Tyler Harris and Rachel Joffrion sped to wins in the inaugural Underground 5K Friday evening at the Bridge Street Town Centre parking deck.
Yes, that is correct.
The 5K and 1-miler preceeding it were held in the shopping center’s underground parking deck. The races were spawned from the April 2025 Bridge Street Half Marathon hit by thunderstorms and flooded streets. That happened overnight, and Running Lane race directors Will Rodgers and Sean Allan shifted quickly to measure a course in the parking garage.
Optimal? No, but it was better than canceling. Almost 500 runners looped and splashed through the deck to complete a memorable event. Since then, runners have wondered if another underground race might happen again.
It Finally Happened
Friday night, the more organized and planned sequel happened, and about 140 runners now can say they’ve done something unique. Did the GPS work on watches? Ehhhh, unlikely. Elevation? Pffttt. Cool draft underground? Nope, it was kinda toasty and humid for the 7 p.m. start.
Fun? Yes, in spades. From the sprinting takeoff to post-race Red Robin burgers, cookies, treats and a costume contest, it was a good evening.
Pounding music and cheers from onlookers echoed throughout the deck. Runners had to complete seven laps of about .4428 each to comprise the 3.1 miles. Former U.S. Olympic hockey team coach Herb Brooks would’ve been overjoyed to yell, “AGAIN!” for the looping runners. Each split was counted by the Running Lane timing system.
Harris picked up the win in a tidy 19:07, followed by Andres Manuel in 19:19 and Jase Bell in 19:26.
Joffrion was 10th in 21:44 to claim the women’s title. She smoked the 1-mile course for that win, too, finishing third in 6:11. Anthony Parameswaran won the 1-mile in 5:00.1.
Katherine Tharp was second (19th) in 23:25 for the 5K women’s podium, and Shelby Britt third (26th) in 24:15.
See the results here for the 5K and here for the 1-mile.
Check out the start of the race below and a photo gallery below the vid:
