Upcoming running, biking, triathlon, duathlon, runs and other events in the Tennessee Valley Outsider footprint. The calendar is updated periodically several months out for planning:
MARCH
March 8: Run the Cove Half-marathon and 10K, in Hampton Cove east of Huntsville. Flat, fun, fast courses with a couple of fun hills. Register here
March 8: 19th annual Delano Park 50-mile Solo, 12-hour Solo and 12-hour Relay, Decatur, Ala., on a certified 1-mile course. How many miles can you accumulate in the time you choose? Register here
March 8: DMR Glow Run, 6 p.m., starting at Adtran in Cummings Research Park in Huntsville. Benefits the Downtown Rescue Mission. Register here
March 8: Stump Jumper 50K and 10-miler, at the Prentice Cooper WMA near Chattanooga. Event is moved to March to not conflict with autumn hunting seasons on the WMA. Register here
March 15: Rocket Run 10-Miler, 8 a.m., Mooresville starting at the old church. Flat, fast course good for PR or state age record. Register here
March 15: Lucky Half-Marathon, 10K and 5K, Chattanooga in Canton at Etowah River Park. Register here
March 16: Chattanooga Shamrock Run 4-miler, 8 a.m. at Riverfront Park with the course along the Tennessee River. All runners receive a green tutu, t-shirt and finisher’s medal. Register here
March 22: 18th annual McKay Hollow Madness 25K and 12K, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Monte Sano State Park. Challenging event on some of the most popular trails including Sinks, Panther Knob, Stone Cuts, Mountain Mist, Goat, Warpath Ridge, McKay Hollow, Arrowhead and Natural Well along with a climb up Death Trail to the finish line. This is a technical race. Register here
March 29: MarMac River City Run 10K and 5K, to benefit the Committee on Church Cooperation. Route takes runners through residential streets and then finishing in Point Mallard Park along the backwaters of Flint Creek on the Tennessee River. Register here
March 29: Blue Heron 100s at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, with 100 mile, 100K, 40 mile and marathon options. All races start at 6 a.m. Flat course of crushed gravel/dirt. A donation from the race will be made to Wheeler Wildlife Refuge Association. Cool event with laid-back old school vibe, aid stations, unique finisher medals. Register here
APRIL
April 1: 14th Double Helix Dash 5K, 5:30 p.m. at Hudson-Alpha in Huntsville. Note this is a midweek evening event. Fun course on the Hudson-Alpha campus including the cool DNA double helix. Register here
April 5: Bridge Street 5K, at Bridge Street in Huntsville. Flat, fast course perfect for a PR. Register here
April 5: Shamrock 5K, at Big Spring Park in Huntsville, to raise money to fight child abuse. Register here
April 6: Bridge Street Half-Marathon, in Cummings Research Park and Bridge Street in Huntsville. Flat, fast course perfect for a PR and (hardly any, probably) traffic. Register here
April 12: Dueling Banjos 10k & 5k trail run challenge, Gurley, pairing an extremely hard uphill 5K trail race with a net-negative downhill 10K trail race. Registration for both events required. Register here
April 12: 21st Annual Swampers 5K & 1 Mile Run/Walk, Muscle Shoals, proceeds benefit the Shoals Civic League. Register here
April 12: Salmon Run 5K, Huntsville, to benefit Russell Hill Cancer Foundation and HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. Register here
April 12: 2nd Annual Owens Cross Roads Police Department Reserve Units 5K and Fun Run, starts at 7 p.m. Register here
April 12: 3rd annual Devil’s Racetrack Backyard Ultra, Wade Mountain Preserve, Huntsville. Challenging trails. Each loop is exactly 4.167 miles and must be completed within an hour if you wish to continue. Runners must be in the starting corral when the horn sounds. Register here
April 12: Chickamauga Chase 15K road, 8-mile trail and 5K road races, at Fort Oglethorpe, Ga. The Chickamauga Chase has been held since 1969 in the historic and beautiful Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park. The Chickamauga Chase is Chattanooga’s oldest continuously run road race, and the signature event 15K is one of America’s oldest races at that distance. Register here
