SPARTANBURG, S.C. - USC Upstate athletics, in partnership with Johnny and Laurie Lee of Spartanburg, S.C., is excited to host the 10th Annual Josh Lee Memorial 5K on Saturday, October 11, 2025, on the USC Upstate campus. This day is exactly 10 years since the date of the accident where Josh and 3 other student-athletes were lost.

The annual event was founded by Cathy and Thomas Voelker and was first held in 2016 as part of the Mighty Moo Festival in Cowpens.  The race moved to the USC Upstate campus three years ago and is named in honor of the late Josh Lee, a USC Upstate cross-country runner and scholar-athlete who died in a car accident in October 2015.

Proceeds from the race go toward the Josh Lee Memorial Scholarship, which was established in 2015 by the Lee family to create transformative opportunities for student-athletes. The scholarship is awarded each year to one male and one female member of the cross country/track and field team who is a rising sophomore with at least a 3.0 GPA and in good standing on the team.

A total of 242 runners competed in last year's race. This year's race will start at 9:00 a.m. from G.B. Hodge Center on the campus of USC Upstate and will roughly go until 11:00 a.m. or until the last runner crosses the finish line. Packet pick up and registration will be on the quad beside the Hodge building or inside the Hodge building, depending on the weather.

The registration fee is currently $25 and will increase after September 15^th. You can register for the 5k here. Donations are also welcome. Please click here if you wish to give a donation.

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