2024 Cloud Run 5K or 1-mile Run/Walk

The 7x24 Exchange DC Chapter and Data Center Coalition are working with Loudoun Economic Development and industry partners to host the event, which is family-friendly and open to the whole community.

Race registration includes swag, food, drinks, and entertainment, as well as the Data Center Discovery Zone experience hosted by the Data Center Coalition. Live music and food trucks will be present during the event, with diverse cuisine options, as well as dessert and beer trucks.

Why 4.99999k? In a mission-critical industry where reliability matters to end users like hospitals, banks, businesses, schools and families, everything has to work at least 99.999% of the time.

7x24 Chapter President Karen Petersburg explained that this event is designed to showcase more than just the buildings and servers that power the world's largest data center hub.

"Cloud Run participants will race alongside some of the thousands of data center professionals who support the IT backbone of the Internet. These are your friends and neighbors, who support countless end users and generously give back to this community," Petersburg said. "Data centers also support a lot more jobs than people realize, so there's a tremendous opportunity for students and career-switchers to consider future opportunities."

Proceeds from race registrations and event sponsors will be donated to the Dulles South Soup Kitchen, which supplements local food pantries to provide Northern Virginia families with hot meals.

A portion of the proceeds will also support the DC Chapter's College Scholarship Fund, which helps students interested in an IT career. Applications for this scholarship will open later this spring.

"We're very proud to provide our charitable partners with meaningful impact," Petersburg added. "This is our second year supporting the Dulles South Soup Kitchen, which uplifts our community's most vulnerable members. We're committed to growing our gift of $20,000 from last year, but we need the community to join us in that effort."

The Data Center Discovery Zone showcases workforce development through hands-on activities and interactive opportunities to learn everything about data centers from experts, and is free to the public.

"With the rapidly expanding data needs of our modern digital lives and the 21st century economy, the data center industry has a growing need for a highly skilled and diverse workforce," Data Center Coalition President Josh Levi said. "The Data Center Discovery Zone will showcase the varied and exciting employment opportunities in the digital infrastructure ecosystem and provide guidance on the classroom-to-career pathways available right here in Northern Virginia."

The event will also include an industry trade show, with opportunities for businesses supporting data centers to showcase their offerings and opportunities. According to the Northern Virginia Technology Council's 2022 economic impact report, every job inside a Virginia data center creates 4.1 additional jobs in the rest of the Virginia economy.

"Data centers provide the infrastructure that drives today's economy and empowers education, health care, entertainment and employment. We're proud to have that economic engine right here in Northern Virginia," Loudoun Economic Development Executive Director Buddy Rizer said. "This event promises to be a celebration of the wonderful people who work in the industry, and the opportunity to reinvest in our community."

The 7x24 Exchange DC Chapter is working with Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William County Public Schools to promote the event and get students involved.

Online registration will close on Thursday, April 18 at 8 p.m., however, late registrations will be available during packet pickup and on race morning. Great sponsorship opportunities remain for the 2024 Cloud Run.

Full information and registration can be found at sqr.co/cloudrun24.