As soon as the registration email came, I signed up for the 2026 Candlelighter’s Superhero 5k. It was such fun last time, I couldn’t wait to return. And I learned from my mistakes last year, making it easier and a much better experience.
Candlelighters is a Las Vegas-based non-profit that helps supports families and kids diagnosed with cancer. The Superhero 5k is one of their main fundraisers for the year. It’s one of the most fun races of the year, well-organized, with great community support.
Pre-Race Logistics
Packet Pickup was at Candlelighters HQ, which I completely forgot. They also offer packet pickup on race day, so I was there bright and early to get my packet, pin on my cape, and take in the whole opening ceremony.
Because parking at Exploration Peak Park is limited and the race draws a massive crowd, Candlelighters leverages 3 different school parking lots to manage traffic. They added shuttles this year based on participant feedback from last year.
They also mentioned that you could park in the Albertson’s parking lot on Blue Diamond & Buffalo, but no shuttles would be provided. Since the shopping center is only a quarter mile from the start line, that was my option this time around. No waiting on shuttles, plenty of parking, easy return to the car afterwards.
Race Start
This time I actually got to see the start! And it was a heartwarming one.
In addition to the presentation of the colors, a children’s choir sang the National Anthem and “Nobody’s Gonna Break My Stride.” Since this is a charity for children with cancer and their families, it was very appropriate. And the kids were adorable.
Personalities from Fox 5 News MC’ed the event, which included short speeches from families supported by Candlelighters. It really drove home the impact that the program has for our community.
The Candlelighters Superhero 5k Race
Finally, due to high participation, there was a basic corralling system in place. The group was separated into 5k runners, 5k walkers, and 1 milers, each separated by people holding different colored poles. This was very helpful to avoid clusters and frustration.
Runners also had the full width of the road for the first mile and a half. That gave us enough time to spread out into individual performance paces, also minimizing clusters.
The route was the same as last year, passing Mountain’s Edge Regional Park and returning via the LeBaron Paseo Trail.
Post-Race
Last year, I met a friend on the route. This year, I met friends at the pre- and post-race! One of the vendors, Attorney Michael Hua, did a great job of promoting the race. Some of the runners were from Swing Dance Vegas, who did a great job of representing!
This year confirmed for me that the Candlelighters Superhero 5k is one of the top charity 5ks in Las Vegas!
