2026 Fireball Classic 5k & Kids Mile – Jessica Mead

The Fireball Classic will always hold a special place in my running heart because it was the first 5k I had ever participated in. After running it for many years, it is a truly special feeling to now be on the other side of the start line. It’s fun getting to see some of the same faces I saw when I first started, but it is even better seeing new faces that are just 3.10 miles from falling in love with a new hobby.

This year brought some changes, a few challenges, and…tattoos? With the pending demolition of the G10 garage, we flipped the course back to the other end of Neyland Drive for an even flatter route. And with the help of Ethan Coffey, the course was measured and certified just in time for any race records! While our start location has flip flopped over the last 3 years, the one thing that will always remain a constant will be the heat. This year brought a heatwave that led us to be overly cautious in preparation for race day, but thankfully after everything was ready to go, Mother Nature swooped in and brought us some much needed cloud coverage.

As the night went on, we were fortunate enough to benefit from the storms happening all around us without a single delay or rain drop. Yes, it was still hot, but not nearly as spicy as it could have been!

Our presenting sponsor this year was The Casual Pint, and having their mobile pint truck on race night was a real treat! They also hosted us for an early packet pickup, volunteered on race night, and they even tattooed the race logo on their bodies! Okay that last part was technically a temporary tattoo, but my point is that their contribution went far beyond a cold pint. The Pace House by The Long Run was another sponsor that helped us in more ways than one. They hosted us for night two of early packet pickup, supplied all of the awards, and as I mentioned earlier, took the time to certify and measure our new course.

The volunteers that came out to help on race night knew they were going to be standing in the extreme heat, and they not only signed up anyways, they arrived early with a smile! They placed tattoos and glitter, got everyone registered and ready to go, made sure you knew where to go on the course, and had a cold towel and water waiting on you at the finish. Volunteers are our backbone, and we could never thank them enough for what they do! We also were extremely lucky to have the BOUND Running pacers leading the way to help anyone out there looking to grab a specific finish time, Sterl the Pearl keeping the start/finish line hype at all times, KUB with their mobile water truck with endless cold water, Leah Hart Photography taking amazing photos, Raising Canes on the course at the water stop, and Irvey’s Ice Cream at the post race party.

Years ago when I ran my first Fireball Classic, I had no clue what went on behind the scenes of a race. Flash forward to today, I can tell you that it takes a village to get everyone across that finish line…I can also tell you that my village is truly the best!