Glory Days 5K Community Run at The Portage Invitational

The Glory Days 5K is a community cross-country run in Portage, Michigan, held as part of the Portage Invitational. It is an annual 5K at the Portage Invite venue on Moorsbridge Road, with the community race opening the larger meet weekend before the student-athlete competitions begin. The aim is straightforward: adults, spectators, coaches, former runners, newer runners, and others from the community get an opportunity to run an actual cross-country course rather than watching from the sidelines. The course is the same ground used by thousands of middle school and high school runners at one of Michigan's largest cross-country meets. More than 6,000 regional runners participate in the Portage Invite, and the event's history includes Olympians, NCAA champions, and some of the fastest young runners in the country. The Glory Days 5K connects with that history by allowing everyday runners to share the same course, with medals for the top 50 finishers and scholarships awarded to student-athletes as part of the wider invitational.