About
The Firewater 100K, 50K (Sunrise & Sunset), and 50K Relay all take place on the East Lakeshore Trail on the east coast of the Tellico Reservoir. Firewater was the first event to utilize this trail system end-to-end, and this will be the 11th year running! We have The Watershed Association of the Tellico Reservoir (WATeR) to thank for these wonderful, well-maintained, and very runnable trails.
A few years ago we decided to change things up a bit, and everybody loved it so we're keeping it this way. The 100K (for years the only 100K trail race in Tennessee) runs the entire length of the trail out and then back. The 50K will start at the northern end (where the 100K turns around) and run back to the finish line. And, there is a relay option: The 50K Relay, where you and a friend each run half of the 50K course.
We recently added the 'Sunset' option for the 50K: Now you can choose to start at 8:30am (the 'Sunrise' option), or at 2:30pm (the 'Sunset' option) so you can start later in the day and catch the gorgeous sunset over Tellico Lake.
And hey, check out the new cowl hoodie shirts:
Courses
The finish line will once again be the southern terminus of the trail, at the Wildcat Pointe Trailhead (#10) - far left on this map:
The 100K course starts at Wildcat Pointe (#10), runs all the way north to the Canal Branch Trailhead (#1) turns around and returns all the way back to the finish line at Wildcat Pointe (#10).
After the 100K runners take off,
The 50K Sunrise runners will hop in a bus with us and ride to all the way north to the other end at the Canal Branch Trailhead (#1), then race all the way back to the finish at Wildcat Pointe (#10).
The 50K Sunset runners will hop in a bus with us around 2:00pm and ride to all the way north to the other end at the Canal Branch Trailhead (#1), then race all the way back to the finish at Wildcat Pointe (#10), enjoying a beautiful sunset along the way (remember your headlamps!).
The
50K Relay will be slightly different: The first leg will ride the bus up with the solo 50K runners, while the second leg will drive a car to the Sinking Creek Trailhead (#4) -- the first runner will run to your teammate at Sinking Creek, then the second runner will run to the finish line while the first runner drives the car back to the finish line for the celebration.
25K Ruck
New for 2025 we are adding a 25K (really about 22½K) Ruck event. We have had increased interest in adding a Ruck event so we decided to go for it! The Ruck will cover the second half of the 50K course -- you will ride the bus with the 50K folks, then after the 50K starts we will bus to the Ruck start and you'll get going around 9:00am.
Rucking is normally described as hiking with a weighted pack, but running with the pack is certainly allowed as well. The activity gets its name from the term "rucksack" which of course is another name for a "backpack." The backpack weights are 'dry' which means without any additional fluids or nutrition you may be carrying.
Male / non-binary - 30lb dry
Female - 15lb dry
Boys under 15yo - 20lb dry
Girls under 15yo - 10lb dry
Please plan to weigh in 30 minutes to 1 hour prior to the event start. Weight must be in the form of a steel ruck plate, weight vest blocks, bumper plates or other items which have the weight clearly stamped. Removal of plates or reduction of weight during the event is not allowed.
As is traditional with Ruck races, each finisher will receive a custom patch along with the normal swag. You will weigh-in at the finish to receive your patch.
We are excited to add this event and can't wait to see those patches!
Race Details
Use this Google document link to get details about aid station locations, distance between aid stations, cutoff times, crew access locations, drop bag locations, and pacer entry locations:
Course Details, Aid Stations, and Cutoff Times
Here's another Google document link to the
Firewater Runners Manual.
Event's current local time: 5:30 AM ET
