DeSoto 5K, a staple of Bradenton parade, won’t return this year. Here’s why
The DeSoto Grand Parade will take over Bradenton’s Manatee Avenue on Saturday, April 25, bringing back a popular annual tradition.
But this year won’t include the event’s corresponding 5K run, breaking a 21-year streak.
The DeSoto Grand Parade, an annual celebration organized by the Hernando DeSoto Historical Society, has been paired with the DeSoto Grand Parade 5K for the past two decades.
The Bradenton Runners Club hosts the race each year. Club leaders say multiple factors led them to press pause on the event, including a lack of resources and membership.
However, it’s not all bad news for fans of the athletic event, as organizers say it could return in the future. Here’s what to know.
No DeSoto 5K planned for 2026 parade
The co-president of the Bradenton Runners Club, Diana Shoemaker, told the Bradenton Herald that “there are a lot of moving pieces in hosting and managing a race.”
“Given our size and the capacity of our club, we did not feel we could continue to provide the adequate resources needed,” Shoemaker said.
“ “They decided not to do it this year because they simply weren’t getting the turnout that they wanted,” said Tom Murphy, the co-chairman of the DeSoto Heritage Festival Grand Parade.
Will DeSoto 5K return to Bradenton?
“As our club membership grows we hope that we might once again be hosts to the DeSoto 5K,” Shoemaker said.
The race, which began in 2005, was an entirely volunteer supported effort. It was held shortly before the parade, with runners following the parade route along Manatee Avenue.
Last year’s race raised money for high school senior scholarships and financial assistance to send students to summer running camps, the Historical Society said.
Although this year’s parade will not be paired with the traditional 5K run, Murphy said there will still be plenty to see, as organizers aim to “bring some joy and fun to the city of Bradenton.”
Murphy estimates that over 3 million beaded necklaces will be thrown from the 170 parade floats at this year’s celebration, and said that he hopes families come out to enjoy the spectacle.
