Sat, Aug 15, 2026

King of the Mountain

Pelham, AL

Registration openAnnual since at least 2025

About the King of the Mountain

The course climbs hard from the start. A short service road funnels runners onto single track before the first major ascent, a steep climb the organizer calls Outback Highway. After that summit, the trail rolls through boulder-strewn ridgelines and a slippery pine straw descent before one final technical climb at Eagles Nest. The downhill back to the finish is fast but rough underfoot, and the ankles earn their keep.

Awards here are named King and Queen, with a separate knighting for anyone who clears the course under a certain time threshold. There is no age-group pyramid, just a small set of titles that fit a mountain race with its own personality.

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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

53finishers

0:46winner

42:42median

57:28cutoff

Top 3: Alec Beers (32:43) · Racquel Caviedes (35:11) · Alan Lovett (36:52)

The King of the Mountain has been held every year since at least 2025. 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

5K8/15/2026 08:00$30

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 King of the Mountain

Will I finish last at the King of the Mountain?

Almost certainly not. Half the 5K field finished slower than 42:42, and the last recorded finisher came in around 57:28, so there is a long tail of runners behind the middle of the pack. Most fields are far slower than people expect.

Is the King of the Mountain a good first 5K?

It is a small race (53 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 King of the Mountain?

The 5K winner ran 0:46 while the median finisher took 42:42. That spread points to a broad, mostly recreational field rather than a race dominated by club runners.