The race returns to its traditional course in Pacific Palisades after spending 2025 at Venice Beach because of fire-related damage.
Organizers of the Palisades Will Rogers Fourth of July 5K/10K Run announced that a portion of proceeds from this year’s race will support local charities and ongoing recovery efforts in Pacific Palisades as the community continues rebuilding from the devastating Palisades Fire.
The race returns to its traditional course in Pacific Palisades after spending 2025 at Venice Beach because of fire-related damage.
Race organizers said the event has already contributed more than $200,000 toward rebuilding the Palisades Recreation Park, which was damaged in the fire. Construction on the park’s reconstruction is expected to begin this summer.
“We’re proud to be returning our historic race to its home in the Pacific Palisades this Fourth of July,” said Thomas Hathaway, chief financial officer and lead organizer of the Will Rogers-Pacific Palisades Foundation. “In an effort to help rebuild the community that has supported us for decades, we are donating a portion of race proceeds raised by the race’s organizing foundation to local charities.”
Organizers said the race is intended to serve as both a fundraising vehicle and a symbol of the neighborhood’s recovery. The event is one of the signature components of the Palisades’ annual Fourth of July celebration and coincides with the nation’s 250th anniversary observance this year.
The foundation is also accepting direct donations to support organizations involved in recovery efforts throughout Pacific Palisades and to fund the nonprofit’s ongoing charitable programs.
The race will feature four events: a 10-kilometer run, a 5-kilometer run and walk, the Dick Lemon Run for high school competitors and a half-mile Kids Fun Run. Organizers said the traditional 10K course will once again travel through portions of Will Rogers State Park before finishing at the event’s historic finish line.
The Palisades Will Rogers 5K/10K Run was established in 1978 and has become a longstanding Independence Day tradition for runners and residents. Last year’s event was temporarily relocated to Venice Beach after fire damage made portions of the traditional course and surrounding facilities unsafe.
