manatee 5K is an annual fundraiser that raises awareness and funds to protect manatees and their aquatic habitat. The event offers an in-person 5K run/walk at Blue Spring State Park in Orange City, Florida on November 15, 2026, and a virtual 5K option that participants may complete from anywhere on any date.
The event includes a race packet for most registration options containing a t-shirt, a numbered bib, and a commemorative finisher medal. Registration categories listed for 2026 include an in-person run/walk and several virtual options, including domestic and international virtual entries and a virtual entry without merchandise.
The series began in Michigan in 2003 as a local community run organized by a high school and student volunteers. A virtual option was added in 2015. The in-person event moved to Florida in 2025 and was held at Blue Spring State Park, a known winter refuge for manatees. In 2025 the event involved several hundred on-site runners and walkers and more than one thousand virtual participants, together raising over $25,000 for manatee conservation.
The event is organized by Save the Manatee Club, a nonprofit whose stated mission is to protect manatees and their habitat for today and future generations. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.
