The Rootrock Trail Run! offers 5K, 10K, or Half Marathon options at Briar Chapel in Chapel Hill, NC. Sprawling over 900 acres and located on the south side of Chapel Hill, NC, Briar Chapel is a green community that boasts a vast network of forested hiking and mountain biking trails. Athletes will be treated to some awesome courses that include a mixture of smooth and flowing dirt trails, rock and root strewn single-track, and challenging hill climbs. In addition to fantastic trails, centrally located Great Meadow Park, with its beautiful lawn, stage, and pavilion, offers a perfect setting area to start and finish a race.
Briar Chapel has over 15 miles of AWESOME, totally legit single-track. These are not your typical mulched neighborhood trails. here are some easy, flat mellow areas but most of the trails at Briar Chapel offer a fun challenge and include plenty of rocks, roots, and hills. We would categorize the trails at Briar Chapel as moderately technical. Each of the 5K, 10K, and Half Marathon, one-loop race courses, starts with .3 miles of downhill pavement running, perfect for spacing out runners. After that, runners hit the trails, and stay on the trails, except for a few road crossings and short paved sections.
The 5K is perfect for families with kids (aged 6+) and for those looking to get a small taste of trail running. The 5K course starts with .3 mile of wide-open pavement, followed by 3.0 miles of double and single-track. The exact distance is 3.3 miles, with an elevation gain of 222’. While there are some hills, rocks, and roots along the course, the majority of the terrain is less technical than the 10K and Half Marathon courses.
The one-loop 10K race course is a super-fun, tried-and-true loop that many Briar Chapel residents run and ride all the time. It starts with .3 miles of wide-open pavement and .2 miles of double-track trail, perfect for establishing pace and position. Other than a few road crossings and the last .3 miles of the course, this is the only pavement in the race. After entering the single-track trails, 10K racers run along semi-technical terrain, up gradual hill climbs, and along relatively flat stream valleys before finishing in Great Meadow park, a large grassy community area. The exact distance of the 10K course is 6.2 miles, with an elevation gain of 438’.
The one-loop Half Marathon course is AWESOME and includes all the terrain of the 10K course as well as many of the newer trails in the western portion of the neighborhood. These newer sections have some steep hill climbs with plenty of rock and root filled sections. In addition to the challenge of the added length and elevation, the Half Marathon course has decidedly more technical terrain than the 10K course. The exact distance of the Half Marathon course is 13.2 miles, with an elevation gain of 1,144’.
Finisher medal to all participants. Prizes and awards for top five overall M/F competitors in each distance. Awards for the top three M/F competitors in each age group.
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Rootrock-the name says it all
This was a very difficult course. As the name says, there were lots of roots and rocks on this single loop course. The trail was well-marked for the event. The … MORE
This was a very difficult course. As the name says, there were lots of roots and rocks on this single loop course. The trail was well-marked for the event. The shirt and medal were nice. The race director showed he cared about all aspects of the event.