Kensington 8K returns in its 33rd year, race director says proceeds benefit local schools

John Seabreeze, race director for the Kensington 8K, said the annual Town of Kensington event has grown from a few hundred runners to more than 1,400 participants across three distances and is now in its 33rd year. “So every year, the net proceeds, from the race benefit 8 schools, Kensington Parkwood Elementary School, North Bethesda Middle School, and Walter Johnson High School,” he said.

Seabreeze traced the race’s origins to the town centennial in 1994, when three residents organized a community run. He said he began volunteering in 2011 and was tapped by former race director Jenny Smith, who led the event for 15 years. Seabreeze said organizing the race is his way to give back to the running community after competing in distances from 1–2 miles up to marathons and ultramarathons.

The 8K course now starts just outside Town Hall, travels south on Baltimore Avenue through Warner Circle and Antique Row, follows Kensington Parkway and Beach Drive on an out-and-back route, and finishes near Town Hall. The event includes shorter options—a 1K and a two-mile race—to accommodate walkers and newer runners, Seabreeze said. He urged participants to hydrate and rest in the days leading up to the race.

Seabreeze highlighted community engagement and local sponsorship: an event MC and sponsors such as Anytime Fitness participate at the post-race fair. He described the race as “just fun,” saying it brings neighbors together on a typically pleasant weekend in September.