Lace up your running shoes and join us for the very first Run Dollywood Race Weekend! From a fun-filled kids’ run to exciting 5K, 10K, and half marathon courses through Dollywood Theme Park, there’s a race for every runner. Why Run Dollywood?There’s no race like one inside Dollywood. Set in …
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Lace up your running shoes and join us for the very first Run Dollywood Race Weekend! From a fun-filled kids’ run to exciting 5K, 10K, and half marathon courses through Dollywood Theme Park, there’s a race for every runner.
Why Run Dollywood?
There’s no race like one inside Dollywood. Set in the heart of the Smokies, Dollywood brings together world-class entertainment, Southern hospitality, and unforgettable park experiences. Combine that with the excitement of race weekend, and you’ve got a one-of-a-kind running adventure.
- Celebrate with family and friends at Dollywood’s Parks and Resorts
- Earn exclusive inaugural race medals and event shirts
- Enjoy live music and festive on-course entertainment
- Race through a fun-filled course that winds its way through Dollywood Parks and Resorts and the surrounding community
Half Marathon (Sunday)
The headline event of the weekend! Our half marathon begins and ends at Dollywood’s Splash Country and takes runners on a scenic journey that includes a one-of-a-kind run through Dollywood Theme Park.
Experience Dollywood like never before – From the moment you cross the starting line, you’ll be surrounded by the excitement, music, and atmosphere that only Dollywood can provide. Race past iconic landmarks, beautifully themed areas, and experience the park enhanced with music, décor, and the spirit of celebration. From the natural beauty of Wildwood Grove to the handcrafted details of Craftsman’s Valley and the excitement of Timber Canyon, every mile delivers a new backdrop and a fresh sense of accomplishment that only Dollywood can provide.
- Pacers available to help you reach your goal
- Live music throughout Dollywood
- Post-race food, refreshments, and awards
Kids Run, 5K & 10K (Saturday)
Take on either our 5K or 10K morning races. Both courses weave through Dollywood Theme Park, giving runners a chance to experience the park like never before – surrounded by music, rides, and one-of-a-kind photo opportunities.
- Chip-timed events
- Scenic routes through Dollywood’s park rides and attractions
- Water stations and energetic volunteers along the course
- Finisher medals for all participants
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RunDollywood 10K
After sitting around in the cold, though raining there was a tent with entertainment while waiting an hour and a half for the 10K to start. I did the Butterfly … MORE
After sitting around in the cold, though raining there was a tent with entertainment while waiting an hour and a half for the 10K to start. I did the Butterfly Challenge the 5K started at 6:30 and the 10K started at 8:30. A little poor planning. Again, the course ran thru Dollywood, volunteers / employees were on point. Why is the finish uphill? Why? There was a box with snacks, water, and a banana of course at the end. They also had merchandise for sale.
Run Dollywood 5K
The bad thing was you had to check your bib for the 10K at gear check if you were doing the challenge. I wrapped mine in aluminum foil and stuck … MORE
The bad thing was you had to check your bib for the 10K at gear check if you were doing the challenge. I wrapped mine in aluminum foil and stuck it in my pocket which worked. The course runs thru Dollywood which was cool. The support and aid stations was satisfactory; there was a small piece of cinnamon bread offered during the race for fuel. The 5K was run before the 10K, so I did have to sit around for an hour and a half waiting for the 10K. It was a little chilly and raining, they did have a tent with chairs set up which was perfect. They had a band playing and karaoke, the band was good. I was tricked though they handed out a white box at the end of the race and I thought it had the cinnamon bread in it – no, no it did not.
Inaugural RunDollywood
This is most definitely a must do experience especially if you are a Dolly fan, but with that being said Hills, Hills, and then even more hills. The last mile … MORE
This is most definitely a must do experience especially if you are a Dolly fan, but with that being said Hills, Hills, and then even more hills. The last mile is uphill, I mean uphill it was brutal. Additionally, the pacers were off they were running way faster than the pace noted. They said it was because the course is longer than 13.1 miles. An additional ouch. The support was top notch, the enthusiasm was not lacking, volunteers/employees were amazing. You do get to ride two (2) roller coasters at Mile 11 and Mile 11.5 ish, the second coater was so worth it. The water stations were adequate. You do run thru Dollywood, Splash and the parking lot. There were photo opportunities. It is their first attempt at a running event.
Inaugural race…
I believe there are shorter races in Dollywood, but this was the inaugural half marathon . The race started at 5:30am so the park could open to the public on … MORE
I believe there are shorter races in Dollywood, but this was the inaugural half marathon . The race started at 5:30am so the park could open to the public on time. This forced us to get up by 4am and park inside Dollywood by 430 before they shut down the entry road.
