Black Bear Half Marathon & 8K (NC)
Hendersonville, NC
- Half Marathon, 8K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
The Black Bear Half Marathon & 8K is an exciting fall event that beckons both seasoned athletes and recreational runners alike. Nestled within the charm and beauty of Hendersonville, North Carolina, this race offers participants a unique opportunity to challenge their limits while immersing themselves in the splendor of the … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Oct 11):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°F) | 66 | 73 | 66 | 70 | 75 |
| L (°F) | 47 | 40 | 47 | 46 | 61 |
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3rd time running this
I love this race! I drive from Greenville, SC for it. Its beautiful and so well organized. All the volunteers are super sweet. The only downside is I didnt get … MORE
I love this race! I drive from Greenville, SC for it. Its beautiful and so well organized. All the volunteers are super sweet. The only downside is I didnt get any race pics this year. I believe awards was going on while I was crossing the finish line.
Great Race Nestled in Western NC!
After Hurricane Helene ravaged western NC just before this race, I was certain it would be cancelled. They Informed runners it would be postponed; and a few weeks later, I … MORE
After Hurricane Helene ravaged western NC just before this race, I was certain it would be cancelled. They Informed runners it would be postponed; and a few weeks later, I received an email the date had been moved only by 4 weeks! The race was incredibly organized and to have worked around the devastation of the hurricane was impressive. If you’re looking for lots of spectators/supporters, this isn’t that kind of race. You will rarely see any traffic since the majority of the race is in the greenway which means it’s a smaller race (there were 285 half marathoners). The race is flat for the most part. What hills you do experience are steep and challenging. The swag is amazing and the festival after is a great experience. Nice and relaxed, and a great race for first time racers. Outside of the race, the Hendersonville area is a great place to go. Definitely a race I will do again!
Replacement Race
I would not have chosen this race for my NC state but a hurricane decided to disrupt my original half plans, and this was the same weekend. I couldn't let … MORE
I would not have chosen this race for my NC state but a hurricane decided to disrupt my original half plans, and this was the same weekend. I couldn’t let my training go to waste!
This race is completely mental. This race route was an out and back x2. It was so frustrating. It was mainly on a greenway on a very small path. I really hope since then, the route has been updated. I wish I could have seen more of Hendersonville. Ample parking, awesome swag, no complaints other than the route itself.
Gorgeous scenery, lots of hills!
Communication is awesome, especially if your not familiar with the area. Due to heavy rains and flooding the previous days the race course changed which added lots of hills. Being … MORE
Communication is awesome, especially if your not familiar with the area. Due to heavy rains and flooding the previous days the race course changed which added lots of hills. Being from Florida, we do not get too many hills to practice in. The route was well marked, people were super nice even after the race. The medals and shirts were incredible, loved them! Wish their were more vendors and food at the end. Plus the runners who took over 3 hours, the vendors and food was packed up, so they didn’t get anything. Would definitely do this one again, very well organized.
Excellent Production, Nice Race
Hendersonville NC got rain all week. The greenway course was flooded and muddy apparently. Idaph Events made a very well done last minute course shift to what I thought was … MORE
Hendersonville NC got rain all week. The greenway course was flooded and muddy apparently. Idaph Events made a very well done last minute course shift to what I thought was better than the original plan – a scenic out and back with a single start, compared to the original double out and back with wave starts over half an hour. Communication was great, email and website update of the changes, including a changed time range for packet pickup.
The events (half and 8k) were at a softball park in a wooded area, parking was close and plentiful. The half was all on roads, no greenway, but there were sufficient monitors and water stations. The new course had more ascent (623 ft) than the original but nothing seemed too steep.
The course was a little short on my watch, about 12.5 miles, but I didn’t hear any complaints and there was plenty of room for the compulsive types to run thru the finish and get to 13.1 – at least it worked for me. It was so much better to not have the race cancelled. Idaph handled the situation beatifully, it could not have been easy making that shift at the last minute.
The swag was a nice soft cotton long sleeve shirt, neat medal, prints by a local artist for top finishers 3 deep in age groups, and a bag with coupons for local discounts. There was a food truck and nice post race refreshments – water, sports drinks, fruit and bars, free local donut and beer. The course water stops had water, sports drinks, and a nice array of gels.
Definitely a recommendable race, very enjoyable.
Beautiful area and wonderful race & SWAG
The long sleeve T-Shirt and unique Black Bear medal are terrific. For this inaugural event, the course had about 350 feet of elevation change overall, with a nice little hill … MORE
The long sleeve T-Shirt and unique Black Bear medal are terrific. For this inaugural event, the course had about 350 feet of elevation change overall, with a nice little hill just before the end. The course goes about 2 miles out, then twice up and back on a 2.25 mile (or so) paved trail through a beautiful park setting, then back to the finish. The course was well-marked with arrows on the pavement and signs. You can’t control the weather, and it did rain, so puddles were an issue; however, fortunately, it let up for most of our time on the course. I carried my own nutrition, so have no input on the water stops. We do intend to go back and do this one as often as we can. Highly recommended for the pleasant people, the area and the SWAG!