Sat, Oct 10, 2026
Bryson City, NC
Entry is $35 now and rises to $40 after Sep 25, 2026, so registering before then saves $5.
The course starts in front of the county courthouse, threads through downtown, then heads out toward Deep Creek before looping back. It is a point-to-out-and-back shape through the heart of town, so you get a feel for the streets and then a stretch along the creek before turning for home. The race benefits local elderly residents and children in foster care.
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Going by the 2025 results, this is a small, friendly field, with a competitive front end and a big recreational middle.
5K · 2025 results
Top 3: JOSEPH FRIDDLE (19:21) · Shepard King (19:27) · Cannon Mitchell (19:30)
The Spooky 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.
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Almost certainly not. Half the 5K field finished slower than 33:08, and the last recorded finisher came in around 55:42, 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 (79 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 19:21 while the median finisher took 33:08. That spread points to a mixed field, with a competitive front and a big recreational middle.
