Description

The Fonta Flora 50k and Half Marathon will be held along the trails and banks of Lake James State Park in North Carolina.  Come and enjoy the gentle rolling trails along the banks of Lake James and experience mountain scenery without mountainous trails.  The race will start and finish at Fonta Flora Brewery's Whippoorwill Farm in Nebo, NC in the shadow of Shortoff Mountain and the Linville Gorge.  After you finish this beautiful half, enjoy a pint at the brewery! Portions of proceeds from the event will go to the further development of trails around Lake James, including the currently under construction Fonta Flora State Trail!

The Numbers

Half Marathon (Sunday): Distance:

13.5 Miles
Elevation Gain: ~ 800 feet
Time Limit: 3.5 hours
Miles of Single Track Trail: ~ 12.8 miles
Miles of Pavement: ~ 0.7 miles

50 Kilometer (Saturday):

Distance: 32.5 Miles
Elevation Gain: ~ 1,800 feet
Time Limit: 9 hours
Miles of Single Track Trail: ~ 22 miles
Miles of Pavement: ~ 3 miles
Miles of Gravel: ~ 6 miles

Packet Pick Up

Early Packet pick up will be held at Fonta Flora Whippoorwill Farm (same area as start) in Nebo, NC from 5:00-8:00pm, Friday evening before race weekend.  Come swing buy and enjoy a drink and some camaraderie with fellow runners while you're there at this amazing brewery!  

Race Day packet pick up will be held at the Start/Finish for the half from 7:30 - 8:50am on Sunday and for the 50k from 6:30 - 7:50am on Saturday.  We'd prefer to have you pick up early.

All runners must check in before race.

Where to Stay

If you prefer the great outdoors to hotels, Lake James State Park has two stellar campgrounds withing 5 miles of the start.  One is drive in car camping and the other is hike in, however the hike in sites are a very short walk and are basically car camping and have really nice views of the Lake.  More information can be found at the park website.

There are also multiple hotels in Morganton about 20 minutes drive from the start if you prefer a comfy bed to the sounds of nature. 

Costume Contest

Since our race coincides with Halloween weekend, we will be holding a costume contest during the event. Rules are simple, show up and run the race in your costume, the entire race! Volunteers and RD will vote for their favorite costume of the day and award that person with a free entry into any Tanawha Adventures race of their choosing in the 2022 calendar! We will give out a free entry to both the 50k and half marathon winner of the contest.

About Us

Tanawha Adventures grew out of a desire to give back to the very land and trails so many of us enjoy. Our goal is to Run. Inspire. Conserve. Our hope is that our participants become inspired by the scenic beauty surrounding them and join us in efforts to conserve and protect our wild lands and trails. We accomplish this by designing beautiful courses, partnering with local conservation and advocacy groups, and allocating a substancial percentage of our profits to the cause.

Tanawha Adventures was created in 2016 by Brandon Thrower, a passionite lover of trails and public land. After gaining experience in directing ultra marathon races over many years, Brandon saw a great opportunity to make a greater impact in the area of funding for conservation efforts. What better way to create more advocates for public land and recreation by creating events that put people in the places most needed of conservation. We hope that you leave our events inspired to stand up and make a difference and know that your support of our events leaves a lasting impact on the protection of our trails and wild lands.

Refund Policy

Refunds minus $20 are granted up to 60 days before the event. After this time, no refunds will be granted. We do not allow transfers or deferments at any time.

COVID19 Note

Due to the continuing uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, be aware that the races could be setup to adhere to local and national COVID protocols, which could include masking at aid stations and start/finish area, staggered start times, etc.

Local time: 9:30 AM