The All American Races include the All American Half Marathon and a 5K, which are now open to the public for participation.

"This is a virtual event, and our runners are able to run at any time between now up until Tuesday, May 31," said Jennifer Fayson, Fort Bragg MWR special events office. "Now that it has gone virtual, they will be able to run on their own and select the location of their choosing, and we would like for runners to know that the new Liberty Park is available for them to use."

The event is a morale booster and community event. While it is usually an in-person race, due to the current 82nd Airborne Division's Immediate Response Force Deployments to Europe, virtual, seemed the way to go for race planners.

"The purpose of the event is to bring some morale to our families, soldiers, veterans and members of our community," Fayson said. "Recently, it was supposed to be an in-person event with a half marathon and 5K; however, due to various events going on, we transitioned it to a virtual event."

The virtual event allows runners freedom of venue and includes mail-out swag.

"Winners now have an opportunity to run a 5K or a half marathon at a place of their choosing, and they will submit the results to us, and we will mail them an event shirt, half marathon or 5K medal, and a commemorative event bib," Fayson said.

The All American Races, formally known as the All American Marathon, held its inaugural event in 2014. The marathon was a collaboration between the City of Fayetteville and Fort Bragg. It began as a marathon, half marathon, and 5k.

In previous years, the marathon and the half marathon started in downtown Fayetteville, and runners ran the All American Freeway onto the installation and crossed the finish line at the Main Post Parade Field.

"After the race going virtual in 2020 and 2021 due to the ongoing pandemic, we felt this would be a good time to make some changes," said Fayson.

"The transition to a loop course that started and finished at the new Liberty Park was one of the changes that we were most excited about, and we are looking forward to a return to the in-person event in 2023."

Previously, the half marathon was nicknamed "Mike to Mike."

At that time, the run started at the iconic Iron Mike statue in front of the Airborne & Special Operations Museum in historic downtown Fayetteville and passed the Iron Mike statue on Fort Bragg located near the finish line at the Main Post Parade Field.

These virtual marathons are non-competitive with no age group or overall awards. Participation costs $40 per race.

Registration is going on now and will run until May 31. Visit www.zippyreg.com/online_reg/?e=1610, to register, or call, 910-908-5977.