Rugged Red Trail Half Marathon
Slade, KY
- Half Marathon
- Trail (Unpaved)
- Official race website
The Rugged Red – Kentucky’s Trail Half Marathon deep in the heart of the world-famous Red River Gorge! Run in one of the most spectacular trail settings in the United States and provide support to the men and women who serve on the search & rescue teams that regularly save … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Oct 03):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°F) | 81 | 78 | 85 | 65 | 70 |
| L (°F) | 57 | 52 | 57 | 48 | 65 |
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Rugged Red lives up to its name!
If your looking to be challenged then this is the race for you! Hills, hills and more hills, creek crossings, ridge climbs, stairs, rope descents on steep hills, it has … MORE
If your looking to be challenged then this is the race for you! Hills, hills and more hills, creek crossings, ridge climbs, stairs, rope descents on steep hills, it has it all! The staff, campground, rescue teams, etc are all top notch and will get you taken care of if injured or lost in the woods!
AMAZING!!!!
This race makes you feel like family! The folks putting on the race care for everyone of the runners and the love they put in to this race shows. It … MORE
This race makes you feel like family! The folks putting on the race care for everyone of the runners and the love they put in to this race shows. It is a trail race that has everything that The Red River Gorge has to offer but if you train on trails with similar vert (2000”) you will be fine! I was hoping for 2:45 and came away with 2:37. This race warms my soul like no road race can! Love it!
Beautiful single-track trails at RRG
Prior to the race, you load up on buses to be shuttled to the start. There was a lengthy delay in loading on the buses this year, as it was … MORE
Prior to the race, you load up on buses to be shuttled to the start. There was a lengthy delay in loading on the buses this year, as it was dark and foggy out. However, the restroom situation at the rest stop was greatly improved with brand new restrooms there.
Even though there was a great deal of rain in the weeks leading up to the race, and the race was very nearly cancelled, the trails were still muddy, but generally in better condition than I expected.
There were two aid stations on the course, which offered water and chocolate.
Spectators could cheer the runners in at the finish line. From the finish line, runners were bused back to the parking area, where there was a post-race barbecue. This year, they had burgers and chips and soda. Somehow there was no water at the post-race barbecue.
The medals were nice and the race t-shirts are super soft.
Gorgeous, technical course
The race and the course were incredible. The barbecue afterwards was really nice too. Medals for all finishers. Cool prizes for the top 3 male/female finishers, and little certificates to … MORE
The race and the course were incredible. The barbecue afterwards was really nice too. Medals for all finishers. Cool prizes for the top 3 male/female finishers, and little certificates to age group winners.
The port o potty situation where the buses shuttled runners to the start was one of the most horrific ones I’ve ever seen. I know there were some logistical problems due to the rest area being closed, but port o potties are pretty essential!
This race runs in waves, and I think a lot of people estimate a faster finishing time, just because they don’t know how much these trails will slow them down. This makes for runner traffic backing up on the trails, and it is difficult to pass.
Overall a good race, and will give it another go.
Tough trail run with beautiful scenery
This is one of the toughest races I've done (though I'm primarily a road runner). Very tough trail course with lots of elevation changes. In a beautiful and somewhat remote … MORE
This is one of the toughest races I’ve done (though I’m primarily a road runner). Very tough trail course with lots of elevation changes. In a beautiful and somewhat remote area of Red River Gorge in eastern Ky. Because it’s remote don’t expect any posh accomodations or elaborate swag. If you want a beautiful, technical course that’s very challenging try it out. I think the winning time was just over 2 hours for 13.1