The second annual Orion 5K will bring together families and Memphians of all ages for a downtown race on Saturday, June 8, 2019. In its inaugural year, the Orion 5K (formerly the Gibson Guitar 5K) welcomed nearly 2,000 participants for a great summer evening in downtown Memphis.

After an evening race through downtown Memphis including historic Beale Street, runners and walkers will have food, drinks, live Memphis music from local artist Graham Winchester, and a Kid Zone with games and activities. This race will also celebrate our city’s Bicentennial year with a commemorative medal for all participants.

This year’s Orion 5K includes a few unique prizes to help younger runners learn the joy of giving back to the community.

The male & female winners of each youth racer category (9 & under, 10-14, & 15-19) will have the opportunity to award a $500 check from Orion to the 501(c)(3) nonprofit of their choice. 

“We believe offering the charity prize option promotes philanthropy and instills the importance of giving back to the community at an early age.” — Daniel Weickenand, Orion CEO

There will also be categories for the fastest Father/Son, Father/Daughter, Mother/Son, and Mother/Daughter teams (parent/child teams are not eligible for individual awards).

This race is part of the M-Town Race Series presented by University Clinical Health, which includes four of the most popular evening running events of the Memphis summer. Participating in all four of these races introduces special pricing and a competitive aspect, with cumulative points awarded.

The Orion 5K carries on the tradition of benefiting St. Patrick Community Outreach, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides fresh fruit, vegetables and other healthy foods at cost to parts of the Memphis community that have no easy access to high quality nutrition.