Photo courtesy of Jeremy Jungling.
The finishers of the Death by 5K will receive a wooden coffin with a skeleton figurine to commemorate their accomplishment.
If you’ve ever had a running “death wish” — or running in the dark woods in the middle of the night in November on no sleep appeals to you — the Death by 5K race at Oak Mountain will be for you.
The race is a 24-hour challenge where participants run a series of 10 races, with each 5K spaced 2.5 hours apart.
This will be the third year the event has been held at Oak Mountain, with roughly 200 individuals already signed up for the Nov. 23 event. The race had 130 runners last year.
Event organizer Jeremy Jungling, who is also the head coach of RunStrongLLC in Brandon, Miss., said the race is unique for a number of reasons.
“It is challenging in a way that appeals to a wide variety of fitness levels,” Jungling said.
The first 5K begins at 8 a.m. and the last race is at 6:30 a.m. the next morning.
“Ultimately, it is an ultramarathon, but the way it is set up allows people who don’t normally run ultramarathons to participate. We often get people who run often but not ultramarathon lengths, along with Crossfitters, body builders, cyclists, hikers, and more,” Jungling said. “The structure of running a 5K followed by a break allows people to take on a distance that is normally out of reach and makes it possible. More experienced runners will often try to run each 5K at a pace that is challenging for them.”
This challenge is designed to test participants mentally and physically with fatigue, sleep deprivation and running in the dark.
Headlamps, headlights or some other form of illumination for participants is required.
Jungling said there were roughly 100 participants in the first year of Death by 5K, and the event has continued to grow each year.
He said Oak Mountain is the perfect place for the event because there is something available for everyone.
“For our event, the space reserved for our use is absolutely perfect,” Jungling said. “We have a green space for tent camping, a ton of parking, pavilions with power and water and a fireplace, and plenty of bathrooms, including showers. The trail we use for our race is challenging but manageable, and gives runners the feeling of being deep in the woods while staying close. We always stay a few extra days after the race to enjoy the beautiful park.”
For those interested, in between each 5K, participants will have the option to sleep in their vehicles in the parking lot or to set up a tent in the grass camping field across the road from the parking lot.
There will be five meals offered over the course of the event at various times throughout the races.
All participants will receive an event shirt, and finishers of the race will receive a custom-made miniature coffin.
For more information, visit deathby5k.com.
