BUTS Bearly Ultra

Experience the Highlands College Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K on Saturday, April 11, 2026, at Black Creek Park in Fultondale, AL.

Located just outside of Birmingham, AL, the Five Mile Creek Greenway is one of Alabama’s historic Rails to Trails courses with stunning natural beauty and shaded and wooded trails. Whether you’re pursuing a personal record or taking your first courageous step to run long-distance, the Highlands College Half Marathon offers an inclusive, community race weekend for runners from every walk of life and experience level.

Race starts at Peavine Parking Area.

The race opens on a fast, forgiving service roa.d before dropping sharply downhill and rolling into a short, gentle climb just beyond the bridge. From there, the course turns straight up pinestraw-covered singletrack, cresting the ridge and diving back down into a flowing descent that winds its way toward the Peavine Gorge Overlook.

You’ll then tackle a technical, rocky downhill to the creek, followed by narrow, technical singletrack as you move downstream along the water. After crossing the creek, hands-on rock steps force you upward as you head back upstream. This section is technical, and downright gnarly.

As you grind deeper up the gorge, Peavine Falls comes into view, marking the heart of the course. From there, you’ll cross the creek again and climb hard once more, scrambling up to the cliffside trail. A final bridge crossing leads into gentler singletrack, but don’t relax just yet—an extended climb awaits.

Once you top out on West Ridge, the trail finally opens up into runnable terrain, setting you up for a fast, rewarding finish back toward the parking lot.

Come get your Peavine shirt, and badge to prove you did one of the gnarliest 5ks in the Southeast!

• Finisher Awards

• Top 3 Male/Female Awards

• Post-race hangs, food, and beer

*There is one vault restroom at the start/finish area. There are several restrooms in the South Trailhead area at the bottom. If we have enough signups, we will provide some portables at the start/finish.

AllTrails

Strava

GPX

Race starts at Peavine Parking Area.

The Kitty Kat Haven & Rescue 5K Meow-A-Thon is a 5k race and the Whisker Walk is a 1 mile fun run/walk benefiting Kitty Kat Haven & Rescue, a no-kill, cage-free shelter for cats and kittens.

The race will be held Saturday, May 2, 2026 at Veterans Park, 4800 Valleydale Road, Hoover, AL. Veterans Park offers a varied terrain for running, including fields, trails and pavement.

The race will be held rain or shine. In the event of severe weather we will operate on a delay. Check-in begins at 7:00 am. The 5K Meow-A-Thon will start at 8:00 am. The 1 mile Whisker walk/run will start at 9:30. This will allow time for 5k awards and to allow 5k runners to participate with family in the whisker walk!

Register online through midnight May 1, 2026.

The entry fee for the 5k Meow-a-Thon is $25, or $15 for children 10 and under.

The entry fee for the 1 mile Whisker walk/run is $15, or $5 for children 10 and under.

Packet pickup will be available Friday May 1st at Kitty Kat Haven & Rescue, 3432 Old Columbiana Rd Birmingham, AL 35226 between 12:30pm and 6pm. You may also register in person at Kitty Kat Haven & Rescue Friday May 1st between 12:30pm and 6pm.

Packet pickup and day of registration will be available Saturday morning May 2nd at Veterans Park starting at 7am.

Meow-A-Thon entry fee the day of the race is $30, or $20 for children 10 and under.

Whisker Walk entry fee the day of the race is $20, or $10 for children 10 and under.

If you don't want to run but want the T-shirt? Or have opted for the 1Mile Whisker Walk (which does not include a race shirt). You can order a shirt from the Race Store - Just click on the "More" menu item and select "Store'. Shirts must be picked up at the Haven or the day of the race. There will be no shipping option. We will do our best to guarantee sizes but due to the order deadline for the T-shirt, signups after April 15th cannot be guaranteed their selected size.

Prizes will be awarded for overall male and female 5k finishers (1st thru 3rd) as well as age group awards for male and female 1st thru 3rd finishers!

We have made it our mission to save abandoned, stray, and injured animals, provide them with the care they need in a safe and loving environment, and adopt them into forever homes. To find out more about Kitty Kat Haven & Rescue visit our website at http://www.kittykathavenrescue.org or join us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/kittykathavenrescue .

The award-winning trails of Oak Mountain State Park are set to host one of the biggest events on the 2026 calendar. This three-day festival will feature a stop of the XTERRA World Cup, the 2026 North American Championship, and the Youth North American Championship for athletes aged 14–19. This year, the event is also honored to host the 2026 Youth & Junior Cross National Championship. Expect food, music, and the vibrant energy of the XTERRA community at a race location that is second to none.