Fri, Oct 30, 2026

Smoky Mountain Very Scary 5K

Townsend, TN

Registration openAnnual since at least 2022

5K1 Mile

About the Smoky Mountain Very Scary 5K

This is a nighttime costume race that starts and finishes at a venue called The Abbey. The course is set up to unsettle you a bit, with some kind of scare along the way. Costumes are part of the culture here, with a contest before the start. There are timed and untimed distance options, and awards go out across several age categories.

Packet pickup runs the evening of the race at The Abbey, the same spot where you start and finish. Awards have to be claimed on race day since nothing gets shipped or held afterward.

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Finish-Time Stats

Going by the 2025 results, this is a small, friendly field, with a competitive front end and a big recreational middle.

5K · 2025 results

168finishers

21:41winner

39:43median

1:03:13cutoff

Top 3: William Land (21:41) · M. Allis (22:32) · Jeff Stanfield (22:34)

The Smoky Mountain Very Scary 5K has been held every year since at least 2022. 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

5K10/30/2026 20:00$50

1 Mile10/30/2026 20:00$50

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 Smoky Mountain Very Scary 5K

Will I finish last at the Smoky Mountain Very Scary 5K?

Almost certainly not. Half the 5K field finished slower than 39:43, and the last recorded finisher came in around 1:03:13, so there is a long tail of runners behind the middle of the pack. Most fields are far slower than people expect.

Is the Smoky Mountain Very Scary 5K a good first 5K?

It is a small race (168 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.

How competitive is the Smoky Mountain Very Scary 5K?

The 5K winner ran 21:41 while the median finisher took 39:43. That spread points to a mixed field, with a competitive front and a big recreational middle.