Clayton's Hardest & Funnest 5k

Clayton's Hardest & Funnest 5k is run in Clayton, Georgia, on March 20, 2027. The main event is a 5K (3.1 miles) run/walk starting at 9:00 a.m., and a Kids Run over 1 mile follows at 10:00 a.m. The name sets expectations plainly enough: this is billed as a demanding 5K rather than a flat-and-fast one.

If you are used to level 5K courses, treat this one as an effort-based race instead of a pace-based one. Run by feel on the climbs, let the descents come to you, and accept that your finishing time will say more about the course than about your fitness. Four to six weeks of steady easy running with one weekly hill session, short repeats at hard effort with a jog back down, is preparation enough. The 1-mile kids' race an hour later makes this a workable family morning: run your own event first, then jog alongside a younger runner.