The 37th annual Chile Pepper Festival is scheduled to take place on October 3-4, 2025, at Agri Park. Arkansas teams are set to compete on Saturday morning, with the men’s race beginning at 10:25 a.m. and the women’s race following at 11:00 a.m.
The Chile Pepper Festival operates as a non-profit organization with the mission of supporting local high school and junior high cross country teams in Northwest Arkansas. According to organizers, “The event was started in 1988 by Joe Fennel, the former owner of Bordino’s and Jose’s Mexican Restaurant (the genesis of the Chile Pepper themes). The event has given back over $1,000,000 to schools within the four counties of Northwest Arkansas (Benton, Washington, Carroll and Madison) over its 36 year history. This year, the organization is giving more than $75,000 back to schools within our region.” Over its history, it has grown into one of the largest cross country running events nationally and expects more than 5,000 runners from across the country this year.
Spectators attending the festival can park at the Washington County Fairgrounds. A free shuttle service will be provided for transportation to and from the festival grounds. Additional details about parking arrangements can be found on the official website: https://www.chilepepperfestival.org/race-day-parking/spectator-parking-information/
The schedule begins Friday with course access for pre-meet practice starting at 11:00 a.m., followed by a one-mile community race at 6:00 p.m. Saturday’s events start early with packet pickup at 6:30 a.m., then community races and multiple heats for senior high girls’ and boys’ varsity races throughout the morning.
Collegiate races are set later in the morning and early afternoon. The College Men’s “McDonnell Memorial” 8K starts at 10:25 a.m., followed by College Women’s “Harter’s Habanero” 5K at 11:00 a.m., along with additional collegiate events through midday.
Complete results will be posted online after competition concludes (https://flashresults.com/2026_Meets/xc/ChilePepper/index.htm), and live streaming is available via subscription (https://chilepepperfestival.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?do=news&event_id=476&news_id=673008).
