Thousands to gather in downtown Columbus for annual 5th Line 5K event

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Over 4,000 participants will flock to downtown Columbus on the morning of February 9th for the 10th annual 5th Line 5K where runners will cross the finish line on center ice in Nationwide Arena.

NBC4 is a proud sponsor of the event and the race is a huge hit with runners who are also Columbus Blue Jackets fans, like Annie Kowaleski.

“This is one that’s kind of a no-brainer every year when it comes around,” said Kowaleski. “We don’t even ask, ‘Are you signing up for the CBJ 5K?’ We just, we know we’re all going to sign up and we know we’re going to come to it. We love this one. It’s one of our favorites.”

Kowaleski has been crossing the finish line on center ice for 10 years now and she has even roped her running group into participating each year.

“We’re all at different paces so we wait for each other at the finish line and meet up, hang out on the ice for a little bit, take a lot of photos and it’s just really fun,” said Kowaleski.

On top of being an avid runner, Kowaleski said she’s been a CBJ fan for around fifteen years. The 5th Line 5K combines two of her favorite things because all participants get two free tickets to a 2025 Blue Jackets game of their choosing.

“It’s a different atmosphere than a lot of the other races because there’s the excitement of being in the arena, the excitement of knowing you’re part of the Blue Jackets community when you’re doing this race,” said Kowaleski.

The 5K starts at Nationwide Arena and the course takes racers through downtown Columbus before circling back to Nationwide. That’s where Kowaleski said the real fun begins.

“You get back to the arena and you go down this little road and down this tunnel. You don’t really know where you’re going at first and then you realize you’re going down the tunnel where the Zamboni is. Then all of a sudden, you see the big jumbotron and it’s really exciting,” said Kowaleski.

To join in on the fun, people can register for the 5th Line 5K at https://the5thline5k.com/ until race day on February 9th.