Early autumn, better known as Late Fake Summer, is heating up with a variety of events that found their way into this week’s TVO Roundup.
It’s been a busy week, so apologies for the delay with the recap. We like to get this knocked out earlier in the week. But, y’know, other things, travel, stuff and such sometimes put up little fences. No fear, though, as our nimble correspondents are adept at eventually finding the gate instead of hopping over or bouncing off the fences.
On to the TVO Roundup!
Bow Wow Dash 5K
LEWISBURG, Tenn. — Jack Pazin of Columbia, Tenn., sped to the win by almost four minutes in the 4th annual Bow Wow Dash 5K on Sept. 28.
Pazin cruised to the line in 16:21, with Markel Harris of Lewisburg in second at 19:53.
Ali Kirby of Cornersville, Tenn., won the women’s title in 25:22. She was sixth overall.
See all of the Bow Wow Dash results here.
Fiddler’s 5K
ATHENS — Jude Seibert of Ardmore won the Fiddler’s 5K by a few steps at the line on Sept. 28.
Seibert finished in 17:46, edging Jeremie Bokata of Elkmont. Bokata finished in 17:58.
Anna Ragsdale of Huntsville was eighth and won the women’s title. She finished in 21:12.
See all of the Fiddler’s 5K results here.
Broken Chains Freedom 5K
FALKVILLE — Lee Bennett of Eva cruised to the win in the inaugural Broken Chains Freedom 5K on Sept. 28.
Bennett finished in 22:36. Javier Torres of Addison was second in 24:36.
Misty Thomas of Vinemont won the women’s division and was fifth overall, in 28:39.
See all of the Broken Chains Freedom 5K here.
Space Race 5K
Max Simpson of Huntsville won the inaugural Space Race 5K at Big Spring Park in Huntsville on Sept. 27 by more than two minutes.
Simpson sped to the win through the evening downtown route in 16:41. Conner Poslajko of Huntsville was second in 19:02.
Riley Roberts of Huntsville took the women’s division in 22:12. She was 20th overall.
See all of the Space Race 5K results here.
Conquer the Cave 5K
GRANT — Drew Garrett of Chunchula claimed the Conquer the Cave 5K win on Sept. 21, with runners finishing the event in the awesome Cathedral Caverns.
Garrett finished in 24:45, a fine time on the hilly course and through the caverns. William Patterson of Benzonia, Mich., was second in 25:33.
Toni Jensen of Spring Hill, Tenn., won the women’s division in 32:30. She was eighth overall.
The mouth of Cathedral Caverns is 126 feet wide and 25 feet high. One stalagmite, “Goliath,” is one of the largest stalagmites in the world. It is 45 feet tall and 243 feet in circumference. Another stalagmite is 27 feet tall and 3 inches wide.
Running Lane puts on the event, along with others at the cavern, in spring and fall. Runners from many states attend to expereince the cool event. The Conquer the Cave 5K had runners from 11 states including North Carolina, Michigan, Indiana, Arkansas and Ohio.
See all of the Conquer the Cave 5K results here.
Troublesome Hollow 50K Update
Jason Green, founder of Yeti Trail Runners, has moved registration to Nov. 3 for the 2025 Troublesome Hollow 50K near Bristol, Va.
The run takes place on the Mendota Trail, a lovely Rails to Trails project that offers fast times and great scenery. There’s also a “little hill” to the top of a roughly 3,000-foot mountain to the fire tower at about 20ish miles. Runners then return to the finish up another incline that isn’t as severe but might make you say, “Woof” a time or two.
It’s a solid event with a lot of fun, and a chance for first-timers to knock off a 50K with a bit of a challenge.
Here’s the info from Green about the event:
Mendota Trail Update: The Mendota Trail suffered no damage besides a couple of trees falling, and the Mendota River didn’t crest its bank.
Registration Update: I’ve moved registration until November 3rd so I can be available for my family and friends in the area this month and try to help with any needs they might have.
Course Update: This year we plan to finish at Kens’ Farmhouse (at the finish ) and have runners finish in his front yard with JP and friends doing some front porch pickin’! You can expereince that good ol’ Welcome Home feeling and help bring our commuity closer together. The little hill remains.
Open Registrations
Registrations have opened for several popular winter events listed in the TVO Calendar, and some have capped fields. If you’re looking for a long or short event check these:
Dizzy Fifties 50K, Nov. 16 at Monte Sano State Park: click here
Ditto Landing 10K, Dec. 1 at Ditto Landing and Aldridge Creek Greenway: click here
Galaxy of Lights 5K and 3K fun run, Dec. 2 at Huntsville Botanical Garden: click here
Running Lane Winter Wild Thangs Series, Dec. 21 at Monte Sano State Park: click here
Recover From the Holidays 50K, Dec. 31 at John Hunt Park (new course this year): click here
Mountain Mist 50K, Jan. 25 at Monte Sano State Park: click here
Eagle Ridge 50K, Half and 5K trail runs, Feb. 8 at Guntersville State Park: click here
If you’re looking for Thanksgiving or Christmas events, the ones we’ve sourced so far with open registrations also are listed in the TVO Calendar. We’ll update as we get more of them, and also have our separate listings soon for Turkey Trots and Jingle-Jog-Rudolph runs.