Because it was so early, it was pretty dark at the start, and some people had headlamps and were carrying flashlights. Believe it or not this was a bit disconcerting with lights flashing in your eyes, especially from racers passing by. The route itself was pretty good. The first several miles were out and back on roads, and were pretty darn hilly. But then we entered the Parks and there’s lots of distractions around. When you thought you were done with the Hills, there was yet one more to get to the finish line. I hope the race Director sends a survey out for feedback. My main suggestion is definitely to lineup the porta potties facing out, so there can be more than one line feeding to 20 porta potties. There should not be two rows of porta potties facing each other where you can only see the first few doors open and close and only have one line leading into the area. My other suggestion is is when they’re starting to call runners to the start line, to stop the music on stage. While that was enjoyable and helped to pass the time before the race start, we could not hear the announcements while we were waiting in the porta pot line.
The metal is beautiful, and the T-shirt is cotton, and in a gray color that I would much prefer to be more colorful, but nonetheless had the colorful Dollywood logo on it. I thank the organizers for hosting this so we could experience Dollywood.
Great weekend!!
This was my first multi-race challenge since 2014! I’ve been to Dollywood & Gatlinburg for family vacations so I was familiar with the area. Signed up for The Butterfly Challenge … MORE
This was my first multi-race challenge since 2014!
I’ve been to Dollywood & Gatlinburg for family vacations so I was familiar with the area.
Signed up for The Butterfly Challenge with a good friend of mine who also loved to run.
We stayed at Heartsong, which was lovely! The hot tub was awesome for race recovery, & the shuttles to the race venue & park is so worth not having to worry about parking & driving my own car.
All 3 courses were PERFECT!
I LOVED how they were all different enough to not become boring but similar enough I learned when to expect hills & flat lulls.
Also, doing the out-&-back runs on the freeway first thing in the dark on Sunday was genius! Seriously, it felt so fun to do that & also not be freaked out by seeing the grade to climb, just got to GO.
AND OF COURSE – getting to ride 2 coasters during the half!?! AMAZING!!!!
I would’ve loved more samples & local vendors at the expo (I was prepared to splurge on all sorts of Run Dollywood/Pigeon Forge exclusives!), but I also understand this being the Inaugural it had to start small!
The volunteers were all delightful. Really, this was the epitome of Tennessee hospitality & wholesome family fun as only Dolly can!
Dollywood race: Glad I Tried It ONCE
Local runner here, and after doing the inaugural Dollywood race weekend, I can say I’m glad I experienced it once, but I won’t be back. The hills were easy and … MORE
Local runner here, and after doing the inaugural Dollywood race weekend, I can say I’m glad I experienced it once, but I won’t be back. The hills were easy and completely manageable, the race packet even included the elevation gains, and anyone who did even basic research on East Tennessee terrain shouldn’t have been shocked. Yet the amount of complaining from other runners about the hills was unreal.
The bigger issue was the overall race culture. If you love runDisney, costumes, glitter, cliques, themed outfits, nonstop photo ops, this race will feel perfect for you. But if you actually want to race, this event is a tough fit.
The corrals were self‑placed, and large groups of walkers moved to the very front “to have extra time,” which forced runners to squeeze past walls of people right from the start. Throughout the race, walkers repeatedly stopped in the middle of the course for selfies and group photos, causing constant bottlenecks and near‑collisions.
The medals were underwhelming. The 5K and 10K medals were identical, and the half marathon medal was the same design, just slightly larger. For a themed race weekend, the lack of differentiation was disappointing. The expo was tiny and poorly organized, it took me over two hours just to get my bib, and that wasn’t even including the line to get into the merch area.
I’m glad I got to be part of the inaugural year, but this race isn’t for me, and I won’t be returning.
Inaugural Year Expected Issues
This was the inaugural year for this race series. They have some things to work through, but I expected there to be some issues. The packet pickup was only the … MORE
This was the inaugural year for this race series. They have some things to work through, but I expected there to be some issues. The packet pickup was only the day before the race and closed at 7pm. So driving from MO thinking I had plenty of time but had rain and traffic delays I had a friend pick my packet up. It was held at the lodge which made parking a nightmare since many people also stayed there. Just a few vendors from what I heard.
Parking was in the preferred lot, but we had to walk to another lot to pick up the tram. The tram did not bring us back to the parking so you also had to walk back.
5K morning…2 porta potties at the start, yes you read that right. Hopefully for the fall race they will remedy this problem. 10K was better but porta potties lined up in a weird fashion so you couldn’t see what was occupied or not and lines got long for the half which was on Sunday. There was a pinch point early in the 10K. If they ran it backwards it would have been better for that.
Yes, it is hilly you are running in the park and on the parking lot. It is in the Smokey Mountains so it is expected to have some hills.
