Smoky Mountain Very Scary 5K
About this race
Dare to run, walk, or zombie crawl through the spookiest 5K in the Smokies! The Very Scary 5K & 1 Mile Fun Run starts and ends at The Abbey in Townsend, TN, featuring the scariest swag in the history of Very Scary 5Ks—including a "very scary" finisher medal, spine-chilling t-shirt, exclusive decal, and more surprises!
This fully supported nighttime race guarantees a thrilling experience—you might even (OK, you almost certainly will) encounter a terrifying sight along the way!
AWARDS & TIMING
Unique awards will be given for the 5K in the following categories (male & female):
🏆 Open: Fastest finish (any age)
🏆 Masters: Fastest finish (age 40+)
🏆 Grandmasters: Fastest finish (age 50+)
🏆 Veterans: Fastest finish (age 60+)
The 5K is chip timed, but per USATF regulations, awards will be based on gun time. The awards ceremony will begin promptly at 9:00 PM. The 1 mile fun run is untimed, but don't worry—you're getting all the same sweet swag as the 5K. Awards must be picked up on race day—no shipping. Again, we won't be shipping any swag or awards, and we can't hold it for late pickup, so get your goodies before the race!
REGISTER EARLY!
Shirts will be printed one week before race day. Register early to guarantee your size—late sign-ups are not guaranteed a shirt! No shirts will be held or mailed to participants.
RULES & REGULATIONS
For safety and insurance reasons, pets, strollers, wagons, roller skates, skateboards, scooters, mopeds, or hoverboards are not allowed on the course.
👻 Costumes Encouraged!
Kick off the fun with our costume contest at 7:00 PM, one hour before race start. Top costumes will win awards, so dress to impress (or terrify)!
Sign up now—if you dare! 😱🎃👟
Pick your distance
Running
5K Run
5K (3.1 mile) lollipop loop run from The Abbey in Townsend, with virtually guaranteed scary sightings along the way, and an aid station part way along the creepy course that you'll hit twice.
1 Mile Fun Run (Untimed)
1 mile out & back fun run from The Abbey in Townsend, with virtually guaranteed scary sightings along the way!
Typical race-day weather
Based on 6 years of historical conditions on this event's race dates in Townsend.
Course
Route map and elevation profile
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.
Reviews
Done this event?
If you've participated in this event, share your experience with other runners
Other races near Townsend
Different organizers, within 40 miles, in the next three months
Little River Run 5K
Running for Children's Rights to Both Parents - 8 of 50 Half Marathons in 50 States - Tennessee
Cades Cove Loop Lope
Townsend 15K and 7K
🏃 Plan Your Next Race in Townsend
Find upcoming events by distance:
- Townsend 5K Races 5 races
- Townsend Running Calendar 2026 6 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, 7 Townsend events
Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we'll fix it.