Union Mills Wilderness 5K & 10K (Formerly Box Creek Event)

The Gold Rush 5K is presented by Glenwood Ruritan Club in conjunction with NC Gold Foundation Gold Festival.

GOLD There will be a drawing for a genuine GOLD nugget worth $200! All registered runners will be entered to win!!!!!!

T-shirts will be given to the 1st 25 registered runners, so register early! Additional t-shirts will be available for purchase on race day.

There will be a FREE kids Fun Run starting at 9am. Race Day registration WILL be available for $25.

Brought to you by the Spindale Burrito League!

How many times can you run a 0.34 mile segment? How about if the time to complete gets shorter and shorter by the hour?

This race will be a modified version of a last man standing style race.

For the first hour, you will run the segment every 6 minutes. That time will reduce by 1 minute each hour. After the 4th hour the segment time will cap at 3:00 minutes. The race will end when there is only 1 person left.

Every two hours we will pause for 10 minutes for a bathroom break.

The 2026 Meet Me at the Fountain 5K is July 26, 2026

Proceeds from the 12th running of the 5K will benefit Local Rutherford County Needs.

Schedule:

Friday - July 24th

4:00 - 6:00pm: Packet Pick Up and On-site Registration at Smith's Drugs of Forest City

Saturday - July 25th

7:00 - 8:00am: Packet Pick Up and Late On-site Registration

8:00am: 5K START

9:00am: Fun Run START

Registration:

5K Run/Walk

$25 EARLY BIRD: 2/1/2026 - 2/8/2026

*CUTOFF TO BE GUARANTEED A T-SHIRT IS 7/6/2026*

$30 Regular Registration: 2/9/2026 - 7/19/2026

$35 Late Registration: 7/20/2026 - Race Day

$15 Kids 12 & Under *(CUTOFF TO BE GUARANTEED A T-SHIRT IS 7/6/2026)*

Fun Run (ages 8 and under): FREE [While FREE we do ask that you register in advance] Shirts are available for $15.

Awards & Age Groups:

5K: Top 3 Male/Female Overall. Top Male/Female Masters

5K: Top 3 finishers in each Age Group < 8, 9-11, 12-14, 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80+

Course Map:

Click HERE for a map of the 5K course

It's Back!

The Slam the Dam 10K is back! As most of you know, Chimney Rock and Lake Lure were devastated by Hurricane Helene in 2024.

While the area is slowly recovering, the Lake Lure Olympiad Committee is pleased to be able to bring back both the Slam the Dam 10K as well as the Race to the Rock 5K, as part of their "Race for Recovery" weekend. Unfortunately, the Lake Lure Triathlon will have to wait another year as the lake is still not up to proper standards for safe swimming.

NOTE: This is a difficult course with lots of elevation changes.

Gather your friends to run/walk the R-S Central High School Cross Country course. This two-lap course features mostly packed dirt or grass trails and has some paved sections. Runners start the race on the north end zone of the football field and head into the woods where they will wind their way through a canopy of foliage and fields until they return to the stadium for a finish on a beautiful track. This is a great 5k for runners, joggers, and walkers alike. Spectators will also love it because they will get to see and cheer you on multiple times throughout the race.