Lace up your sneakers, lean forward and get ready for the annual Tear Drop Half Marathon! If you’re looking for a fast and scenic half marathon then join us this April. All distances will start on top of Fort Mountain at an elevation near 3000 feet and finish in Chatsworth, …
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Lace up your sneakers, lean forward and get ready for the annual Tear Drop Half Marathon! If you’re looking for a fast and scenic half marathon then join us this April.
All distances will start on top of Fort Mountain at an elevation near 3000 feet and finish in Chatsworth, Georgia, for an over 2000-foot drop for the Half Marathon. All courses (13.1, 10K, 5K) will be USAT&F certified for those participants that are looking to set a personal record or for a qualifying time at a race elsewhere. Chatsworth is 80 miles from Atlanta, 40 miles from Chattanooga and 10 miles from Dalton.
The race courses are on all paved roads and features 7 miles of 5-10% grade downhill for the 13.1, 5 miles downhill for the 10K and 2 miles for the 5K (which will improve your time :40- 1:20 per mile!) and then a flat to rolling finish. Again this year the Half Marathon will run an out and back on top of the mountain, which runners will encounter several climbs (it’s not all downhill). The consensus among runners who have run it both years prefer to have the “added” miles at the top (2016) rather than for the last segment (2015). The scenic route through the Cohutta Wilderness Area and finishes at beautiful City Park in Chatsworth welcomes racers of all abilities.
In addition to the half marathon 10K & 5K, there will be plenty of extras for the runners! Beautiful medals for all finishers and every participant will receive a T-Shirt in addition to live music, post-race hot food, cold drinks; beer for 21 and over participants! There will also be great raffle prizes for all participants!
The event supports the Murray Arts Council. A majority of race day volunteers will be there in support of this organization!
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Run If You Want To Get A Good Time
Course Difficulty: The first 4-5 miles are out & back with some decent hills. Then after that, it is pretty much all downhill till downtown Chatsworth. There is also some … MORE
Course Difficulty: The first 4-5 miles are out & back with some decent hills. Then after that, it is pretty much all downhill till downtown Chatsworth. There is also some side angling on the road as well.
Scenery: There are 2 overlooks with great views & downtown Chatsworth is pretty. Other than that you are just winding down the mountain in what feels like a tunnel of trees.
Production: Packet pickup was to be at 6 up they were late. The pre race email said we are to ride certain busses up the mountain to the start line. Last name A-B 6:00, C-D 6:10 & so on but that was abandoned very quickly. The park had bathrooms but almost everyone waited to go once they got to the top of the mountain. There were 5 porta-potties & that was nowhere near enough. The post race picnic was pretty good (hot dogs, pasta salad & beer). Food did upset my wifes stomach.
Swag: A cotton shirt with a key lime green color & a pretty nice medal. Bib was super generic but race photos were free.
My hidden gem race
Simple, small, fast and beautiful scenic race. This a "mostIy (!)" downhill course from the top of Fort Mountain to the small town of Chatsworth. Race is capped at 300 … MORE
Simple, small, fast and beautiful scenic race. This a “mostIy (!)” downhill course from the top of Fort Mountain to the small town of Chatsworth. Race is capped at 300 runners. They provide buses to the start, from the finish line (no drop off allowed). That is unless you stay at the Overlook Inn B&B, right at the start line. This place is wonderful and the owners are marvelous people. You start going down fast for just short of 2 miles then … you’ve got to run back up to the start (they put some road signs to make your climb humorous). But then is 7 miles straight down through beautiful vistas and tree lined road. The last 2 miles are a few “rolling hills” (really road bridges) as you get into town. After race has the usual bananas and water, plus some delicious BBQ sandwiches. You’ve got to ready your quads for this race. However, even with the 2 mile climb, this is the race where I consistently improve my PR. It is that fast !! This is my hidden gem race.
Lightning Fast Course!!!
