Quick answer. The Cantina Kids Fun Run is a quarter-mile and one-mile race for children up to 12 in Saratoga Springs' Congress Park, run since 2008 with the Saratoga Hospital Foundation. The 2024 run drew more than 1,100 participants and raised $72,000; the 2025 run raised $104,000 and pushed the total past $1 million. Entry fees are low, so sponsors and supporters supply most of the money.
The Cantina Kids Fun Run in Saratoga Springs, New York, is a community fun run built only for children: a quarter-mile and a one-mile race in Congress Park for kids up to age 12, with proceeds supporting pediatric emergency care at Saratoga Hospital. It began in 2008 as an idea from a local restaurant owner and her husband, and by its 17th edition in 2025 it had passed $1 million raised. The 2024 run, the 16th, drew more than 1,100 participants and raised $72,000, according to Albany Med Health System, the hospital's parent system.
From a restaurant owner's idea to $1 million
Heath Ames, owner of the Cantina restaurant in Saratoga Springs, and her husband, Jeff, created the run and brought it to the Saratoga Hospital Foundation in 2008. The foundation's event page says they founded it in honor of their daughter, and a 2023 preview notes she received care at the hospital. The Ameses still chair it. Heath Ames calls it "the only run in Saratoga Springs that's designed especially for kids." Hospital and foundation staff field registration, sponsorship and media questions, and the event page lists two co-chairs and 25 more committee members alongside the Ameses.
The published milestones let us follow the event's growth:
| Year | Edition | Participants | Raised that year | Cumulative since 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | (9 years in) | "Hundreds of families" | Not stated | More than $300,000 (CBS6 Albany) |
| 2022 | 14th (after a two-year Covid pause) | 911 | $75,000 | Over $756,000 (Albany Med) |
| 2024 | 16th | More than 1,100 (a record) | $72,000 | Not stated |
| 2025 | 17th | 865 runners | $104,000 | $1,004,000 (Saratoga Hospital Foundation) |
The most interesting row is the last one. The 2025 run had fewer runners than 2024 yet raised the most in its history. Even allowing for the different counting bases noted at the end of this page, participation and dollars did not move together here, which is a strong clue about where the money really comes from.
Two kid-sized courses in a downtown park
The 2022 participant FAQ spells out the format. The quarter-mile course is "completely fenced in" and stays entirely inside Congress Park; it is recommended for ages 7 and under. The one-mile course, recommended for ages 8 to 12, uses some nearby city streets staffed by the Saratoga Springs Police Department and volunteers. The age suggestions are not strict. Both distances sit within the Road Runners Club of America's youth guidance, which suggests dashes of up to 400 meters for children five and under and half-mile to one-mile fun runs for older children.
The 2022 schedule is a model of a tight kids' race morning: check-in and day-of registration from 8:00 to 8:30 a.m., announcements at 8:45, the quarter mile at 9:00, the mile at 9:30 and awards at 10:00. Bibs carry a timing chip, results go online, strollers are allowed but must start in the last wave, and dogs, bikes and scooters are not allowed on the course. Everyone is welcome, though only children 12 and under receive medals; the top three boys and girls in each race get trophies. A "Healthiest School" award goes to the school with the highest percentage of its students taking part, which turns local elementary schools into recruiters.
Why fees are the smaller part of the money
Entry fees are modest. In 2022 they were $15 early-bird, $20 pre-registration and $25 on race day, according to a May 2022 preview; the 2022 participant FAQ cited above adds that financial help is available on request. The 2023 preview listed $20 and $25. Illustrative, using 2024's count and the 2023 fees as an assumption (2024 fees were not published): if all 1,100 participants paid $20, fees would total 1,100 × $20 = $22,000; at $25, $27,500. That is well under half of the $72,000 raised that year, and the 2025 total of $104,000 came from fewer runners still. Sponsorship and giving do most of the work.
The sources show how. New Country Motor Car Group has been the presenting sponsor since at least 2022, and that year's recap named four other major sponsors: a trust company, an imaging practice, a real estate firm and a TV station. In 2024 a kickoff evening, "Cocktails for a Cause," was held at the Cantina in May and drew more than 120 supporters. More than 100 hospital employees and community members volunteered on race day.
What the money buys at the hospital
Proceeds support pediatric emergency services: training, certifications, equipment and technology. The 2022 recap names specifics, including a video laryngoscope and training in neonatal resuscitation, pediatric blood draws, pediatric diabetes care, child and adolescent psychiatry and allergic reactions. Earlier proceeds helped fund the hospital's emergency center campaign, and the 2017 coverage also mentions the dental care program. The foundation says the hospital's emergency services see more than 10,000 children a year. Hospital CEO Jill VanKuren said in 2025 that because of the event, "we are better equipped" to care for children.
What other organizers can borrow
- Partner with a beneficiary that can carry the logistics. A hospital foundation handles registration, sponsorship contacts and media, leaving volunteer chairs free to recruit. Our community and charity fun run guide covers how to set up that split.
- Offer two short courses by age, keep the youngest race fully inside a fenced park, and put police and adult volunteers on any street crossings. RRCA's safe event guidelines say only adult volunteers should direct runners. See kids' fun run distances by age for the ranges.
- Keep the fee low and raise the rest elsewhere. A $15 to $25 entry keeps families coming; a presenting sponsor and a kickoff event carry the total. Model the mix in the registration fee guide before you set prices.
- Run a school participation contest. A trophy for the highest percentage of students taking part costs little and spreads the word through every school in town.
- Report specifics. Naming the equipment and training the money bought, year after year, is what keeps a sponsor renewing.
What the sources don't tell us
No source breaks the annual totals into fees, sponsorships and donations, or states costs or net proceeds. Registration fees for 2024 and 2025 were not published in the sources we read. Participant counts are described differently each year ("participants" in 2024, "runners" in 2025), so they may not be comparable. The foundation's event page, viewed in October 2026, names no edition and still shows an older cumulative figure ("over $900,000"), below the $1,004,000 the foundation reported after the 2025 run.
See how other events compare in our fun run case studies and the fun run results database, or start your own from the fun run fundraiser hub.
Frequently asked questions
How far are the Cantina Kids Fun Run races?
There are two: a quarter mile, recommended for children 7 and under and run entirely inside fenced Congress Park, and one mile for ages 8 to 12, which uses some city streets staffed by police and volunteers.
How much does it cost to enter the Cantina Kids Fun Run?
In 2022 entry was $15 early-bird, $20 pre-registration and $25 on race day, and the 2023 preview listed $20 and $25. Later years' fees were not stated in the sources we read, so check the event's own page.
How much has the Cantina Kids Fun Run raised?
The Saratoga Hospital Foundation reported $104,000 from the 17th annual run in 2025, bringing the total since 2008 to $1,004,000. The 2024 run raised $72,000.
What does the money pay for?
Pediatric emergency services at Saratoga Hospital, including training, certifications, equipment and technology. Past recaps name items such as a video laryngoscope and training in neonatal resuscitation and pediatric blood draws.
Can adults run the Cantina Kids Fun Run?
Everyone is welcome to take part, and strollers are allowed in the last wave, but medals and trophies go only to children 12 and under.