Sat, Oct 17, 2026

Nelson County Up and Running 5K

Bardstown, KY

Registration openAnnual since at least 2025

About the Nelson County Up and Running 5K

The course runs on the cross-country trails at Thomas Nelson High School, so expect natural terrain underfoot rather than pavement. It is a light trail route, with the kind of surface that rewards trail shoes, and strollers are not a good fit here. The race benefits a local literacy foundation, and that mission gives the morning a neighborhood-school feel.

Packet pickup opens well before the start, both happening on school grounds. The event is free to enter, with donations encouraged to support the Imagination Library. Runners are welcome to dress as superheroes, and plenty of people do, which sets the tone for the morning.

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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.

3.1 Miles · 2025 results

157finishers

17:35winner

37:40median

1:00:47cutoff

Top 3: Serhii Shevchenko (17:35) · Drew Martin (17:55) · Dylan Beasley (18:00)

The Nelson County Up and Running 5K 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 3.1 Miles 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 22, 2026.

Distances & Start Times

3.1 Miles10/17/2026 08:00Free

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 Nelson County Up and Running 5K

Will I finish last at the Nelson County Up and Running 5K?

Almost certainly not. Half the 3.1 Miles field finished slower than 37:40, and the last recorded finisher came in around 1:00:47, so there is a long tail of runners behind the middle of the pack. Most fields are far slower than people expect.

Is the Nelson County Up and Running 5K a good first 3.1 Miles?

It is a small race (157 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 3.1 Miles, that spread matters more than the winner's time.

How competitive is the Nelson County Up and Running 5K?

The 3.1 Miles winner ran 17:35 while the median finisher took 37:40. That spread points to a broad, mostly recreational field rather than a race dominated by club runners.