5Ks put Moore County on the starting line

Tunnel to Towers 5K and Motlow’s Bucks Fall 5K give runners, walkers, and families two race days in September

1:35 p.m. July 9, 2026

September 5Ks put Moore County on the starting line

DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor

Two September Saturdays will put Moore County on the starting line, with one 5K honoring first responders and military families and another strengthening a growing Motlow tradition.

The Lynchburg Tunnel to Towers 5K Run and Walk is set for 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, on the Lynchburg Square. Two weeks later, Motlow State will host the third annual Bucks Fall 5K at 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, on the Moore County campus.

Both events are open to runners and walkers, giving competitive racers, casual participants, families and first-time 5K entrants a chance to take part without leaving the county.

A race rooted in remembrance

The Tunnel to Towers race carries a mission that reaches beyond the finish line.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation was created in honor of New York firefighter Stephen Siller, who died on Sept. 11, 2001. The foundation supports fallen and catastrophically injured first responders, military heroes and their families.

For Steven Barbaro, curator of the Barrelhouse 107 page on Facebook, the Lynchburg race began as something personal.

“In 2023, I signed up for the Tunnel to Towers Lynchburg 5K as a personal physical challenge,” Barbaro said.

It has since become a family tradition. Barbaro said he and his sons have taken part each year since 2023. This year, that family effort will grow, with his wife and his daughter, a U.S. Army private first class, joining them on the course.

The fundraising has grown, too.

Team Barrelhouse107 raised $1,175 in 2024 and $833 in 2025. This year, the team has set a goal of raising more than $1,500.

“This year’s effort has already received an incredible boost thanks to the Stubblefield family and Lynchburg Gifts & More,” Barbaro said.

Aidan Stubblefield is helping raise money for the team while completing his Tennessee Promise community service commitment. Barbaro said Stubblefield is selling wooden Tunnel to Towers tags at Lynchburg Gifts & More, with a goal of selling 100 tags at $10 each and donating all proceeds to Team Barrelhouse107.

“We estimate they’ve already sold around 45 tags, and thanks to additional donations from generous customers, Aidan is likely already halfway to reaching his fundraising goal,” Barbaro said.

That local effort gives the Lynchburg race a community heartbeat. For some, the event is a race. For others, it is a walk with purpose. For families like Barbaro’s, it has become a way to honor service, support a national mission and bring the community into the effort one tag, one donation and one step at a time.

Registration is open through RunSignup, where the current listed price is $35 for adults, $30 for first responders and military, $20 for ages 13 to 17, and $10 for children 12 and under. Prices are scheduled to increase Aug. 12. The event page also includes options to donate, volunteer or register as part of a team.

Motlow builds a fall tradition

Motlow’s Bucks Fall 5K will bring the race calendar back to campus Sept. 26.

The event began Sept. 21, 2024, when Lynchburg native and Motlow Athletic Director Ross Fanning spearheaded Motlow State’s first 5K as a way to engage with surrounding communities.

Fanning is a Motlow alumnus and Tennessee Tech graduate who has spent his career around collegiate and high school athletics. Before arriving at Motlow, he worked at Upperman High School in Baxter, where he helped create new sports programs and was involved with championship-level teams.

That background gives the Bucks Fall 5K a clear purpose. It is not just a race on campus. It is part of a broader effort to use athletics as a bridge between Motlow and the communities it serves.

Bucks on the course

The third annual Bucks Fall 5K will begin at 8 a.m. on the Motlow Moore County campus. Registration is $40, and early registrants will receive a commemorative T-shirt.

Packet pickup is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 25, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Nesbitt Center Gymnasium.

The race gives students, alumni, faculty, staff and local residents a chance to gather on campus around Bucks athletics. It also gives Moore County another fall fitness event close to home, whether participants are chasing a time, walking with friends or using the race as motivation to start moving.

Together, the two September races give Moore County more than a pair of finish lines. One is rooted in remembrance. The other is built around campus spirit. Both offer a simple invitation: sign up, show up and be part of something bigger than the miles.