Tue, Aug 25, 2026
Arlington, VA
The course runs out and back on the W&OD trail through Bluemont Park, so you know exactly what is coming on the return. It is a road surface on a rail trail, which means smooth footing and a straight shot in both directions. The limited field keeps the trail clear, with plenty of room to find your pace without threading through a crowd.
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Going by the 2025 results, this is a small, friendly field, and the field is fairly quick, so expect a competitive front.
5K · 2025 results
Top 3: Ferrante, Daniel (15:18) · Taddeo, Matthew (15:48) · Artz, Peyton (15:53)
The 2026 NOVA Running Club 5K has been held every year since at least 2019. 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.
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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Almost certainly not. Half the 5K field finished slower than 22:33, and the last recorded finisher came in around 56:28, 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 (154 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 15:18 while the median finisher took 22:33. That spread points to a relatively quick field, so expect a competitive front end.
Join a local run club. Virginia Happy Trails Running Club, Arlington Running Club, Arlington Guys (20s & 30s) Running Group and others in Arlington welcome runners of all paces, and a weekly group run is the most reliable way to hold a training block together.
