Sat, Dec 12, 2026

Rutgers Big Chill 5K

New Brunswick, NJ

Opens Oct 1, 2026Annual since at least 2020

About the Rutgers Big Chill 5K

The course starts and finishes at the College Avenue Gym, putting it squarely on the main campus drag in New Brunswick. It is a charitable run, with entry tied to a toy donation for local kids and a portion of proceeds going toward food insecurity programs on campus. Age group awards come courtesy of Rutgers Athletics.

Packet pickup runs the evening before at the same gym, with a second window on race morning before the start. The event runs rain or shine, and a virtual option lets remote participants complete the distance on their own and submit a time from anywhere.

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Finish-Time Stats

Going by the 2025 results, this is a big 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

2,677finishers

16:24winner

33:55median

1:13:32cutoff

Top 3: Maxwell Chan (16:24) · Luis Ducharne (16:43) · Jason Lin (16:44)

The Rutgers Big Chill 5K has been held every year since at least 2020. 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 Sep 10, 2026.

Distances & Start Times

5K12/12/2026 10:00$30

5K12/12/2026 00:00$10

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.

Plan Your Trip

Where to Stay

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Common Questions About the Rutgers Big Chill 5K

Will I finish last at the Rutgers Big Chill 5K?

Almost certainly not. Half the 5K field finished slower than 33:55, and the last recorded finisher came in around 1:13:32, so there is a long tail of runners behind the middle of the pack. Most fields are far slower than people expect.

Is the Rutgers Big Chill 5K a good first 5K?

With 2,677 finishers there are runners at every pace, so you are never out on your own. 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 Rutgers Big Chill 5K?

The 5K winner ran 16:24 while the median finisher took 33:55. That spread points to a broad, mostly recreational field rather than a race dominated by club runners.