Beware that you run downhill the first couple miles BUT must run back up before running down the mountain. Save your legs for the second time through. This was a … MORE
Beware that you run downhill the first couple miles BUT must run back up before running down the mountain. Save your legs for the second time through. This was a personal record for me and soooo much fun to run down the mountain. My quads certainly felt this one for a while. Practice running downhill. It’s harder than it sounds. 😊
No Frills Race
Small race with no bells and whistles. You park and Chatsworth and they bus you up the mountain. It was cold and windy at the top but they did have … MORE
Small race with no bells and whistles. You park and Chatsworth and they bus you up the mountain. It was cold and windy at the top but they did have tubs for you to drop off your extra clothes for pickup at the finish. However, mine weren’t there, good thing they were pretty much throwaways any way.
First 5.5 or so is at the top of the mountain where you run out, back, and then out again. Lots of big ups and downs on this part. After that the next 7 miles are down the mountain with a pretty good drop before your finish in Chatsworth. I was very sore after for a couple of days because the downhill also has a lot of sidehill angle,
The people were nice but save yourself the time of picking up your bib the day before because that is literally all you do. After race was a banana, water, bbq, mac and cheese, baked beans, and a beer.
Shirt was a plain t-shirt, not a tech shirt. Medal was pretty decent though. Free pictures.
All in all, a race where you get what you pay for. I ran it out of desperation as I needed a race in Georgia and didn’t want to run in Atlanta and it fit in my schedule.
Great race, but downhill hurts!
This race likes to advertise the high percentage of PRs people get in this race. I was out of running shape when I did this race and did not get … MORE
This race likes to advertise the high percentage of PRs people get in this race. I was out of running shape when I did this race and did not get a PR. The first four miles or so are up and down (out and back), and then you head down the mountain and never look back. It is a point to point race and unless you have a ride to drop you at the top of the mountain you’ll ride the bus to the top. It’s a small race – maybe 200+ half marathoners? – and so bussing everyone up wasn’t bad at all. They bussed us from the finish line and there were plenty of busses taking us up there. This was easy, well organized, and parking was less than a 20 second walk to where I got on the bus, and there was plenty of parking in the small town where we the finish line was set up.
I raced in 2020, when Covid precautions were still mostly in place, and it was one of the first races in the area to be held as things started to relax a bit. Everyone wore masks on the bus and at the start line until we started running.
Once the race started masks came off. The downhill part of the course was probably a little steep for my tastes. Running downhill seems attractive but a) if it is too steep you end up spending more energy trying not to fall down the mountain, and b) your legs are killing you the next day! That’s not a complaint, I loved the course, but it is a warning. I’ve run lots and lots of races but this was my first race that was primarily downhill and I thought it would be easy. My quads were killing me the next day and I thought I was just in terrible shape, but the race director sent out an email to the races a few days later and said, “now you know the price for running downhill races,” or something like that. I felt a little better.
I’d do this race again, but I’d probably do a bit more downhill training before the race. I didn’t get a PR despite the downhill course. If you are really looking for a PR, look for a course that is almost imperceptibly downhill. The Greenville Half Marathon in SC is a great PR course.
I think this race normally has a pretty good post-race party but due to Covid they had nothing. I never hang out too long after a race anyway, but it is nice to sit in the grass and rehydrate and eat some snacks while everyone else wanders around. Due to Covid this wasn’t really permitted after this race, understandably.
Scenic mostly downhill
Course is on asphalt road down mountain with a few potholes. Race was moved from earier in year due to Covid restrictions. No BBQ or band after race this year. … MORE
Course is on asphalt road down mountain with a few potholes. Race was moved from earier in year due to Covid restrictions. No BBQ or band after race this year. Results posted fast. Miles marked along course. Small bottles of water at 4 stops along course. A few portapots on course too. Nice shirt and spinning medal- see attached.
