Third annual Run to Remember invites the community to honor loved ones through movement and connection
YMCA NEWS RELEASE
A parent, a grandparent, a friend. Someone whose memory still makes you smile. Whoever you carry in your heart, The Family YMCA invites you to join its third annual Día de los Muertos 5K Fun Run on Saturday, November 7, 2026.
Known as the “Run to Remember,” the event brings neighbors together to honor loved ones who have passed away while sharing a morning of movement, remembrance, and community. Participants are welcome to run, jog, or walk.
A huge shout out to our sponsors (see attached graphic for this). Without your support we wouldn’t be able to grow this event and reach farther into the active community.
The event began with a deeply personal idea. After losing her mother, Marcia Alban Holmberg, to lupus in 2021, community member Angela Minium found that running helped her process her grief. She approached The Family YMCA with a suggestion: create a Día de los Muertos run where people could honor and remember those they had lost. With support from YMCA staff and community partners, the first Run to Remember took place in 2024.
Now entering its third year, the event continues that spirit of connection, making room for both the sadness of missing someone and the joy of remembering them.
Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a tradition rooted in Mexico observed each year on the first Saturday in November. Families honor deceased loved ones through photographs, favorite foods, flowers, and ofrendas, or remembrance altars. Inspired by that spirit, the Y’s November 7 run offers the community an opportunity to come together and celebrate the lives and memories that stay with us.
This year’s event will also feature prizes made possible by generous local and regional supporters. The Family YMCA thanks REI, Venusto, the Los Alamos County Aquatic Center, Pojoaque Wellness Center, Wolf & Mermaid, La Cocina, Starbucks, ViaStyle, Honey Bar, SALA, PEEC, El Parasol, Natural Grocers, Angela Minium and Red Aspen Nails for their contributions. Additional donated gifts include handmade items and other treats.
Their generosity helps make this gathering a welcoming community tradition, with opportunities to connect, remember, and create new memories together.
Come for the run and stay for food, shopping, and community connection!
- 8–9 a.m.: Race-day registration at the Los Alamos Co-op Market.
- 8:30–11:30 a.m.: Face painting.
- Starting at 10 a.m.: Food trucks and vendors outside the Co-op.
- 11 a.m.: Prize award ceremony.
The 5K begins at 10:00 AM at Los Alamos Co-op. Registration is open, and participants can sign up at https://ops1.operations.daxko.
Bring your memories. Bring someone you love. Join us as we Run to Remember.