We’re going to try to bring Raccoon Mountain back, but we need your help! We’re going to give it a shot, and throw it back to our grassroots, well, roots, and hope that y’all can help us make a comeback! Here we go! The funnest runners in the world converge …
MORE
We’re going to try to bring Raccoon Mountain back, but we need your help! We’re going to give it a shot, and throw it back to our grassroots, well, roots, and hope that y’all can help us make a comeback! Here we go! The funnest runners in the world converge on Raccoon Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee this March.
Race options include:
– 10K (all road)
– All road half marathon
– All trail half marathon
– Original recipe part road/part trail half marathon
We suggest you do NOT sign up for this race if you are super serious, if you are super competitive, if you are super uptight and expect a slick, corporate, city-type race. That’s just not how we roll.
We suggest you DO sign up for this race if you like low key and laid back, focused on fun, support for all speeds, and/or aid station buffet-type situations.
Included in your race fee:
– Race swag (we’re going to be bringing out the warehouse and we’ll be letting you choose exactly what you want! Streakers who have been doing this race since the inaugural year, we’ve got something special for you.)
– Aid stations that are stocked better than most finish lines at typical races. Gu, candy, pretzels and other carby crunchy things, cookies, Gatorade, water, all kinds of stuff!
– A course marked with silly signs, motivational signs, stuffed animals, whatever we feel like will help you not get lost and be a little bit entertained along the way.
– Finish line burgers and chips and our usual finish line cupcakes! Vegetarian/vegan burgers and gluten free buns are available!
– PERSONALIZED wooden finisher medal for all distances. Yep, we burn your name right into the wood, which means you get a one-of-a-kind medal.
There is a five-ish hour time limit for the 10K and half marathon, which means we’re obviously more than walker-friendly; we LOVE walkers. (We decide when our finish line is closed, so if you’re close, we’re gonna let you finish this thing!) This is a great place to take on your first trail race!
The original course combines the best of Chattanooga’s worlds – part road and part trail. All races begin at Laurel Point on top of Raccoon Mountain.
The course is NOT flat and not fast. Hills keep things interesting and easy is boring! The course is not exceptionally difficult, but it is challenging. The trails are not super technical, and trail shoes are not necessary, although some prefer to wear them. The rocks can be slippery, so use caution!
LESS
Sweetest race ever!
Course was awesome! Markings were great, volunteers were fantastic! Loved the views! And the aid stations were out of this world. This is a definite repeat. The trail sections were … MORE
Course was awesome! Markings were great, volunteers were fantastic! Loved the views! And the aid stations were out of this world. This is a definite repeat. The trail sections were really technical but so worth it.
Most difficult run I have ever completed
I had been recovering from multiple injuries that left me without any running or gym time for eight weeks. Thankfully I healed just prior to this race. Since I had … MORE
I had been recovering from multiple injuries that left me without any running or gym time for eight weeks. Thankfully I healed just prior to this race. Since I had been inactive I planned to just walk it because there was a 9 hour time limit and I didn’t want to risk re-injury.
That said, had I been running it I likely would not have been running after mile one. The start was in a parking lot and down a gravel road – then up a very long and steep hill. Even walking I was completely winded by the top. I failed to read the course map and didn’t realize it was a trail run. After a couple of miles on the road it was into the woods, which thanks to a couple days of rain lead to muddy trails. Because I was walking it wasn’t long before the runners were gone and I was in front of other walkers, but most of the time there weren’t others around. Just me alone in the woods, hoping there were no bears. The trail was well marked with a green flag every couple hundred feet. Near the end I looked at my phone and it seemed like I was well over the 13 miles, but there was no end in sight, only a few occasional marathoners coming back, and I wondered if I were lost. For the first time in a run I thought about giving up…except I had no idea where I was, how far I had come, how far to go, or where the car was parked…so I continued following the green flags until eventually I found the glorious end.
Waiting at the end was some of the best swag I have received. The shirt I received before the race was beautiful – a long sleeve grey shirt with a nice logo of the run (no sponsor logos). The medal was handmade out of wood, and we also received a raccoon hat! It was very challenging, but the views, the swag, and the support from the race crew was wonderful. A well organized event by the folks at Run Chattanooga.