Run for the Ranch - Springfield

Run for the Ranch - Springfield is held in Springfield, Missouri, on December 19, 2026, and runs an unusually broad program: a marathon relay over 26.2 miles, a half marathon (13.1 miles), a 5K, a 1-mile and a 6-hour run. The event was launched to support local charities including the Good Samaritan Boys Ranch, and it is built on an unusually tight loop — the half marathon covers four laps of the circuit, and the longer distances simply keep going around.

Short-loop racing is a mental discipline as much as a physical one: you pass the same landmarks repeatedly, but you always know exactly where the finish is and you never need a course map. That makes it a good format for a first attempt at the 6-hour run, where the goal is to keep moving rather than to hit splits. For the half, plan a 12-week build with a weekly long run.