The 9th annual Arctic 5K hosted by Campus Recreation challenges participants

The 9th Annual Arctic 5K was held Saturday, Feb. 1, at the Hydaway Outdoor Recreation Center, beginning at 9 a.m.

“It’s a really great event for Liberty students who want to do something that kind of feels like you’re involved with the community,” Director of Outdoor Recreation Michael Ellsworth said. “There’s a really great trail-running community in our area, specifically because of the trail system on
Liberty Mountain.”

The Arctic 5K is part of a 5-race trail series organized by Liberty’s Outdoor Recreation Center. The other races are the Deep Hollow Half Marathon and 5K, the Valley View Mike Donahue 5-miler, the Reindeer Run 2-miler, and the King of the Mountain. 

The race cuts through the heart of the Liberty Mountain Trail system with a variety of steep uphill and rocky downhill segments, making it an exciting challenge for runners to navigate.

“It’s a pretty challenging course,” runner and Outdoor Recreation faculty member Luke Owen said. “However, the environment and (the) mood surrounding the race is always very exciting. There is an immense satisfaction in getting out there on a cold February morning and challenging yourself alongside other people.”

The Arctic 5K welcomed anyone in the surrounding community to join in. Each ticket purchase included a 2020 Arctic 5K T-shirt, along with food, coffee, water and Gatorade throughout the race. 

A 5K is 3.1 miles — which sounds intimidating to inexperienced trail runners — but Ellsworth encourages students and non-students alike to participate, and said walkers are always welcome to join.

“Our trail system is beautiful and, if anything, it just gives you an excuse to get out there and experience the trail system,” Ellsworth said. “It’s kind of at a time of year where you don’t think about running, because of the cold temperatures, but it can be a really beautiful time of year.” 

Awards were given to the top three competitors, male and female, and the top three in each individual age group. In addition, there were gift card giveaways, and Liberty departments and partners were present to advertise to runners. Emily Bonus finished first in the female overall category and Stephen Gabris captured the male overall prize, finishing with a chip time of 23:09.56. 

“It’s a pretty challenging 5K,” Ellsworth said. “It’s very fun, but it is pretty difficult.”

This year, Outdoor Recreation faculty expected record-breaking attendance, with over two-hundred registered runners. Ellsworth estimated that half of the participants were from the community, while the other half were Liberty students and faculty members. 

Attendance for these races has increased over the years as word of mouth has spread and technology has improved. Electronic chip timing is now utilized, providing instant and accurate results to runners as they cross the finish line.

“We get a lot of support from the community,” Ellsworth said. “It’s a lot of fun to run alongside people who maybe have been running for years, and they’ve grown up in the area and consistently come back to our races time and time again.”

People interested in participating in Liberty’s future runs can find more information and register for the race through their main web page. The next trail run is the King of the Mountain 1-mile climb March 7.

Tarr is a news reporter. Follow her on Twitter.