Sun, Sep 20, 2026

Conquer the Cave 5K

Woodville, AL

Registration openAnnual since at least 2019

About the Conquer the Cave 5K

The course opens in a valley with mountain and field views before heading into Cathedral Caverns State Park, which supplies the centerpiece of the race: a stretch through the cave itself. Inside, decorative lighting lines the passage, and runners carry a glow stick from the turnaround back out. Outside it is whatever the day brings; inside, the temperature holds steady and cool year-round.

Packet pickup runs the two days before the race at a running store in Huntsville, with a race-morning option at the park for those who need it. The field is split into waves, each launching roughly half an hour apart. You choose your wave at registration, and the assignment is fixed, so coordinate with anyone you want to run alongside before you register.

Free race emails

Get the Weekly RunSesh

In for this one or still deciding, keep race season near Woodville on your radar: a Monday look ahead and a Thursday rundown of the weekend's races.

Two helpful emails per week. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

Finish-Time Stats

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

5K · 2025 results

627finishers

20:15winner

43:10median

2:46:29cutoff

Top 3: Henry Crocker (20:15) · Walt Douglas (21:21) · Steven Decker Jr. (22:04)

The Conquer the Cave 5K has been held every year since at least 2019. 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 5K 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

5K9/20/2026 09:00$60

5K9/20/2026 09:30$60

5K9/20/2026 10:00$60

5K9/20/2026 10:30$60

5K9/20/2026 11:00$60

Going for a Time?

Set a goal and get a pace band: every mile split on a card sized for your phone lock screen, so race morning needs no math.

Plan Your Trip

Where to Stay

Traveling for this race? The map shows hotels and rentals in and around Woodville — pan or zoom to compare what's nearby.

The map is provided by Stay22. If you book through it, RunSesh may earn a commission at no extra cost to you — it never affects the races we list.

Common Questions About the Conquer the Cave 5K

Will I finish last at the Conquer the Cave 5K?

Almost certainly not. Half the 5K field finished slower than 43:10, and the last recorded finisher came in around 2:46:29, so there is a long tail of runners behind the middle of the pack. Most fields are far slower than people expect.

Is the Conquer the Cave 5K a good first 5K?

A field of 627 is big enough that you will have company at your pace without feeling lost in a crowd. There is no qualifying time, and the finish-time spread above shows how varied the field really is. If it is your first 5K, that spread matters more than the winner's time.

How competitive is the Conquer the Cave 5K?

The 5K winner ran 20:15 while the median finisher took 43:10. That spread points to a broad, mostly recreational field rather than a race dominated by club runners.