Sat, Aug 8, 2026

Ben's Memorial Mile & Community Festival

Downers Grove, IL

Registration openAnnual since at least 2024

1 Mile100m

About the Ben's Memorial Mile & Community Festival

The race runs through downtown Downers Grove and is built around the memory of Ben Silver and a broader conversation about mental health. The course is a road mile, short and direct, with chip timing. Alongside the racing there is a full street festival with live music, food, vendors focused on mental health and fitness, and activities for kids.

The festival is open to the public at no charge, so families who are not racing tend to show up too. Snow cones and shaved ice are available from a food truck, and there are raffles and lawn games scattered through the grounds.

Free race emails

Get the Weekly RunSesh

In for this one or still deciding, keep race season near Downers Grove on your radar: a Monday look ahead and a Thursday rundown of the weekend's races.

Two helpful emails per week. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

Finish-Time Stats

Going by the 2025 results, this is a small, friendly field, with a competitive front end and a big recreational middle.

1 Miles · 2025 results

134finishers

4:34winner

7:54median

22:30cutoff

Top 3: Will Surratt (4:34) · Max Palacios (4:41) · JT Farrero (4:48)

The Ben's Memorial Mile & Community Festival has been held every year since at least 2024. That is as far back as RunSignup's records for this race go, so it may well be older.

Where Would You Finish?

Enter a finish time to see where it lands against the most recent 1 Miles results.

Median

See how your time stacks up nationally →

How we calculate these stats: RunSesh calculates these figures from the most recent published results of past editions, sourced from RunSignup. We show aggregates only: field size, winning and median times, and the cutoff. We never publish individual finisher tables. Last updated Jul 27, 2026.

Distances & Start Times

1 Mile8/8/2026 17:40$25

1 Mile8/8/2026 18:10$25

100m8/8/2026 17:30Free

T-shirt (If you are not participating in the races but would like a T-shirt, select this option to purchase a T-shirt.)8/8/2026 15:30$10

Plan Your Trip

Where to Stay

Traveling for this race? The map shows hotels and rentals in and around Downers Grove — pan or zoom to compare what's nearby.

The map is provided by Stay22. If you book through it, RunSesh may earn a commission at no extra cost to you — it never affects the races we list.

Common Questions About the Ben's Memorial Mile & Community Festival

Will I finish last at the Ben's Memorial Mile & Community Festival?

Almost certainly not. Half the 1 Miles field finished slower than 7:54, and the last recorded finisher came in around 22:30, so there is a long tail of runners behind the middle of the pack. Most fields are far slower than people expect.

Is the Ben's Memorial Mile & Community Festival a good first 1 Miles?

It is a small race (134 finishers), which is friendlier and less intimidating than a big-city event, though the field thins out. There is no qualifying time, and the finish-time spread above shows how varied the field really is. If it is your first 1 Miles, that spread matters more than the winner's time.

How competitive is the Ben's Memorial Mile & Community Festival?

The 1 Miles winner ran 4:34 while the median finisher took 7:54. That spread points to a mixed field, with a competitive front and a big recreational middle.