Sat, Aug 1, 2026

Frederick Women's Distance Festival

Frederick, MD

Registration openAnnual since at least 2014

5K1K

Entry is $40 now and rises to $45 after Jul 29, 2026, so registering before then saves $5.

About the Frederick Women's Distance Festival

The race is held on the campus of a community college in Frederick, and it has roots in a national movement to celebrate women's distance running. It draws runners who compete individually and in teams, with family groups and friend groups both welcome to register together. Net proceeds go to a local women's philanthropic organization.

The organizing club runs a summer training program specifically designed to prepare women for this race, meeting in person over several weeks leading up to it. The program is free for club members. Registration for the training is handled separately from race registration.

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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

496finishers

18:46winner

35:57median

1:03:31cutoff

Top 3: Erin Snyder (18:46) · Johanna Schick (19:22) · Helena Rachtan (20:21)

The Frederick Women's Distance Festival has been held every year since at least 2014. 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

5K8/1/2026 08:00$40

5K8/1/2026 07:55$40

1K8/1/2026 07:30$15

5K8/1/2026 00:00$35

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

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Common Questions About the Frederick Women's Distance Festival

Will I finish last at the Frederick Women's Distance Festival?

Almost certainly not. Half the 5K field finished slower than 35:57, and the last recorded finisher came in around 1:03:31, so there is a long tail of runners behind the middle of the pack. Most fields are far slower than people expect.

Is the Frederick Women's Distance Festival a good first 5K?

A field of 496 is big enough that you will have company at your pace without feeling lost in a crowd. 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 Frederick Women's Distance Festival?

The 5K winner ran 18:46 while the median finisher took 35:57. That spread points to a broad, mostly recreational field rather than a race dominated by club runners.