Mountain Heritage Days 5K Walk/Run
About this race
Western Carolina University's Sport Management Association invites you to the 16th annual Mountain Heritage Days 5K on Saturday, September 26, 2026! This is a family-friendly chip-timed race for both runners and walkers. The course features a combination of pavement and gravel paths and is appropriate for both beginner and accomplished runners as well as leisure walkers. Participants will dash through WCU's campus past iconic landmarks, including the 'Catafount' water fountain and Alumni Tower. Come enjoy a fun way to stay active while experiencing Western Carolina University's beautiful campus! All proceeds from the 5k race support the Sport Management Association Scholarship Fund.
After completing the race take a short stroll or shuttle ride to the award-winning Mountain Heritage Days festival, celebrating Southern Appalachian mountain culture through live musical performances and demonstrations, food and craft vendors, and a variety of family-friendly activities. Admission to the festival is always free!
- Age categories for awards: 14 & under / 15-19 / 20-29 / 30-39 / 40-49 / 50-59 / 60-69 / 70 & up
- Chip timing provided by Right On Time Productions Inc.
- Custom handcrafted awards provided by Mud Dabbers Pottery & Crafts (Balsam, NC)
- Awards to the top overall male and female finishers, and for the top 3 male and female finishers in each age category.
- Race T-shirt guaranteed to the first 150 registered participants
- This race is capped at 250 participants to maximize the race day experience for all!
LIVE RESULTS
COMPLETE AGE GROUP RESULTS
Pick your distance
Running
Mountain Heritage Days 5K
Runners and Walkers Welcome! (Walkers must be able to finish the course in 1 hour) Pre-registered check-in 7AM to 8:15AM Race is capped at 250 participants If spots remain, walk-up race day registration will be available from 7AM to 8AM for $30.00 Awards age categories: 14 & under l 15-19 l 20-29 l 30-39 l 40-49 l 50-59 l 60 -69 l 70 & up -Custom handcrafted medals provided by Mud Dabbers Pottery & Crafts (Balsam, NC) -Chip Timing provided by Right On Time Productions -T-shirt guaranteed to the first 100 registered participants
Typical race-day weather
Based on 10 years of Open-Meteo archive data for this event's race dates in Cullowhee, plus the 3 days either side.
The sun rises at 7:23 AM and sets at 7:23 PM local time (EDT) in Cullowhee on September 26, 2026 — 12h 00m 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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Results — Mountain Heritage Days 5K Walk/Run
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Gobble on the Green 5K
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🏃 Plan Your Next Race in Cullowhee
Find upcoming events by distance:
- Cullowhee 5K Races 4 races
- Cullowhee Running Calendar 2026 4 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, 4 Cullowhee events
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