#CureforCluster VIRTUAL 5k Run/Walk 2026

Description

The 10th Annual #CureforCluster VIRTUAL 5k Run/Walk for Cluster Headache Research by Clusterbusters is officially a VIRTUAL 5K! Cluster headaches are a debilitating neurological condition that affect a smaller population than Migraine and other common headache disorders. This virtual event allows clusterheads from around the globe to participate and raise awareness for cluster headaches in their hometown.

We feel this is the best way to raise awareness and funding across the country and internationally. Whether it’s just you or a group of people, you simply sign up on our website and then walk or run 3.1 miles on or before Tuesday, June 23rd, 2026. Unlike years prior, we will not be sending out race bags and t-shirts. Instead, participants will receive a token of appreciation in the mail a few days after the event.

What’s a Virtual 5k? A Virtual 5K is completed on your own or with a group of friends, family, and coworkers. Anyone in the world can participate on or before Tuesday, June 23rd. You can use a treadmill at home or in a gym. You can run outside in your own neighborhood or at a local park. You can bring your children, use strollers, or participate in a wheelchair. There’s no time limit, so you can run or walk 3.1 miles (5 kilometers) at your own pace. Your pets can even participate with you! One of the benefits of a virtual 5k is that there are no added costs of travel and hotel stays.

How the #CureforCluster Virtual 5k Works:

· The first step is to sign up on our #CureforCluster race website . You will receive updates and reminders in the weeks leading up to the event.

· You don’t have to run by yourself. Ask your family, friends, co-workers and fellow clusterheads in your area if they’re interested in doing it with you. This is a great opportunity to share the harsh realities of living with cluster headaches with those who may not understand that this brain disorder is devastating and dangerous. After all, the number of suicide attempts in the cluster community is 20 times the national average in the United States. You can also ask your friends and family to “sponsor” your run by pledging to donate as little as $1 per mile completed. Once completed, they can donate that amount under your name via the donations page on our #CureforCluster website. (If you’re an avid runner, you don’t have to stop at 3.1 miles! You can also complete a Walk-What-You-Can-K. This event is about making an invisible illness visible, not who finishes first.

· Identify your time zone in relation to Washington, DC. The Virtual 5k begins at 9am ET. We will go live on Clusterbusters social media sites to kick off the event. So, for example, if you’re running in:

o Scotland: begin at 2pm

o Norway: 3pm

o Chicago: 8am

o London: 2pm

o New York City: 9am

o California: 6am

o Germany: 3pm

o Puerto Rico: 9am

· Emails are sent out on a weekly basis, starting June 1, 2026.

Why Join Us? This virtual 5k is to raise awareness for cluster headaches, a form of Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalalgia. These are not “headaches,” but attacks of sudden, severe, one-sided attacks that feel like an icepick or hot poker is stabbing your temple and eye areas. These attacks can occur up to 12 times a day, lasting 15 minutes to 3 hours. Nicknamed “Suicide Headaches,” this brain disorder is known to be one of the most painful conditions known to man. The most effective treatment is high-flow oxygen through a non-rebreather mask. To learn more about cluster headaches, please visit Clusterbusters.org.

Clusterbusters: The proceeds of this race go toward research funded through Clusterbusters with whom we are affiliated. Clusterbusters has funded crucial research efforts over the past twenty years, and the #CureforCluster has helped move projects forward, such as the largest demographic study on cluster headaches led by Dr. Larry Schor at the University of West Georgia. View current research efforts on the Cluster