My Popcorn 5 Miler race recap from September 12, 2026 in Valparaiso, Indiana. A 51:19 finish — a nearly 3 minute PR from last year — on a course that was almost entirely uphill for the first 3 miles, with my calves and Achilles on fire the whole way. Part of the annual Valparaiso Popcorn Festival honoring Orville Redenbacher.
An almost entirely uphill first 3 miles, calves and Achilles on fire the whole way, and a PR I genuinely wasn’t sure I’d get on this course.
Race morning in Valparaiso. 🍿
My goal going into the Popcorn 5 Miler was simple: beat last year’s time of 54:00. I finished in 51:19 — a nearly 3 minute PR on a course that was pretty much entirely uphill for the first 3 miles. My calves and Achilles were on fire almost the whole way, and I wanted to stop more times than I can count. I didn’t. It’s been a while since I raced, and it felt so good to be back in that environment.
An early alarm and a hometown race
I was up at 5 AM to get ready, which is genuinely early for me. Race morning started out cool, which felt like a small gift after a summer of brutal heat waves, but it heated up fast once the sun was fully up. This race is local for me — the Popcorn 5 Miler kicks off the Valparaiso Popcorn Festival, an annual event that’s been happening since 1979 to honor Orville Redenbacher, who developed his popcorn business right here in Valparaiso. The run opens the day, and it rolls right into a parade and a huge vendor festival afterward. The whole city takes this one seriously.
The Popcorn Festival always draws a big crowd. 🎉
The course did not go easy on me
I knew this course had some elevation going in, but I don’t think I fully appreciated it until I was actually on it. The first 3 miles were almost entirely uphill — climb after climb with barely a break in between. There wasn’t much room to settle into a rhythm early on, which made the whole first half feel like a grind from the start.
What actually surprised me, looking at my splits after the race, was that my last two miles came in under a 10-minute pace. I did not feel like I had that in me with how much the hills had taken out of my legs early on, but apparently once the course leveled out, something clicked.
“I wanted to stop so badly, so many times. I didn’t. And somehow I still PR’d.”
The finish
Crossing that finish line after a course like this felt earned in a completely different way than a flatter race would have. 51:19 — nearly 3 minutes faster than last year, on a course that fought me the entire way. I’ll take it.
Closing it out. 🏃♀️
Official Race Results
All done, medal earned. 🎖️
After the race — the best part of a hometown festival
After crossing the finish line, we got to enjoy the best part of racing a hometown festival: snacks. They always have a huge selection, and after a course like that one, I was more than ready for it. The rest of the day unfolds into the parade and the vendor fest, and the whole downtown area gets decked out for it — even the storefront windows get in on it.
The whole city gets in on it — even the windows. 🎨
It had been a while since I’d raced, and getting back into that environment — the crowd, the energy, the nerves before the gun goes off — reminded me how much I genuinely love it. Racing hurts in a completely different way than a training run does, but it’s a good kind of hurt.
What is next
This race came right in the middle of Indianapolis Monumental Marathon training, and after a big week like this one, a deload is very much on the way. But a PR like this on a course that fought back the whole time is exactly the kind of confidence boost this training block needed. 🩷
