Valley View Mike Donahue Memorial 5 Miler

Valley View Mike Donahue Memorial 5 Miler is held in Lynchburg, Virginia, on November 7, 2026, starting at 9:00 a.m. It is a single-format trail race over five miles, run in memory of Mike Donahue.

Five miles off-road sits in a useful spot: harder than a 5K, but nothing like the commitment of a half marathon. Most runners with a regular weekly habit can cover it without a dedicated training block, and if you want to race it, take a pace you could hold for a 10K on the road and adjust down for the terrain. Trail shoes help, and so does looking a few strides ahead rather than down at your feet. A 9 a.m. Saturday start leaves the rest of the weekend open.