The Cherokee Nation Wings Program is gearing up for its 2026 race season with 18 runs scheduled across the Cherokee Nation Reservation. The races, which are open to Wings program members, kicked off on April 4 with the “CC Camp 5K” in Stilwell.
The Wings program, which celebrates its 30year anniversary this year, offers both in-person and virtual options for Cherokee Nation citizens and non-citizens to get active and stay healthy. All 5K race events are free for Wings members.
“The Wings program has been a long standing program for 30 years now through the Cherokee Nation. Our employees, citizens and non-citizens always look forward to these races every year,” Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said. “Cherokee Nation has made it of utmost importance to bring health and wellness programs to our citizens, and the Wings races are always a healthy and fun way to promote overall wellness.”
The 2026 race season will visit communities across the reservation including Stilwell, Grove, Sallisaw, Tahlequah, Pryor, Jay, Webbers Falls, Westville, Vian, Bartlesville, Nowata, Vinita, Muskogee, Claremore and Hulbert. In addition to the 5K runs, all races will also feature a fun run event.
Participants can register for the 2026 Wings races and learn more about the Wings program by visiting https://www.cherokeepublichealth. org/ Tiles/Wings. Race details, registration information for individual events and the Wings membership application can all be found there as well.
“The Wings program is a great way for Cherokee citizens and noncitizens to prioritize fitness, while also building a community and visiting our communities across the Cherokee Nation Reservation,” Cherokee Nation Deputy Principal Chief Bryan Warner said. “We can’t wait to kick off another exciting schedule of Wings races for our citizens and the public in 2026.”
The Wings 2026 schedule is as follows:
• April 25 – Second Chance Pet Rescue 5K – Grove
• May 2 – Diamond Daze 5K – Sallisaw • May 9 – Run for the Berries – Stilwell
• May 16 – BEFAST 5K – Tahlequah
• June 6 – HOPE 5K – Pryor
• July 4 – Huckleberry Run – Jay
• July 11 – Walter Webbers Falls 5K – Webbers Falls
• July 18 – Summer Slam 5K – Westville
• Aug. 15 – Lake Vian Trail Run – Vian
• Sept. 5 – CNH Veterans Run – Tahlequah • Sept. 19 – Run The Streets 5K – Bartlesville • Sept. 26 – Nowata 5K & Fun Run – Nowata
• Oct. 10 – Hornet 5K & Fun Run – Vinita • Oct. 24 – The Fast and the Furriest 5K – Muskogee
• Oct. 31 – Will Rogers Memorial 5K – Claremore
• Nov. 7 – Healthy Native 5K – Tahlequah
• Dec. 5 – Frigid Forest 5K – Hulbert Cherokee Nation continues to progress in making public health and wellness programs more accessible and available for citizens. The Public Health and Wellness Fund Act of 2021, dedicates $100 million in settlement funds from opioid and e-cigarette lawsuits for a variety of public health programs, including wellness center and spaces, a smoking cessation fund and more.
The Act established by Principal Chief Hoskin and Deputy Chief Warner also dedicates 10% of the tribe’s annual third-party health insurance collected to physical and mental wellness programs, generating millions of dollars per year for these efforts.
