On August 15, runners will stream out of Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park and thread through Highlands’ in-town neighborhoods in the annual Rotary Twilight 5K.
It’s a race that has settled into something more than a competition. It’s a community ritual with a starting gun.
Race Director Bill Grubb expects more than 250 registrants this year, a number that only hints at the reach of the event. Participants typically arrive from a dozen or more states, spanning ages from stroller-bound toddlers to seasoned masters runners. It’s not unusual to see families moving together at the back of the pack while experienced runners set a faster tempo up front, the entire field stretched across the same neighborhood streets.
The course hasn’t changed, and that’s intentional. Winding through in-town roads past Harris Lake and other familiar landmarks, it’s relatively flat by Highlands standards – approachable without being effortless.
“We don’t intend to change that,” Grubb says. The consistency is part of the appeal: runners return knowing the rhythm of the route, where to settle in and where to push, while newcomers find a course that feels manageable from the start.
Since its start in 2013 as a modest fundraiser with an $8,500 goal, the race has grown steadily in both participation and purpose. Last year, 294 runners registered and the event raised more than $35,000 for the Highlands Community Child Development Center. This year, more than 40 local businesses and individual patrons are sponsoring the race.
Proceeds for 2026 will benefit the Gordon Center for Children, a program of Highlands United Methodist Church focused on child development. The race has always directed its earnings locally and specifically – supporting equipment for the Civic Center in its early years, then expanding into school technology, youth mental health initiatives, and now child development programs.
The race begins at 6:00 P.M. By early evening, the intensity of an August day has eased, and runners can settle into a pace that feels sustainable. Spectators gather along portions of the route, and by the time the first finishers return to the park, a crowd has already formed.
There’s also complimentary beer for finishers of legal age, light-up necklaces for kids, and awards for top male and female runners overall, along with age-group winners in five-year increments. Then the evening shifts. The park fills for an all-ages concert by local favorite ABC Combo, turning the finish line into a place people linger rather than leave.
Registration is open through RunSignUp at runsignup.com/Race/NC/Highlands/HighlandsTwilight5K.
The Twilight 5K works because it’s consistent, accessible, and grounded in the community that supports it.
You can run it hard, walk it, or push a stroller the entire way. Either way, you’re part of it.
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