Sun, Sep 13, 2026

Donate Life NC Hero Run

Durham, NC

Registration openAnnual since at least 2018

5K1 Mile

About the Donate Life NC Hero Run

The American Tobacco Trail is a paved path, and the course follows it out to a turnaround and back to Herndon Park. It is flat the whole way, so you always know where you are in the race. The costume element is part of the day, not an afterthought, and plenty of people show up dressed for it. Post-race refreshments are set up at the park near the finish.

Parking is at Herndon Park, the same spot where the race starts and finishes. Signs lead you from the lot to the starting line. The race supports organ, eye, and tissue donation awareness, and that mission is present throughout the morning, not just in the name.

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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.

5K · 2025 results

113finishers

19:48winner

40:46median

1:14:56cutoff

Top 3: Brian Casey (19:48) · Alexander Hall (21:46) · Millie Barritt (22:01)

The Donate Life NC Hero Run has been held every year since at least 2018. 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

5K9/13/2026 08:30$35

1 Mile9/13/2026 08:40$20

Sleep In Superhero9/13/2026 00:00$25

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

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Common Questions About the Donate Life NC Hero Run

Will I finish last at the Donate Life NC Hero Run?

Almost certainly not. Half the 5K field finished slower than 40:46, and the last recorded finisher came in around 1:14:56, so there is a long tail of runners behind the middle of the pack. Most fields are far slower than people expect.

Is the Donate Life NC Hero Run a good first 5K?

It is a small race (113 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 5K, that spread matters more than the winner's time.

How competitive is the Donate Life NC Hero Run?

The 5K winner ran 19:48 while the median finisher took 40:46. That spread points to a broad, mostly recreational field rather than a race dominated by club runners.