Light the Trail 5K
About this race
Benefiting the Green Crescent Trail and a more walkable, bikeable greater Clemson area!
Join us for a lively evening of movement, community and celebration at the inaugural Light the Trail 5K and 1-Mile Family Fun Run in Clemson’s Patrick Square community.
Held just before Clemson University’s Parents Weekend, this family-friendly event invites area runners and walkers, University students and their parents, alumni, neighbors and trail supporters of all ages to move together and support the Green Crescent Trail and its bold 15×30 vision: creating 15 connected miles of trail across Clemson, Central and Pendleton by 2030.
Participants will enjoy a scenic evening course through the streets of Patrick Square, followed by a lively post-race community gathering on the Village Green featuring local food, drinks, music and family activities. Professional timing provided by XX
Whether you are chasing a personal best, walking with friends or pushing a stroller under the fall lights, every step helps raise awareness and support for safer, more connected and more active communities across the region.
Event Highlights
- Evening 5K race through Patrick Square
- 1-mile Family Fun Run open to all ages and abilities
- Awards for various ages and groups, costume contest, and raffle prizes
- Post-race community gathering at the Village Green
- Breakfast-for-dinner specials at Sunnyside Cafe
- Food and beer specials at Kite Hill Brewing Co.
- Music, dancing, family activities and community partner booths
- Green Crescent Trail and 15×30 campaign information
- Opportunity to support future trail connectivity in the Clemson area
Why We Run
The Green Crescent Trail connects neighborhoods, schools, parks, campuses and downtowns across the greater Clemson region through safe, accessible multi-use trails. The new 15×30 campaign is focused on expanding that vision into a connected 15-mile regional network by the year 2030.
Light the Trail is more than a race. It is a celebration of movement, connectivity, and a bright, active future for our community.
Every mile matters. GO. CONNECT! Let’s light the trail together!
Pick your distance
Running
1-Mile Fun Run
Fun run for all ages!
Light the Trail 5K
Official timing provided by Upstate Race Series
Typical race-day weather
Based on 2 years of Open-Meteo archive data for this event's race dates in Clemson, plus the 3 days either side.
The sun rises at 7:15 AM and sets at 7:35 PM local time (EDT) in Clemson on September 17, 2026 — 12h 19m 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 — Light the Trail 5K
193 finishers across 2 distances · leading places in the 1-Mile Fun Run
| Place | Name | Time | Pace |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Victoria Hammersmith | 6:44 | 6:44 /mi |
| 2 | G. Tiller | 7:56 | 7:56 /mi |
| 3 | K. Fraser | 9:05 | 9:05 /mi |
| 4 | Hunter Vye Fraser | 9:07 | 9:07 /mi |
| 5 | Gerald Lehmacher | 9:18 | 9:18 /mi |
Every finisher is on the results page, filterable by distance, gender and age group.
All results by year
Other races near Clemson
Different organizers, within 40 miles, in the next three months
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VIMM 'Love in Action' 5K Fundraiser
864 Legends Inaugural 5K
Zom-Bee 5k
🏃 Plan Your Next Race in Clemson
Find upcoming events by distance:
- Clemson 5K Races 3 races
- Clemson Running Calendar 2026 7 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, 8 Clemson events
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