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Raccoon Mountain Half Marathon, and 10K
Chattanooga, Tennessee
The biggest of all of the Run Chattanooga and Awesomesauce races, the Raccoon Mountain Half Marathon, and 10K showcases the beautiful scenery on Raccoon Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Choose from the original part road/part trail course, or choose an all-trail or all-road course.
This race doesn’t take itself seriously, and neither should you. The aid stations are a snack food buffet, the trail is marked with stuffed animals, and every runner gets a personalized sign on the course. At the finish line, you’ll find a medal with your name on it and all the burgers and chips and brownies you can eat. Yes, vegetarians too!
From the group of runners who declared that it was time to put some fun back in the run, this is a great race for first-timers at all distances, and first-time trail runners too! With a course that’s so well marked there’s no chance you’ll get lost, and a crew that wants nothing more than to see you succeed, we’ve got you covered from start to finish!
Distances offered:
Half Marathon (13.1 miles)
– morning start ORIGINAL COURSE, 9:30am, 5 hour time limit
– morning start ALL TRAIL COURSE, 9:30am, 5 hour time limit
– morning start ALL ROAD COURSE, 9:30am, 5 hour time limit
10K, all on the road!
The Swag
Finishers of all distances will receive a locally handmade wooden medal with your name on it!
First time participants receive a complimentary coonskin cap.*
*The cap part of the coonskin caps is made with synthetic fur. We have options with and without a real raccoon tail.
The Course
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.
Runners traveling on the original course head up to the road around the reservoir dam and stay on the road for the first 3-ish miles. (Super precise, we know!)
There is an aid station just past mile 3. At that point, runners will head onto the trails around the Switchyard and the east side of the mountain for about another 3-ish miles.
The next aid station is at the 6-ish mile mark, at the East Overlook.
Miles 7-ish through 10-ish take runners back onto the road up the east side of the rim road, revisiting the Switchyard aid station, then back down toward Laurel Point.
Then it’s a quick stop at an aid station before heading back onto the trails to the finish at Laurel Point for half marathoners.
Aid stations and port-o-potties will be available approximately every 3 miles, and before/after each trail section. Peeing in the woods is unnecessary!
Runners taking on the all trail half marathon will pop off the trails to visit some aid stations. Due to the locations of the trails, all trail half marathoners may want to carry a hydration system like a Camelbak or handheld bottle to hydrate between aid stations, since you may go up to 5 miles between aid stations. The all-trail half gets the best view of the gorge, but you will work for that view!
10K runners use the rim road – no trails for you! Aid stations are at mile 3 and an optional aid station at mile 4.5ish.
Doing the all-road half marathon? You’ll do two loops (with a little extra, because we like our courses to measure accurately) of the 10K course.
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! We welcome walkers/hikers/casual meanderers!
Don’t expect to PR here. DO expect to have a great time!
The Agenda
Here’s how things will go down on race weekend!
ALL times are EASTERN TIME ZONE. Raccoon Mountain is technically in the Central Time Zone, your phone will sometimes switch between time zones while you are up there, but we operate on Chattanooga time – EASTERN.
Friday, March 17, 2023
4pm – 7pm: Early Packet Pickup, REI (Community Room), 2507 Lifestyle Way, Chattanooga.
Saturday, March 18, 2023
8am – 9:25am: Last-minute packet pickup at Laurel Point on Raccoon Mountain
9:25am: Race director starts yelling instructions that most people won’t listen to.
9:30am: Races begin.
Hang out afterward for food, drink, and general frivolity! Besides post-race food (plenty for EVERYONE, including you back-of-the-packers!), there will be BioFreeze, yoga mats for stretching, and foam rollers available.
Post-race food is complimentary for runners. We suggest a minimum $5 donation for spectator food. Just drop it in the bucket on the food table.
NOTE: Parking is limited at the race start/finish at Laurel Point on Raccoon Mountain. Please carpool if you can! There is plenty of parking on the mountain, but the more cars there are, the further you’ll be from the start/finish. Race-day packet picker uppers are welcome to just grab their bib and pick up the rest of their swag after the race.
HAVE YOU SIGNED UP YET?! What are you waiting for?!
