RACE POSTPONED TO DEC 14TH-15TH, 2024
WNC has just been hit by what many meteorologists are calling a 1 in 1,000 year storm that has decimated almost all of WNC, especially anything near a lake, creek, stream, or river. Flooding never imagined in the region took place along with tropical storm winds from Hurricane Helene. Lives have been lost, crucial infrastructure has been destroyed, and in some cases, entire towns have been swept away. Our hope is to reschedule Fonta Flora 50k and Half to Dec 14th-15th, 2024, but we still have a lot to figure out as we are still in the throws of helping reopen the parks, but their hope is reopen Lake James in early December. As soon as we find out any information from our permitting partners we will share that with you. We plan to hit the trails hard in the coming weeks and months to get them opened back up for all to enjoy, but our first priority is helping the community during this crisis. Once, we have assessed trails with our partners, we will share any organized trail workdays with you if you wish to be involved in the recovery effort. This will most likely be a few weeks, as again our priority is the people in WNC. Our partner organization Camp Grier is currently working hard to restore power at their facility to open up camp as a disaster relief hub for the people in the greater Old Fort community. If you'd like to make a donation to help support this mission, please visit campgrier.org. Much more help is needed across the region from sending supplies, money, fuel, and willing volunteers to check in on folks stranded by road closures and landslides. We highly encourage you to support all efforts in the region and not just ours in Old Fort as help is needed all across WNC now.
Sincerely,
Brandon Thrower
Tanawha Adventures
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!
NEW RELAY OPTION THIS YEAR! After a few requests, we have decided to add a relay option during the 50k. You can choose to have a 2 person or 3 person relay team. The distance for legs in the 2 person team are roughly 13.5 & 18.5 miles. The distances for legs in the 3 person team are roughly 13.5, 12.5, & 6 miles and run in that order. Choose your best strategy and see if you can win or just enjoy being out on the trails with a bunch of your best running friends. An award for the top finishing relay team will be awarded in 3 categories, Male, Female, and Co-Ed. All relay teams (2 or 3 person teams) will be competing against each other.
The Numbers
Half Marathon (Sunday): Distance:
~13.1 Miles
Elevation Gain: ~ 850 feet
Time Limit: 3.5 hours
Miles of Single Track Trail: ~ 12.8 miles
Miles of Pavement: ~ 0.3 miles
50 Kilometer (Saturday):
Distance: ~31.5 Miles
Elevation Gain: ~ 2,400 feet
Time Limit: 9.5 hours
Miles of Single Track Trail: ~ 30 miles
Miles of Pavement: ~ 0.75 miles
Miles of Gravel: ~ 0.75 miles
Packet Pick Up
Early Packet pick up will be held at Fonta Flora Whippoorwill Farm (same area as start) in Nebo, NC from 4:00-7:00pm, 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 8:00 - 9:50am on Sunday and for the 50k from 6:50 - 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.
Waitlist FAQ
- How do I know my order on the waitlist? Click on the waitlist button above on this page to view where you stand currently on the waitlist.
- What are my chances of getting off the waitlist? If you are in the top 15 of the waitlist, your chances of getting in by race day are very high, but not a full qaurantee. You should go ahead and be training as if you are in the event. If you are lower than 15 down the waitlist, your chances diminish the further you are down the list. Historically, we've never exceeded inviting any more than 25 people off a waitlist and that is very high, but know that not everyone accepts a registration invite and many decline. So you could be number 35 on the waitlist, but still get in by race day.
- When will I know that I got off the waitlist? An email will be sent to invite you to signup for the race off the waitlist after a spot opens up. You will have one week to confirm your entry before the invite will be removed
- How soon should I expect an invite? Most likely you will not receive an invite until the final few weeks before the event up to two days before the event.
Refund Policy
75% Refunds granted until July 15th.
50% refund granted until September 10th.
Afterward, no refunds will be given.
No 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.
Event's current local time: 2:33 PM ET