April 19: 6th annual Stillhouse 100K by Bad Beard Events, Chattanooga. An out-and-back of the cult classic, point-to-point, Upchuck 50k that runs on the technically challenging single track of the Cumberland Trail. Register here
April 19: 11th Annual Slawburger Chase 5k/10k, kicking off the Fayetteville MainStreet Slawburger Festival. Overall, masters and age group awards. Register here
April 19: Mustang Mud Run 5K, at Madison Academy in Madison, includes 18-22 obstacles along and through Indian Creek and the adjacent wooded areas of the MA campus. This family-friendly, fun mud run is open to anyone over the age of 10. Register here
April 26: National Cornbread Festival 5K, South Pittsburg, Tenn., starts in front of Lodge Cast Iron. Race entry gets you into the cornbread festival. Register here
April 26: Lost Falls Half-Marathon and 10K, at DeSoto State Park in Fort Payne. Stunningly cool, scenic and challenging course. Pro tip: get a room at the lodge the night before and wake up refreshed. Register here
April 26: David McKannan Memorial 5K, 7 a.m. at Ditto Landing in Huntsville. Proceeds benefit ALS research. Course is flat and fast. Fun run at 8 a.m. Register here
MAY
May 3: 9th annual Dan Robinson Memorial 10K and 5K, at Grant Town Park, hosted by the Grant Playground and Recreation Association. Proceeds benefit the Kidtopia. Scenic course with lung-testing hills (take a water bottle) and a great vibe. Register here
May 10: Smoke Rise Half-marathon, 10K and 5K, at Blevins Gap Nature Preserve at Land Trust of North Alabama site in south Huntsville. Stiff climbs, challenging trails and scenic views of east and west Huntsville. A few rocks, too. Register here
May 10: Taco Trot 5K, at Civitan Park in Guntersville, with a taco and mimosa-maragarita bar afterwards. Proceeds benefit Family Services of North Alabama, which provides aid in Victim Services & Prevention and Workforce Development & Education. The course is beside Lake Guntersville. Register here
JUNE
June 4: The Big Run 5K, 6 p.m. at John Hunt Running Park, Huntsville, includes a cookout, ice cream and live music. Pre-registration is required; no on-site registration. Register here
June 7: Heel & Crank Duathlon, Huntsville, tentatively at Columbia High School and Cummings Research Park. Participants will do a 3-mile run, roughly 15-mile bike ride and finish with a 3-mile run. Course shifts this year from Mooresville and with a new date. Run course is Indian Creek Greenway and cycling course is the US Paralympics championship course. Register here
June 14: 24th annual Wet Dog Triathlon, at Point Mallard Park in Decatur. Wet Dog is a 400 meter open water swim, followed by a 15k bike ride and a 5k run. Wet Dog is a fundraiser for Mosaic Mentoring of North Alabama, a non-profit child and family mentoring organization. Register here
JULY
July 4: Firecracker 5K, at Morningside Baptist Church on south Bailey Cove Road, Huntsville, starting at 8 a.m. Runners take off from the church, hit the Aldridge Creek Greenway and come back to finish at the church. Flat and fast! Awesome post-race refreshments, too. Register here
July 4: Freedom 5K and Independence Mile, downtown Huntsville at Big Spring Park (by the canal) starting at 7 a.m. Runners go past the Huntsville Museum of Art, through historic downtown streets and back to a raucous finish line. Plus, post-race hot dogs and goodies. Sign up for the combo to test your mile skills after the 5K. Register here
Send information to TVO at info@thetvo.com
TRIATHLONS: Chattanooga Triathlon Club has an extensive list of tri, sprint-tri and other events in the region. Look Here
LOCAL GROUP RUNS
Our thanks to Jeff Plain and We Run Downtown Huntsville for this list of free, inclusive group runs in Huntsville and Madison. Search for We Run Downtown Huntsville and these other run groups on Facebook for more information:
