Sat, Sep 26, 2026

Lisa Nelson’s Mustang Stampede 5K

Arvada, CO

Opens Aug 1, 2026Annual since at least 2017

Entry is $25 now and rises to $30 after Aug 23, 2026, so registering before then saves $5.

About the Lisa Nelson’s Mustang Stampede 5K

The course runs through northwest Arvada, starting and finishing at Ralston Valley High School, the school where Lisa Nelson taught and coached for years before her death from cervical cancer. The race exists to fund scholarships in her name for student-athletes from that school, so the crowd tends to be people who knew her or were shaped by her.

The start and finish are on school grounds, which makes parking and the post-race gathering fairly straightforward. The route is described as scenic for the season, moving through the neighborhoods around the school before looping back to campus.

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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

318finishers

16:50winner

38:44median

1:08:56cutoff

Top 3: Drake Fankhauser (16:50) · Gerod Green (17:37) · Owen Grimes (17:59)

The Lisa Nelson’s Mustang Stampede 5K has been held every year since at least 2017. 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

5K9/26/2026 08:00$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.

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Where to Stay

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Common Questions About the Lisa Nelson’s Mustang Stampede 5K

Will I finish last at the Lisa Nelson’s Mustang Stampede 5K?

Almost certainly not. Half the 5K field finished slower than 38:44, and the last recorded finisher came in around 1:08:56, so there is a long tail of runners behind the middle of the pack. Most fields are far slower than people expect.

Is the Lisa Nelson’s Mustang Stampede 5K a good first 5K?

A field of 318 is big enough that you will have company at your pace without feeling lost in a crowd. 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 Lisa Nelson’s Mustang Stampede 5K?

The 5K winner ran 16:50 while the median finisher took 38:44. That spread points to a broad, mostly recreational field rather than a race dominated by club runners.