Cogent Bank Ocala Cup 5K Raises $25,000 for Charity, Crowns New Champions Around Citizens' Circle

The second-annual Cogent Bank Ocala Cup 5K turned downtown Ocala into a 3.1-mile victory lap on Saturday evening, April 25, 2026, sending 235 finishers off Citizens' Circle at 6:00 PM and bringing them back through the historic district in time to watch the sun set behind the oaks.

When the medals were handed out, Cogent Bank EVP and North Central Florida Market President Nick Blaser had the headline number: the race raised $25,000 for various local charities — up from $20,000 at the inaugural 2025 race. Year two also added the Sunrise to Sunset Challenge, a same-day pairing with the morning Kimberly's Center for Child Protection 5K that gave runners a third commemorative medal for completing both.

A 17-Year-Old From Ocala Wins It Outright

The men's race was settled inside the first mile and held to the line. Collin Moore, a 17-year-old from Ocala, crossed first in 17:21, holding off a charging Chapman Stewart — a 15-year-old also from Ocala — who took second in 17:30. Christopher Taylor, 14, of Morriston rounded out the men's podium in 18:09. The top three were all teenagers, and all three were locals — a result that says something about the depth of the high-school running scene in Marion County right now.

The women's race went to Gabriela Cerda, 34, of Okahumpka, who finished in 21:42 — eighth overall — and broke the tape ahead of Gosia Hightower, a 40-year-old from Belleview who ran 22:28 to claim both second female overall and the top female masters award. Angela Hill, 49, of Ocala took third female in 23:26.

Masters Honors and the Course That Earned Them

The Ocala Cup awards a separate Top Masters (40+) trophy to recognize the depth in the over-40 field — a category that, as anyone who runs Ocala 5Ks regularly will tell you, is not a participation prize.

Albano Alves Dos Reis, 56, of Ocala took Top Male Masters in 20:14, finishing fourth overall and beating most of the open field. On the women's side, Hightower's 22:28 doubled as Top Female Masters.

The course itself ran the same chip-timed loop as the inaugural year — rolling hills through the historic neighborhoods surrounding Citizens' Circle, a water station at Mile 2, and police-secured intersections. Race timing was handled by Radical Runs, with results posted on RunSignUp within hours of the finish.

$20,000 to $25,000 in One Year

The 2025 inaugural Cogent Cup was, by Blaser's own framing, the kind of feel-good downtown race a brand-new community bank uses to introduce itself. It raised $20,000 for charity in year one. Year two grew the pot by 25 percent to $25,000, and Blaser confirmed the proceeds are being distributed across various local charities rather than funneled to a single beneficiary.

That distribution model is intentional. Spreading the proceeds across multiple Marion County nonprofits lets the Cup function as a community-wide giving event — the kind of race local nonprofits can apply to be part of, rather than a single-cause fundraiser tied to one organization year after year.

The 2026 edition also formally added the Sunrise to Sunset Challenge, pairing the evening Ocala Cup with the morning Kimberly's Race Against Child Abuse at Calesa Township. Runners who completed both earned a third commemorative medal that wasn't available any other way. The format borrowed from trail and ultra culture — sunrise start, sunset finish, all-day commitment — and applied it to a city's 5K calendar in a way Ocala hadn't seen before. Kimberly's Race operates as its own fundraiser benefiting Kimberly's Center for Child Protection; the Cogent Cup's $25,000 sits alongside it in the broader giving picture.

Cogent Bank opened its Ocala Banking Center at 4 SE Broadway Street in 2024 and used the Cup to introduce itself to the local community. Two years in, the race is producing five-figure charitable results and a year-over-year growth curve.

The Trophy and the Setup for Year Three

The Ocala Cup trophy itself is the year-over-year hook. The base of the cup gets engraved each year with the names of the top male and female overall winners — meaning Collin Moore and Gabriela Cerda's names now sit on the same trophy as the 2025 inaugural-year champions. The top male and top female overall finishers also took home a $100 gift card from The Running Elements.

Every finisher received the year's stained-glass-inspired sunset-themed finisher medal, plus the premium race shirt and chip-timed splits.

For a bank that didn't exist in Ocala 24 months ago, getting 235 runners and $25,000 on the board for local charities — after $20,000 in year one — is the kind of community-anchor move most local banks spend a decade trying to manufacture. Year three is the test — annual races either become traditions on the Ocala calendar by the third running, or they don't. The Sunrise to Sunset Challenge format gives the Cogent Cup a structural reason to stay around: it's not just another spring 5K anymore, it's half of a one-of-a-kind day-long event.

Race Results at a Glance

Top 3 Men Overall
- 1. Collin Moore, 17, Ocala — 17:21
- 2. Chapman Stewart, 15, Ocala — 17:30
- 3. Christopher Taylor, 14, Morriston — 18:09

Top 3 Women Overall
- 1. Gabriela Cerda, 34, Okahumpka — 21:42 (8th overall)
- 2. Gosia Hightower, 40, Belleview — 22:28
- 3. Angela Hill, 49, Ocala — 23:26

Masters (40+)
- Top Male Masters: Albano Alves Dos Reis, 56, Ocala — 20:14
- Top Female Masters: Gosia Hightower, 40, Belleview — 22:28

Total Finishers: 235

Full results, including age-group placements from 9-and-under through 75-and-over, are posted on RunSignUp.

For more on Ocala's running scene and upcoming races, see our Only In Ocala events calendar, the Sunrise to Sunset Challenge preview, and our coverage of the best 5K races in Ocala.