You can’t sling a box of finish line bananas around here without hitting a 5K race, which is fine because they’re fun and help make up this week’s big TVO Roundup.
According to 2024 data compiled by RunSignup, almost 46,000 5K races were conducted with about 7.05 million registrations on its site. The number of events has increased in all categories since 2020, obviously, when things were shut down or curtailed. These are just the 5Ks on the RunSignup site. Imagine all the others throughout the country, too.
If you’re a hard runner, the 5K may be a killer because you’re going full bore for three miles. If you’re in the middle of the pack or a walker, they’re great for a good workout, socializing or achieving goals. A lot of the front-runners may not think about the final third of the field perhaps doing their first 5K, or they cut off significant time from their PR, or their couch-to-whatever plan is going well. The 5K is a good thing.
On to the TVO Roundup:
Fiddlers 5K
ATHENS — Josh Whitehead of Madison and John Glidwell of Athens set state age group records in the Fiddlers 5K on Sept. 20.
Whitehead, 47, won the race in 15:57 and broke the age record set in 1992 by 50 seconds. He also set the course record and posted his third-fastest time in the 5K.
Glidewell, 70, finished in 18:02 and smashed the 13-year-old record by almost two minutes. The previous 19:59 was held by David Jeffrey of Semmes. Glidewell also holds Alabama 5K records for ages 65, 66 and 67, among others, and is no stranger to local podium finishes.
Southerlin Weaver, 12, of Leoma, Tenn., won the women’s division in 20:54 and was 10th overall.
The field had 99 official finishers. See all of the results here.
Spooky Sprint Half
Charles Farrior of Huntsville completed the Spooky Sprint Half in Littleton, Col., on Sept. 14
Farrior, 63, finished in 2:29:31, a smooth pace of 11:25 per mile. He was first in the Male 60-64 group and 49th overall.
MSFC Safety Day 5K
Bryan Tanaguchi won the Marshall Space Flight Center Safety Day 5K on Sept. 13 at Redstone Arsenal.
Tanaguchi, 20, of Arcadia, Calif., finished in 19:07. Kyle Wagner, 39, of Huntsville, was second in 19:20.
Sahana Parker, 24, of Huntsville, won the women’s division in 20:43. She was fourth overall.
See all of the results here.
Nooga Hunger Walk
CHATTANOOGA — Zachary Sever won the Nooga Hunger Walk Run 5K on Sept. 14 in 17:35.
The field had 257 finishers. Hosted by the Chattanooga Area Food Bank and Feeding the Future, the raises money and awareness for those struggling with hunger in Chattanooga and North Georgia.
See all of the results here.
Run Through the Decades
At Ditto Landing, Bill Troutt of Madison won the Run Through the Decades half-marathon in 1:47.
Runners could complete a 6K, 7K or 8K, or do all three. The event was based at Ditto Landing and used the Aldridge Creek Greenway and Ditto facilities.
Sarah Roberts of Huntsville won the women’s half-marathon in 2:06
See all of the results here.
Raccoon Mountain Road Race
CHATTANOOGA — Josiah Mellott of Washington won the Raccoon Mountain Road Race 10K on Sept. 20 by 20 seconds.
Mellott, 22, finished in 35:28 to clip Zach Sever of Rossville, Ga., who crossed in 35:58.
Juanita Chalmers, 43, of Chattanooga, won the women’s division in 43:44. She was seventh overall.
William Shaver, 18, of Huntsville, was fourth in 41:07. Chanda Rhoden, 45, of Pisgah, was 71st in 1:11.
Thomas Crutchfield of Chattanooga won the 5K in 19:27 and Gideon Bradford of Knoxville won the women’s division in 20:48.
See all of the 10K results here and 5K results here.
Manion 9/11 Heroes 5K
MADISON — Shaun Tompkins won the Travis Manion 9/11 Heroes 5K on Sept. 13.
Thompkins, 43, finished in 19:45 for the win. Sara Jackson won the women’s division in 24:15 and was 11th overall.
Maya Stafford, 28, won the 5K Ruck title in 25:52. Brandy Jones was second in 29:19. A.J. Stark won the men’s division and was third overall, in 32:33.
See all of the results here.
Trailhead 5K
Tanner Watkins won the Trailhead 5K in 21:07 on Sept. 14 in Huntsville.
Runners found a hybrid course of 1.2 miles of paved greenway and two miles of singletrack trail in the Hickory Cove Nature Preserve east of Huntsville. Proceeds benefitted the Land Trust of North Alabama.
See all of the results here and event photos here.
Family Weekend Color Run
Jackson Dickerson won the Family Weekend Color Run 5K at UAH on Sept. 20.
Dickerson finished in 17:20 for the win. Bryan Edgar was second in 17:40.
Sarah Carter won the women’s division in 25:05. She was 24th overall.
See all of the results here.
Superheroes Run for Hope
HICKSON, Tenn. — Eddie Christopher won the Superheroes Run for Hope on Sept. 20 by almost a minute.
Christopher, 34, of Hickson, Tenn., finished in 18:39 for the win.
Lena Renninger, 15, of Hickson, won the women’s title in 23:10. She was 10th overall.
See all of the results here.
Twisted Ankle Trail Races
SUMMERVILLE, Ga. — Jake Fast won the Twisted Ankle half marathon trail race on Sept. 13 at Sleepy Floyd State Park.
Fast, 39, of Cleveland, Tenn., finished in 1:59 to win by more than 14 minutes. Rachel Hughes, 39, of Summerville, won the women’s division in 2:26 and was fourth overall.
Justin Maze, 45, of Arab, finished 11th in 2:44. Larry Roden, 56, of Pisgah, was 18th in 3:07.
See all of the results here for the half, 10K and 5K events.
