Sat, May 8, 2027
Mars Hill, NC
Entry is $35 now and rises to $39 after Apr 21, 2027, so registering before then saves $4.
The course runs on the Otis Duck Greenway, with mountain and rural views opening up along the way. Local musicians play as runners pass, which gives the morning a different feel than most small-town races. The route starts and finishes in the same spot, so the crowd at the end is the same one that saw you off.
Wholesome snacks are out at the finish area near the greenway, so there is something waiting when you come back around.
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Going by the 2026 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 · 2026 results
Top 3: Kevin Lane (18:39) · Emily Jenkins (22:12) · Zach Benton (23:23)
The Fiddlin' 5k Run/Walk for the Arts has been held every year since at least 2023. That is as far back as RunSignup's records for this race go, so it may well be older.
Enter a finish time to see where it lands against the most recent 5K results.
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.
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Almost certainly not. Half the 5K field finished slower than 41:04, and the last recorded finisher came in around 1:08:48, so there is a long tail of runners behind the middle of the pack. Most fields are far slower than people expect.
It is a small race (76 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.
The 5K winner ran 18:39 while the median finisher took 41:04. That spread points to a broad, mostly recreational field rather than a race dominated by club runners.