About the Course

Grandfather Mountain State Park is situated in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Banner Elk, North Carolina, 13 miles southwest of Boone, NC. The terrain is mountainous, exposed and treacherous at times. Grandfather Mountain is a great location to prepare for a mountain ultra. The course is technical up top and sometimes buttery down low. Linville Central Rescue Squad will be on course to be ready to respond to any emergency situation. There are some obstacles like bolted ropes and ladders along the Grandfather Trail, as well as semi-vertical rock faces throughout the course. The Capture the Flags course traverses responsibly through the forested home of some of America’s most endangered species.

NEW Mentorship Program (FREE Entries)

Ecopath Endurance is offering an excellent opportunity to help increase accessibility and inclusiveness in ultrarunning to younger generations. We are providing a limited number of FREE Entries to our 12 and 6 hour events for registrants ages 13-25. For more information on the program, Click HERE or to apply, please use our CONTACT FORM

Volunteers Needed

Volunteers can earn race credit for 2026. We are looking for Race Day Volunteers for the Start/Finish Area, Media Volunteers, Course Marking Volunteers, Ultra Camp Volunteers, and Hike-In Aid Station Volunteers. Click the "Volunteer" button above if interested in volunteering or to learn more about each position.

12-hour Timed Format

Ages 13+. Collect as many flags as possible within a 12-hour period on multiple designated, marked routes at Grandfather Mountain State Park. Earn points for each flag collected to count toward your score, which is added to your team's score. The 12-hr Runners with the most individual points are crowned "King of the Hill" and "Queen of the Hill." The team with the highest points wins the game! Finish the entire 54.3 mile (+/-15,768') course before cutoff and earn special bragging rights. 12-hour runners are required to have finished a marathon within two years of May 24th, 2025. If the 12-hour race fills up, a first-in, first-out wait list will open.

6-hour Timed Format

Ages 13+. Collect as many flags as possible within a 6-hour period on multiple designated, marked routes at Grandfather Mountain State Park. Earn points for each flag collected to count toward your score, which is added to your team's score. The 6-hour Runners with the most points is crowned "King of the Hill" and "Queen of the Hill." 6-hour runners will start at 12 p.m. and be added to the teams that are in-play. 6-hour runners are required to have finished a half-marathon within two years of May 24th, 2025. If the 6-hour race fills up, a first-in, first-out wait list will open.

Basic Rules

1. During the registration process, each registrant will rate themselves as a front, middle, or back-of-the-pack runner. Runners will be randomly drafted onto one of two teams. The rating process and the draft is used to evenly seed each team.

2. Runners will have 12 hours on the clock with the game starting at 7am and ending at 7pm. Each runner will choose from 7 routes, retrieving the flag from their chosen route, and returning it to their team vault at the Start/Finish. Each runner may only retrieve one flag at a time.

3. Each flag is worth a certain number of points. The first flag from each location that is returned to the Start/Finish is worth one additional point for the team which that runner represents.

4. Runners may collect flags in any order, but each runner may only retrieve each flag route once. If a runner has retrieved all 7 flag routes and there is still time on the clock, they may repeat the Game from the beginning. Longer distances and harder routes equal more points.

5. The point system is as follows: Yellow Flag (Route 1) = 1.77 miles/1 point; Orange Flag (Route 2) = 2.43 miles/2 points; Green Flag (Route 3) = 5.74 miles/3 points; Purple Flag (Route 4) = 8.2 miles/5 points; White Flag (Route 5) = 8.6 miles/6 points; Red Flag (Route 6) = 13.6 miles/9 points; Blue Flag (Route 7) = 13.9 miles/10 points

6. Runners will attempt to retrieve flags from each location until the Game is over. All flags must be brought to the Start/Finish within the time limit to count. Every route completed is considered a win!

7. All points will be tallied including the first flag bonus points. The team with the most points wins the game. The individual with the highest score will be crowned the King of the Hill. The King of the Hill may or may not be on the winning team.

8. 6-hour Runners can start collecting points for their team from 12 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.. 6-hour runners also have the opportunity to collect the first flag bonus to increase their score, as well as their team's score.

9. A winning runner will be declared based on the point value that represents the flags they collected. Points will only be awarded when a route is completed within the time period of the Race. The winning team will also be declared based on points. This team may or may not include the winning runner.

10. First Flag Bonus. 12 hr and 6 hr Runners will race to be the runner to bring home first flag from each flag location for one extra point. Since there are 7 routes and two categories (12 hr and 6 hr), there are 14 first flag bonuses available on course for each race.

Gamification

Capture The Flags Ultra uses a simple but intricate system to accurately time the Race and prevent cheating, while offering a competitive and fun environment that evolves as the clock ticks. Runners will be timed at the start and finish of each route, which will calculate the time it takes to complete each route as well as the time in transition between routes. These times will add up to either 12 hours or 6 hours, minus any extra minutes and seconds at the tail end of the race where the runner is not allowed to leave transition because cutoff has passed. This extra time will not be added to the total time it takes to complete the cumulative distance of all of the routes a Runner completed within the timed race. Though these total times are important, the fastest runner may not be the winner. The Runner with the most points will be declared the winner. If there is a tie, the winner will be declared based on the time it took both runners to run all of their routes, including transition times.

Team and individual strategy is important and will evolve during the Race! There will be a scoreboard in transition for all participants and spectators and GPS runner "self-tracking" so the spectators at home can also follow along as The Race unfolds.

Runner's Guide

RUNNER'S GUIDE - Capture the Flags Ultra - Grandfather Mountain State Park

Event's current local time: 3:34 PM ET