The Cross Country Experience is 5K trying to provide the same experience high school cross country runners experience. The race is run on the R-S Central 5 K course. The course is 2 loops partially on dirt trails and partially paved parking lot. The finish in the football stadium at R-S is really fast. This event also provides local runners a chance to compete with high school runners.

COURSE RECORDS

Years on current course: 2019-2022

Male: Chris Upton – 17:06.4 (2019)

Female: Shelby Gurley – 20:09.4 (2022)

Course Records by Age Group

 

18th Annual  Bear Foot 5K and 1/2 Mile Fun Run.

The 5K race at Sunshine Elementary known as the Bearfoot 5K is held annually to raise funds for programs at the school. The course is a basically flat, out-and-back course where fast times are typical. The event is noted for its high quality hoodies provided for all early registrants. They also do many age groups awards in a ceremony in the school gym immediately after the race. They offer chip timing and early packet pickup for those in the area. 2023 will be the 18^th annual event. Proceeds go to Sunshine Elementary School. Fun Run is for children 5th grade and under.

 

COURSE RECORDS

Years on current course: 2010-2023

Male – Levi Wiseman-Floyd – 16:56 (2012)

Female – Jennifer Fisher – 18:51 (2023)

Click for Course Records for All Age Groups

 

COURSE MAP (below)

Elves and Bells is a 5K competed on the Saturday after Thanksgiving in downtown Spindale. Family Resources of Rutherford County puts on the event to raise funds for their efforts to help with troubled family situations in the county. This event has been a stable on the race series calendar for 10 years with several different producers. While some treat the event as a real race; others take it as a family fun event associated with Thanksgiving. In 2023 they it will start and finish at the Spindale House.

COURSE MAP

This 10K kicks off the Olympiad at Lake Lure. It starts at Ingles on Hwy 9 and run around the east side of the lake to the Rumbling Bald Resort; finishing on the beach there. The course is scenic but it is not an easy 10K. The race shirts are usually very special and the finish is very scenic.

The Lake Lure Olympiad’s 10K Dam Run is an ideal race for athletes looking for a unique one-way 10K. This challenging course begins at Ingles Supermarket
on Route 9, heads east on Route 64 and onto Buffalo Shoals Road.

After crossing the iconic Lake Lure Dam, the route winds up and down along the scenic shore road to finish on the Beach at Rumbling Bald Resort before
a crowd of cheering spectators.

RACE STARTS AT 7 pm !

Event Site Rules

Runners MUST finish race by 8:15 PM due to darkness. Light traffic at major intersections will be monitored but roads are not closed. Buffalo Shoals Road
is especially winding, steep, narrow and often heavily slanted on the shoulders. Residents have been advised of the time and approximate duration of
the race, but you should be alert for cars in both directions as you run.

 

COURSE RECORDS

Course Record Dates – 2011-2022

Male – Anthony Famiglietti – 30:40 (2016)

Female – Jess Drop – 37:58.8 (2019)

Click for Course Records for All Age Groups

 

COURSE MAP

The Race to the Rock 5K is also a very scenic event in the Lake Lure Olympiad. Its starts early on Sunday morning and views from the finish are usually spectacular. The course run from the town of Chimney Rock to the visitors center at the top of the mountain. This 5K returns after being absent in 2022 much to the dismay of many who cherish the opportunity of a real challenge.

The Lake Lure Olympiad weekend ends with the ultimate racing challenge: the 5K run to the top of Chimney Rock. Both races end with a 7-9%
grade incline that finishes at the base of the 315 foot tall Chimney Rock.

What’s even more enticing is that this is the ONLY TIME you can run up to Chimney Rock all year. If the climb doesn’t take your breath away, the
incredible 75-mile panoramic view at the top surely will.

 

COURSE RECORDS

Course Record Dates – 2011-2021 (Excluding 2018)

Male – Anthony Famiglietti – 18:05 (2017)

Female – Jennifer Fisher – 22:18 (2015)

Click for Course Records for All Age Groups

 

 

The Leader of the Pack 5K is an event produced by the Rutherford County Schools Backpack Program. The 5K is one of the major fund raisers for the Backpack Program. The program provides students with food backpacks on weekends to insure they have sufficient nutrition when not at school for the lunch programs. The course starts at the Forest City Owls stadium and runs a loop through town to finish back at the stadium. This race has more participants than any other race in the ROC series mostly fueled by kids from the county schools.

COURSE RECORDS

Course Record Dates – 2018-2022

Male – Christopher Upton – 16:40.9

Female – Shelby Gurley – 19:47.9

Click for Course Records for All Age Groups

 

COURSE MAP

 

JULY 23, 2022

Meet Me at the Fountain 5K is what the name implies; a quick 5K through downtown Forest City starting and finishing beside the famous town fountain. The event is produced by Smith’s Drugs in Forest City. Each year they select several local nonprofits to benefit from the race. Based on race histories this would be the fastest 5K course in the race series. They offer a lot of age groups and age group prizes.

Awards & Age Groups:

Top 3 Male/Female Overall. Top Male/Female Masters

Top 3 finishers in each age group < 8, 9-11, 12-14, 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75+

Proceeds from the event go to :

• Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
• Yokefellow Service Center
• Chase Corner Ministries

 

COURSE RECORDS

Years on Current Course – 2015-22

Male – Josh Stone – 15:29.9 (2021)

Female – Jennifer Fisher – 18:59 (2016)

Click here for Age group records

 

Course Map below…

 

The Miles for Messiah 5K starts and finishes at the Pleasant View Community Church . The run raises funds to benefit youth programs at the church. They also offer a pancake breakfast to all the runners after the race. The course is a figure 9 with a loop off Doggett Rd and one gradual incline. The church youth and leaders manage the event and try to make it f a family type event. The event has been in the ROC race series since 2012.

COURSE RECORDS

Years on Current Course – 2012 to 2022

Male – Christopher Upton – 16:29

Female – Jennifer Fisher – 19:00

Click for Course Records for All Age Groups

 

COURSE MAP (below)

The Purple Martin Greenway runs through Rutherfordton and is a relatively new trail in the area. The four mile race will start at Kiwanis Park at the north end of the trail and run the entire 2 mile length of the trail and return. There are several elevation changes along the trail but no major hills. This will be the first time for this as a 4 mile event so course records are a guarantee. The Town of Rutherfordton produces the event as a fund raiser for town trail projects.