Fri, Nov 13, 2026

Dollywood's Light The Way 5k

Pigeon Forge, TN

Registration openAnnual since at least 2022

About the Dollywood's Light The Way 5k

The course runs at night through Dollywood during its Smoky Mountain Christmas festival, which means millions of lights are on around you as you run. Much of the route goes off park first, along the tram road, before turning back through the park to the finish. It is a road course, and the lights do most of the work of making it memorable.

There is a fun walk option for anyone not looking to run the full distance. No strollers are allowed on the course. Awards go to top finishers and must be collected in person at the event.

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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

991finishers

18:31winner

40:12median

12:45:34cutoff

Top 3: Blake Deterding (18:31) · Zanelle Willemse (19:20) · Josh Booher (19:21)

The Dollywood's Light The Way 5k has been held every year since at least 2022. 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

5K11/13/2026 23:00$55

Dollywood's Light The Way 1 Mile Fun Walk11/13/2026 23:20$55

Dollywood's Light the Way 5K- Virtual11/13/2026 23:00$55

Dollywood's Light The Way 1 Mile Fun Walk- Virtual11/13/2026 23:00$55

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.

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Common Questions About the Dollywood's Light The Way 5k

Will I finish last at the Dollywood's Light The Way 5k?

Almost certainly not. Half the 5K field finished slower than 40:12, and the last recorded finisher came in around 12:45:34, so there is a long tail of runners behind the middle of the pack. Most fields are far slower than people expect.

Is the Dollywood's Light The Way 5k a good first 5K?

With 991 finishers there are runners at every pace, so you are never out on your own. 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 Dollywood's Light The Way 5k?

The 5K winner ran 18:31 while the median finisher took 40:12. That spread points to a broad, mostly recreational field rather than a race dominated by club runners.