Beautiful Downhill
I loved this race! It was downhill but not all of it, part of it were challenging. But man it was pretty! You could smell the honeysuckle and hear the … MORE
I loved this race! It was downhill but not all of it, part of it were challenging. But man it was pretty! You could smell the honeysuckle and hear the springs coming off the side of the mountain. I would do it again if I was in the area.
Mostly downhill
Race is on asphalt mountain roads with a few potholes. Starts at top of mountain and go down about 2 miles then back up to top then all the way … MORE
Race is on asphalt mountain roads with a few potholes. Starts at top of mountain and go down about 2 miles then back up to top then all the way down. Miles are marked. This year there weren’t as many water stops, the first one was about 4 miles. Some portapots are along the route. Hotdogs, mac and cheese, baked beans, chips, bananas and drinks at finish. Blended shortsleeve tshirt and nice size medal (see photo). Results posted same day.
Nice mostly downhill
Mile markers at each mile and plenty of water stops. Portapots on route. Great BBQ after race. Perfect weather. Race starts on top of mountain then run down a bit … MORE
Mile markers at each mile and plenty of water stops. Portapots on route. Great BBQ after race. Perfect weather. Race starts on top of mountain then run down a bit then back up then all the way down. Asphalt road.
Nice race, mostly downhill
Shuttle to top of Fort Mountain, then run down a little, back up and then down the rest of the way. Nice refreshments after race - BBQ, chips, etc... T-shirt … MORE
Shuttle to top of Fort Mountain, then run down a little, back up and then down the rest of the way. Nice refreshments after race – BBQ, chips, etc… T-shirt is cotton.
Downhill Half Marathon
When we reached the starting area the race workers were still setting up cones. We noticed they were marking a turn around point right at the start. All of the … MORE
When we reached the starting area the race workers were still setting up cones. We noticed they were marking a turn around point right at the start. All of the racers were now very curious. We had all heard they were adding mileage at the top of the mountain but didn’t know where. Soon the race director Sean was telling us the last bus was on its way up and we would be starting soon. The start ended up being around 10 minutes late.
When the last bus arrived, they explained the course change. We were to head down the mountain for 1.6 miles, turn around, head back to the start and then turn to go back down. This was an interesting add to the race!
Miles 1-3: elevation: (gained 221) (lost 298)
The first mile was a slight uphill and then mostly down hill until the turnaround at 1.6, then we headed right back up until returning to the start to head back down. By the time I hit mile 2 I had already witnessed several people walking. The mountain air along with the steep incline was proving difficult for a lot of runners. I had tried to go out conservatively which helped a lot in these first few miles. I knew I wasn’t burning myself out early the race coordinators even suggest this. I grabbed a water at the first station around mile 3.
Miles 4-6: elevation: (gained 174) (lost 436)
Mile 4 proved to be very difficult. We just came off a pretty intense downhill and then hit a long uphill that curved quit a bit so much so that your ankles were at an angle. We passed an aid station at about 5.5 where I snagged a sports drink. The road down was so beautiful!! Every now and then you would get a glimpse off the mountain into the valley!
Miles 7-9: elevation: (gained 42) (lost 899)
The elevation loss during these miles was intense. I trained on hills but could feel the beating my legs were taking. I was focusing on shorter sides and light feet. We hit the aid station at about mile 8.5!
Miles 10-12: elevation: (gained 0) (lost 866)
At mile 12 there was an aid station so I grabbed water they also had sports drink available.
Mile 13.1: elevation: (gained 9) (lost 56)
This section really flattened out. It was mostly rolling hills but what really hit me was the sun! We had been having a nice breeze and shade while coming down the mountain. Now we were on the streets of Chatsworth with full sun up above us! It made the last mile a little challenging but it was nice to know you didn’t have much further to go! The finish was great and you could smell some great BBQ waiting on you when you finished along with the RD shouting out names as each of us crossed the finish line!
The big issue I had along with other racers is that the course 5k and half were both about .10 long. I didn’t mind that much but I know that for some people a PR was in reach and they feel they missed due to this.