Sat, May 1, 2027
Island Heights, NJ
The course runs through Island Heights, tracing a route from the river to the bay. The route name tells you the shape of it: you start near one body of water and finish near another, with waterfront and residential surroundings in between. The course is certified, so the distance is measured and verified.
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Going by the 2026 results, this is a small, friendly field, with a competitive front end and a big recreational middle.
5K · 2026 results
Top 3: Davies Adepoju (16:48) · R. Edward Stone III (16:55) · Bret Tirondola (17:26)
1 Miles · 2026 results
Top 3: A. Stewart (7:27) · K. McPartlin (7:28) · C. McPartlin (7:55)
The 35th Annual River to Bay 5K is in its 35th year.
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.
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Almost certainly not. Half the 5K field finished slower than 31:33, and the last recorded finisher came in around 1:02:08, so there is a long tail of runners behind the middle of the pack. Most fields are far slower than people expect.
A field of 291 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.
The 5K winner ran 16:48 while the median finisher took 31:33. That spread points to a mixed field, with a competitive front and a big recreational middle.