Stairway 5k by Ode to Laz
About this race
Join the Ode Family! Be part of the coolest vibe in running. Wear your Ode medal proudly.
Pick either the hardest 5k in Michigan (maybe the country?) or pick the one that may be the most fun. Your choice, or select both and receive a $10 discount on one race (you'll receive one set of swag). Both races are part of July's Ode to Laz weekend festival and take advantage of some of the best hiking trails in Michigan at Holly Recreation Area, a jewel of the state park system. Enjoy plenty of family-friendly activities too, like kayaking, fishing, camping, or swimming and splashing on the Whoa Zone at Lake Heron's beach.
The Stairway to Heaven 5k: This is the easy one. 9:30 am start. Register between 8-8:45 please at the Overlook Picnic area. Cheer our backyard runners as they pass you on their 25th hour You'll run on the Wilderness trail on a rolling out and back course and finish with one loop down and up the famous Stairway to Heaven. COURSE MAP
The Stairway to Hell 5k: This is the beast - 11:30 am start. Register 8-10:45 am please at the Overlook Picnic area. Our backyard ultra runners run this stairway every hour during their day loops. They'll be in their 27th hour of running by the time they pass by you before your start. Feel free to call them sissies, cause you'll be doing the Ode to Laz Loop's famous Stairway to Heaven 12 times in a row for your 5k, without the hour rest in between!!! You'll do a total of about 1100 feet of vertical. Get your stair legs ready!!! A course map? HA! We're not silly enough to do this 12 times just to make a map. Feel free to look at the Stairway to Heaven 5k map, it has the stairs at the end.
Pick your distance
Running
Stairway to Heaven 5k
Bring your trail shoes if it's muddy. You will park, register, and run from the Overlook Picnic Shelter area inside of Holly Recreation Area. Navigate to 5000 McGinnis Rd. Holly MI to enter the park. (daily park pass or recreation passport required - not included as part of race entry fee)
Stairway to Hell 5k
Bring your trail shoes if it's muddy. You will park, register, and run from the Overlook Picnic Shelter area inside of Holly Recreation Area. Navigate to 5000 McGinnis Rd. Holly MI to enter the park. (daily park pass or recreation passport required - not included as part of race entry fee)
Typical race-day weather
Based on 3 years of Open-Meteo archive data for this event's race dates in Holly, plus the 3 days either side.
The sun rises at 6:12 AM and sets at 9:09 PM local time (EDT) in Holly on July 18, 2027 — 14h 56m 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.
Reviews
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Results — Stairway 5k by Ode to Laz
Other races near Holly
Different organizers, within 40 miles, in the next three months
Hope In Motion 5K
2026 Gobbler Gallop 5K Run/Walk & 10K Run
Run Like The Dickens
Run for Her Future 5K
🏃 Plan Your Next Race in Holly
Find upcoming events by distance:
- Holly 5K Races 8 races
- 10K Run Events in Holly 2 races
- Holly Running Calendar 2026 8 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 Holly events
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