Sun, Aug 23, 2026

Cranford Cupcake 5K - Vegan + Gluten Free Friendly

Cranford, NJ

Registration openAnnual since at least 2021
5K

Entry is $37 now and rises to $40 after Jul 31, 2026, so registering before then saves $3.

Register

About the Cranford Cupcake 5K - Vegan + Gluten Free Friendly

The course runs through Nomahegan Park on a flat path that takes you past ponds and small bridges, with birds and other wildlife close by. It has the feel of a weekend morning in a neighborhood park rather than a big-city road race. The event raises money for late-stage breast cancer research, and that purpose is woven into the atmosphere.

Packet pickup runs the morning of the race, with an option the afternoon before at a running store in a nearby town. After finishing, there is a spread of cupcakes at the park, with vegan and gluten-free options alongside the regular ones.

Free race emails

Get the Weekly RunSesh

In for this one or still deciding, keep race season near Cranford 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 decent-sized field, and the spread of finish times is wide, so this is a mostly recreational race rather than one for club runners.

5K · 2025 results

837finishers
16:57winner
35:32median
1:03:38cutoff

Top 3: Mark Parisen (16:57) · Franklin Wang (17:14) · Hunter Zytkowicz (17:36)

The Cranford Cupcake 5K - Vegan + Gluten Free Friendly has been held every year since at least 2021. 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 5K 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

5K8/23/2026 09:15$37

Going for a Time?

Set a goal and get a pace band: every mile split on a card sized for your phone lock screen, so race morning needs no math.

Plan Your Trip

Where to Stay

Traveling for this race? The map shows hotels and rentals in and around Cranford — 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 Cranford Cupcake 5K - Vegan + Gluten Free Friendly

Will I finish last at the Cranford Cupcake 5K - Vegan + Gluten Free Friendly?

Almost certainly not. Half the 5K field finished slower than 35:32, and the last recorded finisher came in around 1:03:38, so there is a long tail of runners behind the middle of the pack. Most fields are far slower than people expect.

Is the Cranford Cupcake 5K - Vegan + Gluten Free Friendly a good first 5K?

With 837 finishers there are runners at every pace, so you are never out on your own. There is no qualifying time, and the finish-time spread above shows how varied the field really is. If it is your first 5K, that spread matters more than the winner's time.

How competitive is the Cranford Cupcake 5K - Vegan + Gluten Free Friendly?

The 5K winner ran 16:57 while the median finisher took 35:32. That spread points to a broad, mostly recreational field rather than a race dominated by club runners.

Share Your Card

We made you a ready-to-post image. Story fits Instagram and TikTok Stories; Post fits the feed. Download it, post it, and tag @runsesh so we can cheer you on.

Preview of your share card