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40th Annual NIH Institute Challenge Relay and Community Day – September 25, 2025

On Your Mark, Get Set… Go! It's time for the 40th Annual NIH Institute Challenge Relay, to be held on Thursday, September 25, 2025. Opening remarks begin at 11:25 am, and the first of three heats starts at 11:45 am. Join in and find out if your team has what it takes to unseat the two-time defending champs – “Fellows Running Club."

Gather your friends and colleagues to form your relay team. All NIH staff, including contractors and fellows, are invited to enter as many teams as they wish. This year we will have three heats comprising up to 50 teams each. Register your team today and learn about registration fees and requirements. Team registration is open now and closes once 150 teams are registered, or Thursday, September 18, whichever occurs first.  


​Important things to note:

  • Each team will include five runners, each of whom will run a one-half-mile loop around Building 1
  • Each team must have a variety of gender representation and a team name. Fun examples from 2024 include: " FASTA Than Lightning", “Septic Shockers", “Lymph-Laugh-Love", and “Ignorance is Blisters"
  • Each team must provide at least one point of contact
  • Please obtain your supervisor's approval before registering if this event occurs during your work hours
  • Each participating runner and volunteer will receive a free Relay T-Shirt, water bottle and a free scoop of ice cream from Ben & Jerry's® (while supplies last)
  • Visit event sponsor information tables

     
    The NIH Challenge Relay Race will coincide with our very first NIH Community Day, a special occasion dedicated to celebrating who we are as a community. This will be more than a race; it will be a day of connection, fun and lasting memories with colleagues, friends and families across the NIH. 

     
    Our theme, Stronger Together: A Day of Community and Connection, speaks to our shared belief that we are greater together than the sum of our individual parts. Staff are welcome to bring their families, including children, to share in the spirit of the day.

     
    On Community Day, family members and friends of NIH staff may bypass regular security checks by entering through employee gates when riding in the car with their NIH staff host. Visitors may be escorted by their NIH staff host regardless of nationality of either the staff member or the visitor, but all non-U.S. person visitors must pre-register. Hosts are accountable for the conduct of their guests while on campus.
     

    Detailed information on activities and bringing visitors to campus can be found on the NIH Community Day website. 

     
    Individuals with disabilities who need sign language interpreting and/or other reasonable accommodations to participate in this event should email Jan Tortarella or call 301-443-7133. Requests should be made at least five days in advance. Call 711 to access Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS).

     
    This event is sponsored by the NIH Office of the Director and coordinated through the Recreation and Welfare Association (R&W) Fitness Program

     
    For more fitness and well-being information, visit the NIH Wellness Programs website. If you are interested in communicating with other like-minded NIH employees about topics of fitness and well-being, join the interactive Wellness@NIH listserv.

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