Draper Mile ( )
About this race
Join us for the 44th annual Draper Mile: a 1-mile downhill road race held in conjunction with the Steppin’ Out Festival! The Draper Mile is the 7th race in the 2026 RunAbout Sports Race Series presented by Roots Realty Group.
Draper MileThe course is mostly downhill and run entirely on Draper Road in Blacksburg with the finish in the middle of the Steppin' Out street festival. Finish times are approximately 10–12 seconds faster than a track mile. | Course Map The 1/4 mile is at Airport Rd, the 1/2 mile is just before Eakin (703 Draper), the 3/4 mile is at Clay St, and the Finish is at Jackson St.
Kids Fun RunThe fun run is free to enter, but you must sign up. The fun run route covers the final 300 meters (less than a lap on a track) of the mile course. The start line is at Washington St and the finish is Jackson St - same finish line as the mile. All fun run finishers receive a medal.
Race ScheduleFriday August 7 (Race Day)
- 2:00 PM - 6:15 PM: Packet pickup at RunAbout Sports
- 6:20 PM: Kids Fun Run (Kent Square)
- 6:30 PM: Men's Elite Mile
- 6:35 PM: Women's Elite Mile
- 6:40 PM: Open Mile Heat 1 (women and men under 8 mins)
- 6:45 PM: Open Mile Heat 2 (women and men over 8 mins)
- 7:20 PM: Awards Ceremony in parking lot at Draper Rd and Jackson St
- Men's Elite: sub 5:30 mile
- Women's Elite: sub 7:00 mile
- Open: all ages and abilities
Only participants entered in the elite races are eligible for overall awards. In the case of ties, cash awards are split.
$500 for a course record (3:52 or faster for men's winner and 4:30 or faster for women's winner).
$300 - 1st place overall male & female
$200 - 2nd place overall male & female (choose between free shoe gift certificate or $200)
Free shoe gift certificate from RunAbout Sports - 3rd place overall male & female (get what 2nd place does not choose)
Masters, grandmasters, super grandmasters plus age group awards come from the merged elite and open race results
$50 - 1st place masters (age 40-49), grandmasters (age 50-59), and super grandmasters (age 60+) male & female
Age Group AwardsAge divisions: < 9, 10-11, 12-13, 14-16, 17-18, 19-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65+
The top 3 finishers in each age group (above) will receive age group awards. . Masters, grandmasters, super grandmasters plus age group awards will come from the elite and open race merge results. In the case of ties, cash awards are split. Awards will follow the final race (approximately 7:20 pm) on the corner of Jackson & Draper.
VolunteerNot racing but would like to help out? Volunteer as a course marshal or lead bike here!
Pick your distance
Running
Draper Mile
Typical race-day weather
Based on 27 years of Open-Meteo archive data for this event's race dates in Blacksburg, plus the 3 days either side.
The sun rises at 6:31 AM and sets at 8:23 PM local time (EDT) in Blacksburg on August 7, 2026 — 13h 51m of daylight.
Course
No course map published yet.
The organizer hasn't released a route for this event, and we don't publish guesses. If you're the organizer, send us a GPX file and we'll draw the profile.
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2026 results — Draper Mile ( )
Draper Mile, Runner Results · 404 finishers
| Place | Name | Time | Pace |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Nunn | 4:05 | 4:05 /mi |
| 2 | Reese Hickey | 4:06 | 4:06 /mi |
| 3 | Braden Ward | 4:08 | 4:08 /mi |
| 4 | Thomas Fulcher | 4:17 | 4:17 /mi |
| 5 | Alex Mortimer | 4:18 | 4:18 /mi |
Every finisher is on the results page, filterable by distance, gender and age group.
All results by year
Other races near Blacksburg
Different organizers, within 40 miles, in the next three months
Brush Mountain Breakdown Trail Race
Blacksburg Turkey Trot
Hope to Walk at VT 5K
Roanoke Non Ultra Trail Series
🏃 Plan Your Next Race in Blacksburg
Find upcoming events by distance:
- Blacksburg 5K Races 4 races
- Blacksburg Running Calendar 2026 10 races
Where this page comes from. Race details were last updated on . We re-check listings regularly and again in the week before race day.
- Entries, prices, waves and inclusions — the event's official registration page
- Temperature and humidity — Copernicus ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0)
- Elevation and terrain relief — Copernicus DEM GLO-90, ESA (CC BY 4.0)
- Comparisons and counts — Race Discovery calendar, 11 Blacksburg events
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