The Blue Ridge Conservancy 5K: 25 Years of Running, Fundraising, and Community Building

Calvin Zwetsloot, Watauga Junior, crosses the finish line in 4th place overall. Zwetsloot was one of many Watauga High School runners who participated in the race. 

Photo Creds: Charlie Stumb

Isaac James, Staff Writer for The Powderhorn

The 25th annual Blue Ridge Conservancy 5K took place on Saturday morning, September 20. In the cool Blowing Rock weather, runners of all ages gathered in the Mayview Neighborhood to take on the hilly terrain and see what they were capable of running. The annual event helps raise money for The Blue Ridge Conservancy, an organization that works with local communities to help protect the natural beauty of the Blue Ridge mountains. 

“The Blue Ridge Conservancy is a land trust, and we protect land that has agricultural, cultural, recreational, ecological, and scenic value in Northwest North Carolina,” said Leila Jackson, Director of Communications for the organization. “[The race] is a fundraiser, and it’s also for community awareness building of our work.” 

This year was the biggest in the race’s history, attracting record numbers of people from ages 6 to 81 and from as far as Washington, DC. 

“We had 370 some odd runners. Then you have all the other people who come just to watch or volunteer, so it’s well over 400 people," said David Ray, executive director of the Blue Ridge Conservancy. 

Included among the 400 people present on the day were the Watauga Cross Country team, who helped pass out water, cheer on and direct runners on the course, and run with kids in the Children's 1 Mile Fun Run. 

“Coach Mac [Randall McDonough], has always had a desire to make sure that our team is engaged in serving the community,” said assistant Cross Country Coach Scott Townsend. “What we’re doing here today is we’re serving in a variety of different ways, from awards distribution and water stations help to course direction, clean up, and everything in between.” 

Many members of the team also participated in the race themselves. Watauga runners James Bostrom, Calvin Zwetsloot, and Parker Williams, respectively, took the top 3 places in the Male 14-19 age group division. Those who ran described the experience as a difficult, but enjoyable race, citing the scenery of the course and the positive environment as being especially noteworthy. 

“I would definitely recommend this race to other people,” said David Ballenger-Peters, Watauga freshman and Cross Country team member. “It's a fun whole-family experience, and you can walk it or run it. I think it’s an amazing course and I’m definitely planning on coming back next year.” 

The course for the race is notable for its difficulty, with what is essentially an all-uphill first half. Those who get through this grueling first half are rewarded by a beautiful, and downhill, second half marked by Blowing Rock’s most iconic scenery. 

“It’s one of the more unique courses in road running in the United States,” said Pete Rea of Zap Endurance. “It’s really only one hill. It just happens to be the first half of the course. It's got to be one of the prettiest courses I’ve ever run.” 

With this year’s event marking 25 years of the Blue Ridge Conservancy 5K, the race has become a mainstay in the Watauga community, and it shows no signs of stopping. 

“We’ve been doing it for quite a while,” said Ray. “This community is what we're about, and this race seems to be really important to the community, so we have every intention of continuing it.”