Oxford to host two 5K races in July

Lace up your running shoes Oxford. Two 5K races are coming to town in July. One supports the Talawanda High School track team and the other is the first of its kind on the Oxford Area Trail System.

Brave 5K

Runners old and young can support the Talawanda track team's "Brave 5K" on July 6 at Oxford Community Park.

For those older than nine, the 3.1 mile race starts at 8 a.m., with the Kids' Fun Run starting an hour later at 9 a.m.

Amelia Oberschlake, the head High School and Middle School Cross Country Coach, said in an email to the Oxford Free Press that the 5K was started as a fundraiser for the Cross Country team to purchase uniforms and other supplies.

The course used to be in October with a Halloween theme, but COVID halted the race. It was brought back last year with a focus on the Fourth of July and other minor shifts.

The kids' "Fun Run" is a 1K race for runners ages nine and under with the hope that shorter races will interest kids into running further and eventually join the cross country and track teams, according to Oberschlake.

The race costs $35 for the 5K and $20 for the kids' Fun Run with medals at the end for the top three male and females from the six different age groups.

Ashley Sammons, a Talawanda High School English teacher, is running the 5K with her 12-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son, while her 5-year-old runs in the Kids' Fun Run.

"I'm excited [because] I think it's a good push for my two kids, like I said, they don't often get out there and run a full 5K so I like the challenge for them, and I like that we can do it together," Sammons said. "I also like to support the community and the school. I think cross country is a great sport, so I'm excited to support them as well."

Sammons also expressed her excitement to see some of her students and to support a team that doesn't get a lot of help financially.

Ox Trot

Be the first to experience the Oxford Ox Trot at 8 a.m. on July 13. The inaugural race allows a runner to choose from a 5K, 10K and 15K on the Oxford Area Trail System.

The race is organized by Big Three Racing, a company founded by runners Trudy Shellenbarger, Sam Adams and David Creedon. According to the organization's Instagram, the trio has ran so many races they decided to create their own.

The Oxford Free Press has reached out to the organizers.

The race starts across the road from Leonard G. Howell Park, where runners will then weave through Oxford's trails and Miami's campus in an attempt to get back first.

The 5K costs $25, 10K is $30, and the 15K is $35. The prize purse for each race will be announced one week before the race, with the final total depending on the amount of people signed up.

After crossing the start/finish line, runners return to food trucks, music and local brews, with the top 10 finishers in each race receiving a custom Oxford Ox Trot beer stein, according to the website.