Sat, Dec 5, 2026

Hearts of Gold Classic 5K Run/Walk Project Compassion

Fort Smith, AR

Opens Sep 18, 2026Annual since at least 2021

5K1 Mile

About the Hearts of Gold Classic 5K Run/Walk Project Compassion

The course runs through Ben Geren Regional Park, starting and finishing at the Community Safe Shelter there. The race honors a local doctor who championed elderly residents and nursing home patients, and the crowd tends to show up dressed for the occasion, with Santa hats, antlers, and ugly sweaters very much part of the scene.

Packet pickup is the evening before at True Grit Running Company, a local running shop. Runners are encouraged to bring a donation of socks for nursing home residents at the finish.

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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

56finishers

16:54winner

34:54median

1:12:00cutoff

Top 3: Braden Palmer (16:54) · Tray Bray (22:41) · Jeremy Maxwell (23:06)

The Hearts of Gold Classic 5K Run/Walk Project Compassion has been held every year since at least 2021. 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 Sep 10, 2026.

Distances & Start Times

5K12/5/2026 09:00$25

1 Mile12/5/2026 09:00$15

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Common Questions About the Hearts of Gold Classic 5K Run/Walk Project Compassion

Will I finish last at the Hearts of Gold Classic 5K Run/Walk Project Compassion?

Almost certainly not. Half the 5K field finished slower than 34:54, and the last recorded finisher came in around 1:12:00, so there is a long tail of runners behind the middle of the pack. Most fields are far slower than people expect.

Is the Hearts of Gold Classic 5K Run/Walk Project Compassion a good first 5K?

It is a small race (56 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 Hearts of Gold Classic 5K Run/Walk Project Compassion?

The 5K winner ran 16:54 while the median finisher took 34:54. That spread points to a broad, mostly recreational field rather than a race dominated by club runners.