Seaboard Festival 5K

Seaboard Festival 5K is held in Hamlet, North Carolina, on October 31, 2026, as part of the Seaboard Festival, which marks the town's railroad heritage. The race is a single 5K, 3.1 miles, off at 8:00 a.m. on a rolling residential course. The first 350 finishers receive a custom medal on a railroad and Halloween theme, and awards go to the top three men and women overall, to the Masters and Grandmasters winners, and to age-group champions in ten-year brackets.

Hills change how a 5K should be run. Rather than holding an even pace, keep your effort steady: ease off slightly on the climbs and let the descents come back to you instead of forcing them. A few weeks of hill repeats, 45 to 90 seconds up with a jog back down, make that feel natural. The deep award structure also means a placing is within reach for more than just the front of the field.