Fri, Sep 25, 2026

Buckeye Trail Blue Blaze Festival - Half Marathon, 10K, 5K Run, Hike and Backpack

Shawnee, OH

Registration openAnnual since at least 2017
Half Marathon6.1 Miles5K10 Miles
Register · From $35

About the Buckeye Trail Blue Blaze Festival - Half Marathon, 10K, 5K Run, Hike and Backpack

The races run on single-track trail through the Wayne National Forest on the Buckeye Trail, and the terrain is genuinely challenging. The longer distances follow an out-and-back route; the shortest loops from the village out to a lake and back through the forest. This is not groomed path, and the hills are real.

Packet pickup is at the Buckeye Trail Association office on Main Street, with an option the evening before the race and again on race morning. The start and finish are in the village of Shawnee, so there is a sense of the town itself being part of the event.

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Finish-Time Stats

Going by the 2025 results, this is a small, friendly field, and the spread of finish times is wide, so this is a mostly recreational race rather than one for club runners.

10 Miles · 2025 results

27finishers
1:07:25winner
3:45:22median
4:39:46cutoff

Top 3: Bruce Jones (1:07:25) · Joe Evans (3:22:04) · Elizabeth Chapman (3:21:53)

13.1 Miles · 2025 results

15finishers
2:14:41winner
2:42:08median
4:14:32cutoff

Top 3: Adam Wright (2:14:41) · Karla Yanes (2:15:25) · Traven Wood (2:25:46)

3.1 Miles · 2025 results

15finishers
28:30winner
40:40median
1:17:48cutoff

Top 3: Chris Gee (28:30) · Hannah MacDowell (29:57) · Gina McLean (30:12)

6.1 Miles · 2025 results

10finishers
1:12:45winner
1:51:05median
1:58:22cutoff

Top 3: Sarah Kriebel (1:12:45) · Andi Shiver (1:18:13) · Mark Nicholson (1:19:00)

The Buckeye Trail Blue Blaze Festival - Half Marathon, 10K, 5K Run, Hike and Backpack has been held every year since at least 2017. That is as far back as RunSignup's records for this race go, so it may well be older.

Where Would You Finish?

Enter a finish time to see where it lands against the most recent 10 Miles results.

Median

See how your time stacks up nationally →

How we calculate these stats: RunSesh calculates these figures from the most recent published results of past editions, sourced from RunSignup. We show aggregates only: field size, winning and median times, and the cutoff. We never publish individual finisher tables. Last updated Jul 27, 2026.

Distances & Start Times

13.1 Miles9/26/2026 09:00$50
6.1 Miles9/26/2026 09:00$40
3.1 Miles9/26/2026 09:15$35
10 Miles9/26/2026 08:00$25
Backpacking Workshop9/25/2026 08:00$65

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Common Questions About the Buckeye Trail Blue Blaze Festival - Half Marathon, 10K, 5K Run, Hike and Backpack

Will I finish last at the Buckeye Trail Blue Blaze Festival - Half Marathon, 10K, 5K Run, Hike and Backpack?

Almost certainly not. Half the 10 Miles field finished slower than 3:45:22, and the last recorded finisher came in around 4:39:46, so there is a long tail of runners behind the middle of the pack. Most fields are far slower than people expect.

Is the Buckeye Trail Blue Blaze Festival - Half Marathon, 10K, 5K Run, Hike and Backpack a good first 10 Miles?

It is a small race (27 finishers), which is friendlier and less intimidating than a big-city event, though the field thins out. There is no qualifying time, and the finish-time spread above shows how varied the field really is. If it is your first 10 Miles, that spread matters more than the winner's time.

How competitive is the Buckeye Trail Blue Blaze Festival - Half Marathon, 10K, 5K Run, Hike and Backpack?

The 10 Miles winner ran 1:07:25 while the median finisher took 3:45:22. That spread points to a broad, mostly recreational field rather than a race dominated by club runners.

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