The Rotary Club of East Cobb has raised more than $900,000 through its Dog Days 5K over two decades. On Saturday, Aug. 8, the 21st running of the race returns to the McCleskey-East Cobb Family YMCA at 1055 East Piedmont Road.
The 5K starts at 7:30 a.m. Participants can run, walk, or crawl the 3.1-mile course through East Cobb streets. Day-of-race registration opens at 6:30 a.m., with bib pickup beginning at 6:45 a.m.
Registration costs $35 at dogdaysrun.com. Prize money is $200 each for the top male and female finishers, with a separate Masters division award for runners 40 and older. Every registered runner gets a tech race shirt.
Race proceeds fund the Rotary Club of East Cobb's local and international service projects. According to a sponsor page, those projects have included clean-water initiatives, scholarships, and disaster response internationally, though specific local East Cobb beneficiaries were not named on the race website.
The race is managed by Horizon Race Solutions and sponsored by The Hanna Family, Honest 1 Auto Care East Cobb, Indian Hills Country Club, and Dentistry at East Piedmont. Dentistry at East Piedmont is covering the entry fee for patients who use the code DAEP2026 at registration.
The race falls five days after the first day of the 2026–2027 Cobb County school year on Monday, Aug. 3, landing in the first week back to school for local families.
After the finish line, families can expect bounce houses, food, and an awards ceremony starting around 8:40 a.m. The full event wraps up by 10 a.m.
Volunteers for pre-race planning and social media support can sign up through dogdaysrun.com.
Upcoming community events:
- Saturday, Aug. 8 — Dog Days 5K, McCleskey-East Cobb Family YMCA, 7:30 a.m. Registration at dogdaysrun.com.
