Warhorse Gallop 5K & Pony Trot back for another run

Fundraiser supporting Owen cross country team and Black Mountain Home for Children returns for second year

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
May 29, 2025

The Warhorse Gallop 5K & Pony Trot, a fundraiser supporting the Owen cross country teams and the Black Mountain Home for Children, will return, May 31, for its second year. Courtesy photo

A fundraiser supported by more than 100 runners and 40 volunteers in its 2024 debut will return at 9 a.m., Saturday, May 31, when local students host the second Warhorse Gallop & Pony Trot.

The event, founded and organized by students representing the Owen class of 2026, benefits the high school’s cross country team and neighboring Black Mountain Home for Children.

The race will begin on the track in Warhorse Stadium, following a course designed by members of the Warhorses and Warlassies cross country programs, according to junior Jordan Robertson.

“It’s set in the same area we have run countless long runs in training,” she said. “The Warhorse Gallop 5K begins in the stadium and winds around the campus, as well as into the campus of the Black Mountain Home.”

The route will differ slightly from last year’s, due to damage from Tropical Storm Helene.

“This portion of the course is still a stark reminder of the devastation BMH experienced in the storm,” she added.

Volunteers from Owen High School organized the first Warhorse Gallop 5K & Pony Trot in 2024. The event supporting the school’s cross country team and the neighboring Black Mountain Home for Children, returns to Warhorse Stadium, May 31. Courtesy photo

Registration for the Warhorse Gallop 5K, which begins at 9 a.m., is $25 per person, while the first 100 participants receive a commemorative t-shirt. The Pony Trot, a 1K track race for children ages 10 and under beginning at 10 a.m., is $10 per runner. Participants can register at warhorsegallop5K.com. Prizes will be awarded for the fastest times.

“This year, the funds will again support BMH, whose campus was significantly damaged by a landslide in Helene,” Robertson said. “Additionally, the funds from this event will support the OHS cross country team, as we navigate finding new running locations to replace our previous practice areas of Veterans Park and Owen Park.”

While the event will help support long distance runners and a local nonprofit organization that has operated in the Swannanoa Valley for over 100 years, it is also an opportunity to bring people together in the aftermath of a disaster.

“I’ve seen time and time again how this community has remained united and resilient throughout this past year,” Robertson said. “We hope this event can serve as a reminder of just how far we have come as a community.”