Cancelled Event

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

IF YOU WERE SIGNED UP, YOU'VE BEEN AUTOMATICALLY SWITCHED TO THE BRAND NEW HAROC (AKA, HANGING ROCK CHALLENGE 50K & HALF) WHICH WILL BE HELD ON THE SAME DAY AS SOUTH MOUNTAINS MARATHONS ON JANUARY 11TH, 2025. IF YOU WERE PLANNING TO SIGN UP FOR THIS EVENT, YOU AREN'T GOING TO WANT TO MISS HAROC.

SIGNUP FOR HAROC HERE

General Info

NOTE: THE MARATHON & 50k WILL BE HELD ON SATURDAY JAN 11TH AND THE HALF MARATHON ON SUNDAY JAN 12TH THIS YEAR. BE SURE TO MAKE TRAVEL PLANS ACCORDINGLY! If the race needs to be canceled for any reason (unforeseen acts of nature), the backup date of the race is January 25th & 26th. If the race cannot be run on those dates, the race will be run virtually "Tanawha style" (aka on the actual course, not anywhere). Please plan your calendar accordingly. No refunds, transfers, or deferrals will be given in the case of race moving to virtual.

Brought to you by Tanawha Adventures, the South Mountains Marathons are a collection of trail races which are held in the beautiful South Mountains State Park in North Carolina. Hope you are psyched for chilly weather, steep trails, gorgeous views, and a few creek crossings! Courses include a good mix of wide double track trails and tight, technical, singletrack trail. Oh and stairs! Lots and lots of stairs!

Come enjoy testing your abilities on these prime running trails in this pristine mountain range. There will be times that your head will be between your knees on the climbs, times when your quads will feel like they are going to bust through your skin, and times when your feet will feel like ice cubes. With all kidding aside, the trails are very runnable, but challenging. We consider this an excellent entry level mountain trail race if you are seeking a little more climbing (well a lot more actually) than the local park trails in your neighborhood. The half marathon includes approximately 2,600 ft in elevation gain and the marathon approximately 5,500 ft in elevation gain, and the 50k approximately 6500 ft of gain! It will be challenging, but these are highly runnable trails!

If the race needs to be postponed due to inclement weather (significant ice/snow), the race will be held on January 25th and 26th. If roads look to be mostly clear to drive to the course, the race will be one as normally scheduled.

Our Mission

Our mission for putting on this race is three fold. First, we want to show off this jewel of a park located in Western North Carolina and how great the trails are for running. Secondly, we want to support the Foothills Conservancy in their mission to protect the South Mountains, the Blue Ridge Escarpment, and other lands in the Western Piedmont. Through the help of the Foothills Conservancy, the South Mountains are one of the most well protected mountain ranges in the country. Lastly, we want to provide the best race experience for you that we can. We've designed a top notch, beautiful course that is challenging but doable even for the lesser experienced trail runners, and provide excellent aid station support throughout the run, so you can keep your mind on the trail and the majestic views around you, not your water bottle.

50k Specifics

Distance: 32 Miles
Elevation Gain: ~ 6,500 feet
Time Limit: 9 hours
Miles of Trail: ~ 31.5 miles
Miles of Pavement: ~ 1.5 mile
Number of Stairs: ~ 600!!!!
Number of Creek Crossings: 6 joyous splashes!!!
Number of Aid Stations: 5

Marathon Specifics

Distance: 26.5 Miles
Elevation Gain: ~ 5,000 feet
Time Limit: 8 hours
Miles of Trail: ~ 25.5miles
Miles of Pavement: ~ 1 mile
Number of Stairs: ~ 600!!!!
Number of Creek Crossings: 5 joyous splashes!!!
Number of Aid Stations: 4

Half Specifics

Distance: 13.3 Miles
Elevation Gain: ~ 2,500 feet
Time Limit: 4 hours
Miles of Trail: ~ 12.8 miles
Miles of Pavement: ~ 0.5 miles
Number of Stairs: ~ 600!!!
Number of Creek Crossings: 3 joyous splashes!!!
Number of Aid Stations: 1 (one full)

Refund Policy

Refunds of 75% of entry fee (does not include taxes and fees) will be granted up to October 15th. A refund of 50% of entry fee (does not include taxes and fees) will be granted up until December 15th. After this time, no refunds will be given. We do not allow transfers or deferments in any case at any time.

If the race needs to be canceled for any reason (unforeseen acts of nature or COVID), the race will be run virtually "Tanawha style" (aka on the actual course, not anywhere) if rescheduled dates of January 25th/26th are a no go as well. Please plan your calendar accordingly. No refunds, transfers, or deferrals will be given in the case of race moving to virtual.

Event's current local time: 4:32 PM ET