Medals were nice and a nice food box at the end. Overall I really enjoyed it and the two day park tickets we were able to purchase with the race were great. We made it a nice runcation weekend.
Run Dollywood Disappointment
I was excited for this race but it wasn't exactly has described. You spent a lot of time running the parking lots, roads around the park and very little time … MORE
I was excited for this race but it wasn’t exactly has described. You spent a lot of time running the parking lots, roads around the park and very little time in the parks. The course is HILLY. Spectators were not allowed to be on the course. The volunteers did a great job in cheering runners on. It was hard to get in a groove with how the course was set up b/c the paths were narrow and it was hard to get around people. The start time was early!
I think once they get a few more races under their belt, they will figure it out. I’m not sure I would do the half again but open to the 10K in the future.
And the finisher medals were BEAUITFUL.
Oh, the hills!! There are LOTS of hills!
The expo was small but decent. You had to stand in line to get official race merchandise, and there was a person who created a hard cutoff before 7pm and … MORE
The expo was small but decent. You had to stand in line to get official race merchandise, and there was a person who created a hard cutoff before 7pm and wouldn’t let anyone else in line. I don’t think the line was necessary, and more merch would have been great… stickers, coffee mugs, etc. We got one shirt for the entire race weekend. While one shirt was okay for 3 races, a shirt for the challenge would have been nice too. We got 3 bibs (one for each race), and the person told us we HAD TO do gear check for the 5K because we couldn’t wear the 10K bib at the same time. Why not one bib for both of those races? A gear check shouldn’t be required, and we had to wait in a huge line afterwards to pick up our gear, change bibs, and recheck our gear. The medals for both the 5K and 10K were identical other than the ribbon. The half medal was bigger although it had the same design as the other two. The Butterfly Challenge medal was nice, but there should be a bit of variation in the other medals… even if just different color butterflies. I was unable to keep the 16-minute pace for the three races due to the hills and not getting enough training due to prior injury. Not the fault of the race, but it’s definitely not a walker-friendly race. During both the 5K and 10K, there were serious bottlenecks. Spacing out the runners a bit more instead of letting everyone go at once would have helped that. They must have figured that out by the half since they did space that out a little. While running through the parks was great, running around the parking lot and on the main highways were BORING. Some form of entertainment… music, DJs, characters, etc., would have been appreciated. On course hydration was good, cinnamon bread in the park was nice, and the water and snacks at the end were great. The only thing with the snacks was the boxes didn’t hold up well in the humidity and rain. Bags would have been better. My box after the 10K fell apart as I was getting on the tram. Overall, this race was good for an inaugural one, and I think it’d be great with just a few tweaks. Plus, can Dolly be there next time? 😊
Great Atmosphere!!
My wife and I were excited to run the first ever Dollywood Butterfly Challenge!! This included running the 5 and 10k on Saturday and then returning Sunday to run the … MORE
My wife and I were excited to run the first ever Dollywood Butterfly Challenge!! This included running the 5 and 10k on Saturday and then returning Sunday to run the half.
This race went really smoothly as far as production went. Transportation was frequent. We stayed at the Dreammore resort and getting to the races was easy. The 5k required a little bit of walking while shifting from shuttle bus to trolley. Not a big deal. One hiccup was the lack of adequate porta potties here and at the 5k start. The other distances could have used additional porta potties at the start. Lines were huge. In part it was difficult to see when they were empty unless you saw someone coming out. Volunteers and staff were amazing and very encouraging!
Swag was great! We love all of our medals.
The boxed food provided was a bit sparse and there were no gluten free options. My wife is a celiac.
Entertainment was top notch! It started with the country theme with live music at the race start (finish for the 5k) and there were also bands playing during the run. A huge part of what we enjoyed were all the other runners with FANTASTIC costumes! It was truly fun to witness all of them!
All in all we had a great time and plan to come do it all again! Oh yes, nearly forgot. Make sure you train some elevation if your plan to do this one.
Terrible race course design -Logistics
Dollywood tried and failed. The 10K had about 1300 runners, who .5 into the race were squeezed onto a small bridge where only 3 runners could run at the same … MORE
Dollywood tried and failed. The 10K had about 1300 runners, who .5 into the race were squeezed onto a small bridge where only 3 runners could run at the same time. This bottlenecked the entire group to a point, where it took 4 minutes to clear the bridge for us. Absolutely terrible and poorly designed. At mile 5ish, the same thing happened, another small bridge, but less crowded as runners spread out by then, BUT, still slowed everyone down.
Additionally, the amount of walkers was really bad, about 1/2, most of whom didn’t realize their group needed to stay to the right.
Terrible race, terrible logistics and transportation after the race, makes this a future no-go for us.