Swoop Sprint

Join Swoop, cheerleaders, students, alumni, and fans to celebrate our 30th year racing for scholarships! The Swoop Sprint 5k that winds throughout campus features food, prizes, and U spirit from start to finish. To help raise money for scholarships, $5 from each registration will go towards the U Alumni scholarship fund. 

First 500 registrants will receive Special Edition 2026 Medals & T-Shirts

When | Saturday, September 26, 2026 @ 9:00am

Where | University of Utah Cleone Peterson Eccles Alumni House or Virtually

Swoop Sprint 5K Cost | U Alumni & General $45, U Student & Faculty/Staff $40, Virtual $50 

Kids K Cost (Ages 3-12) | Children $20

Get $10 off if you register by August 15 (excluding Kids K)

Day of Cost | General & Virtual $60, U Student & Faculty $50, Kids $20

Timing for Race Day:
8:00-9:00: Runner Check-in & Best Dressed Competition
9:00 am: KidsK 
9:30 am: Swoop Sprint 5k
10:00 am: Block Party, Lunch, & Award Presentation

Opportunity drawings for a variety of prizes will take place following the award presentation. Must be present to win. We also encourage you and your families to join us before and after the race for a Block Party filled with games, food, and fun! 

 

2026 RACE ROUTE 

The course is TBD and heavily subject to campus construction. Per tradition, the race will take place throughout the University of Utah campus.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What's New About This Year's Race? 

Student Scholarships: In Honor of this year's milestone - 30 years of racing for Student Scholarships - we are giving away more scholarship dollars than ever, and everyone can participate! Here's how (1) by selecting your school/college during the registration process, you join their "team", top 3 teams with the most registrants earn extra funding; (2) At the Block Party, find our Cash-Grab booth, grab as many Swoop Bucks as you can and put them in your college/schools bucket - departments will receive additional funding equivalent to what is won for them; and (3) All students will be placed into a Scholarship Drawing, no matter their place in the race

Packet Pick-up: This year their will only be ONE day of pre-race packet pickup taking place at the University Campus Store! Racers are strongly encouraged to pick up their packet prior to race day.

Virtual Satellite Races: Some of our Regional Alumni Chapters will be hosting satellite races in their local community. These race details will be updated on the website as they are confirmed and provided to registrants from those areas. They are entirely optional and not required for virtual participants to receive their packets.

What's the "Best Dressed" Competition?

Thank you to those who participated in the "Best Dressed" competition for 2025, it will be making it's return for 2026! Those who raced will us last year saw a special "Best Dressed" competition where we encourage all racers to come dressed in their best Utah Swag swing by our "Best Dressed" booth before the race kicks off to enter to win special prizes. 

There will be prizes for best dressed adult, kid, and group (3+ people) entries! 

 Packet Pick-Up

Pre-Race:

Friday, September 25, 2026

7:30am-6:00pm

University of Utah Campus Store

270 S 1500 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84112

 

Race Day Pick Up

8:00-9:00am 

Cleone Peterson Eccles Alumni House

155 Central Campus Dr, Salt Lake City, UT 84112

 Awards

5k Awards will be given to the top three male and female finishers in the following age groups: under 19, 20–29, 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, 60-69, 70+

Kids K runners will all receive a participation ribbon! Please note that we do not track times for the KidsK, no prizes will be given for KidsK winners. 

Additionally, this year their are 2 scholarship opportunities for students. The first place male and female student finishers will each receive a U Alumni Scholarship to go towards their Spring '26 tuition, and ALL students will be entered into a drawing for an additional U Alumni Scholarship*

*To be eligible students must race in-person, select "student" when registering for the race, and have U of U tuition/fees for Spring '26 that are not already covered by existing scholarship sources. 

Parking

There will be free parking in the lot 28 (Union). You can find the campus parking map here. Please note that because of the Block Party, no parking will be available at the Eccles Alumni House lot. 

Is there water on the course?

Yes, there will be water stations along the course. Please be sure to stay hydrated during the race. Each station will also be equipped with basic first aid equipment.

Are individuals allowed to walk the course?

Yes. You can go at any pace you would like!

Is there gear/bag check?

Gear Check is at the Eccles Alumni House next to the Registration Tent.

Gear Check closes 15 minutes before the start of your race. All bags must be picked up by 11:00 a.m. on race day.

Refunds

There will be no refunds for the Swoop Sprint. Because funds raised for the event are used to support the U Alumni Scholarship Fund, no refunds will be issued in the event the race is canceled or postponed. 

Adverse Weather Policy  

The Swoop Sprint will be held rain or shine. However, the safety of our participants is of paramount concern. In the event of adverse weather conditions, the Race Director, in communication with the local law enforcement and the city, may delay the event, cancel the event, or make changes to the race course.

Can I run with dogs or stroller?

Strollers and dogs are allowed in our 5K.  We ask that you be courteous to other runners and line up at the back of the group at the starting line.

How do you participate in the virtual race?

The virtual race option is for those people that would like the shirt and medal from the event but cannot make race day. We appreciate the support of our scholarship fund. You can run anywhere! This is a great option for people from out of state or people out of town on the date of the event. This year, there will also be select Satellite Races, hosted by our U Alumni Regional Chapters, more details to come! 

Virtual runners will not be eligible for any awards, raffles, or bonus giveaways taking place in-person.

 When will I receive my virtual race packet?

Virtual packets will be mailed out the week of September 21st. If you register after September 21st we can’t guarantee that the packet will arrive before the race! However, you will still be able to participate in the race without the packet!

 What’s in the virtual race packet?

The virtual race packet will include your shirt and medal!

I don’t want to run, but interested in volunteering, can I help?
YES! We always need an extra set of hands! To volunteer, please email lauren.hoss@alumni.utah.edu