Hot-to-Trot 5K offers competitive kickoff to Horse Trading Days’ Saturday schedule
Before the petting zoo opens, the annual dog show begins and competitors gobble up dozens of hot dogs during the final day of Horse Trading Days in Zelienople, an 11-year-old tradition kicks off the day with a scenic course.
The event’s Hot-to-Trot 5K is celebrating its 11th anniversary this year. Upward of 175 people are expected for the race, which begins at 8 a.m. and sends runners on a path that winds through the campuses of Glade Run Lutheran Services and Lutheran SeniorLife home.
The 1-Mile Family Fun Run follows the 5K, and a Tot-Trot wraps up the morning.
“Today, the race is about much more than running,” Paul Voltz, event director at Horse Trading Days, said. “It’s an opportunity for people of all ages and abilities to come together and kick off the Saturday of Horse Trading Days in a fun and active way.”
The proceeds from the race support Horse Trading Days and the Zelienople Area Business Association, allowing the organizers to continue offering many free events and activities.
Volz said the 5K has become “one of the signature events of Horse Trading Days.”
“It was started to give the community another way to participate in the festival while promoting health, fitness and family fun,” he said. “Over the years, the race has been held at a few different locations, but for the past several years we’ve been fortunate to call the campuses of Glade Run Lutheran Services and Lutheran SeniorLife home.
“Their beautiful properties have really become part of the identity of the race.”
The course winds throughout the scenic campuses of Glade Run Lutheran Services and Lutheran SeniorLife, taking participants through open green spaces, wooded areas, paved roads, sidewalks, and past Glade Run’s horse facilities.
“Something a little different from your typical road race,” Voltz said.
Last year, the event saw nearly 175 participants, but Voltz predicts that number will grow this year.
The 5K’s name, “Hot-to-Trot” ties directly into Horse Trading Days.
“Since horses have always been central to the festival’s history, we wanted a fun and memorable name that reflected that heritage while capturing the energy of the event,” Voltz said.
He emphasized that the event is a community effort, requiring months of planning. He thanked the committee members, volunteers, sponsors, Glade Run Lutheran Services, Lutheran SeniorLife, local police, race timing staff and everyone who helps with registration, course setup, and directing runners.
Other events on Saturday include the Hot Dog Eating Contest, celebrating its seventh year, and the Dog Show, in its sixth year.
Voltz called the hot dog eating competition one of the “funniest and most entertaining events of the weekend,” noting it always draws a crowd.
He and fellow event director Kadin Riddle expressed pride in carrying on the tradition of Horse Trading Days.
“Horse Trading Days has always been about community,” Riddle said. “It’s not about what you hear; it’s about what you see and feel. The spirit of Zelienople can truly only be felt in person, and it invites you into a lively, outgoing atmosphere that we are so grateful to have.
“The community and the businesses coming together are a significant part of what makes the town so unique. After all, it is considered ‘a modern place with old-fashioned grace.’”
