Welcome to the 5th Anniversary of the Land and Lakes Relay! We are excited to welcome back old friends and meet new teams and runners on this one-day relay!
The race will once start again at Warren Wilson College in East Asheville and finish at the amazing Fonta Flora Brewery-Whippoorwhill Farm in Nebo, near Lake James.
2027 RACE DAY – MARCH 6, 2027!
Registration
Registration for the Land and Lakes Relay will open on Wednesday, July 1.
Captains should first register their themselves and their team and team members can then register under the team name.
Race Capacity
In order to provide the best possible experience, the race will be capped at 50 teams. Due to the increased popularity of this event, we anticipate it selling out well before race day.
Race Information
July 1-September 30 – $450 per team
October 1-January 31, 2027 – $500 per team
February 1 – Race Day – $550 per team
The entry fees shown here do not include service charges and taxes added by the registration platform. Those fees will be visible during the online registration process.
Schedule
Friday, March 5 – 4:00-6:00 PM – Mountain Running Company (4 South Tunnel Road, Asheville, NC)
Saturday, March 6 – Packet Pickup – 4:00-5:15 AM – Devries Athletic Center, Warren Wilson College (701 Warren Wilson Road)
Saturday, March 6 – Team Starts – 5:00-6:00 AM – Devries Athletic Center, Warren Wilson College (701 Warren Wilson Road)
Saturday, March 6 – Post Race Party – 3:00-7:00 PM – Fonta Flora Brewery-Whippoorwhill Farm (6751 NC-126, Nebo, NC)
We are planning to stay with the course route established in 2025.
Teams will depart from Warren Wilson College in East Asheville and head east through Swannanoa and into Black Mountain and around Lake Tomahawk before following much of the Geyser Growl Half Marathon course into Old Fort. Once there, teams will go through downtown Marion before reaching the beautiful area around Lake James. The final runners will then finish with their team mates at the rustic Fonta Flora Brewery-Whippoorwhill Farm.
Format
Depending on the size of the team, each runner will run either two or three legs during the relay. They may be follow the usual 1, 2, 3, 4/1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 format or you may structure the legs to fit your team. The only requirement is your team checks in at each transfer point and we identify the person running the next leg.
If someone gets hurt or cannot continue for some reason, other team members can pick up the slack and run extra legs.
Legs will range in distance from 3.3 miles to 7.7 miles.
Four-person teams following the traditional 1, 2, 3, 4 – 1, 2, 3, 4 – 1, 2, 3, 4 format will see each runner complete the following cumulative distance:
Runner 1 – 15.1 miles
Runner 2 – 15.9 miles
Runner 3 – 17.8 miles
Runner 4 – 12.8 miles
Six-person teams following the traditional 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 format will see each runner complete the following cumulative distance:
Runner 1 – 11.0 miles
Runner 2 – 9.2 miles
Runner 3 – 9.2 miles
Runner 4 – 10.4 miles
Runner 5 – 12.7 miles
Runner 6 – 9.1 miles
Individual Leg Sheets
Official Start Times
Teams will start as early as 5:00 AM with the last teams going out no later than 6:00 AM.The start times will based on the team’s estimated per mile pace. Those with the slower times will go in the earlier slots; those with the fastest will go later.
Do not put down a faster time just to start later. This will catch up to you and you might not reach the cut-off time to continue the race.
To estimate an accurate team pace, take the average of each members 10K race pace then add 45 seconds.
Start times will be announced in mid February.
Safety
Your safety is our primary concern. Because all of the roads we will travel on will be open to cars, our requirements for active runners are a little more strict than other relays:
During the hours of 5:00-7:00 AM, all runners must wear reflective vests and head lamps.
We highly recommend every runner wear a flashing light on their front and back during each leg. Some of these roads are twisty and having a flashing light, despite the time of the day, will heighten your visibility.
Teams will be checked for compliance at all Transfer Points and those not meeting these requirements will not be allowed to continue.
Age Limit
Due to the remoteness of some of the roads we travel and because team vehicles do not travel the same roads as their runners on some legs, the minimum age to participate in this event is 18 years old.
Time Limit
All teams must start their final leg by 5:00 PM.
Support
Each team is expected to be self-supporting. There will be restrooms at all Transfer Points but each team is expected to carry their own fluids and food.
There will be event staff and volunteers on the course as well as each Transfer Point. Public safety personnel will be at each busy intersection managing traffic.
Stuff
Each member of each pre-registered team will receive an official race garment and other goodies.
We also have swag available for sale during registration. More info coming soon!
Photos
Once at Fonta Flora Brewery, teams will be able to cross the finish line together and celebrate the accomplishment and journey with their fellow competitors at a post-race party at the outdoor event space, including a free beer for all 21+ participants.
Back for 2027: Each team is invited to submit their Finishing Song to hear as they come across the finish line. More coming soon!
Team photos will be taken in front of our special backdrop next to the bar.
Team awards will be handed out throughout the day.
Fonta Flora will have food trucks that day for teams to purchase from on site.
Fonta Flora has requested that teams stay in the post-race area and not the main tap room.
We will recognize the winning team in the following categories for both four and six-person teams:
Open Male/Female (average team age < 40 years old)
Open Mixed (average team age < 40 years old)
Masters Male & Female (average team age 40-49)
Mixed Masters (average team age 40-49)
Grandmasters Male & Female (average team age 50 & Over)
Mixed Grandmasters (average team age 50 & Over)
The winning team in each category will receive our traditional baton awards for each member of the team. Awards will be presented throughout the post-race party as categories become complete.
Team categories will be determined by the average age of the team. The team captain should calculate the average age of all team members and choose the appropriate category based on those above.
The clock will start for each team at your assigned start time and end when you cross the finish line. Each leg will be recorded at each Transfer Point.
Each team will have a bib with a timing chip attached. This bib should be worn by the runner crossing the finish line.
Individual splits will be calculated after the event and emailed to team captains.
Dogs are not permitted on the course or at the Transfer Points.
Each team will receive a parking pass that must be visible on the drivers side of the vehicle.
One vehicle per team. Some of our transfer points have a limited capacity for vehicle. No RV’s, campers or trailers are permitted.
Start – Please follow the signs and park in the area around the Chapel just before Devries Athletic Center . Vehicles may not be left overnight or after the start on Saturday.
Transfer Points – Upon arriving at a Transfer Point, find an available spot without blocking other teams or entrances. In some cases there will be volunteers directing you to the next available spot. Be careful to avoid runners coming in and going out. Spaces at some Transfer Points will be at premium so we ask you to collect your runner and be on your way.
Fonta Flora Brewery-Whippoorwill Farm – Teams will take the second entrance and follow the gravel road to the designated parking areas. It is a short walk from there to the finish and post-race area.
Glory Hound, Inc. has a NO REFUND policy. This is a rain or shine event.
We understand things happen and team members may need to be replaced with another runner. To do that, the runner leaving the team should log into Race Roster and follow the Transfer prompt.
Land and Lakes Relay Results
Land and Sky Relay Results
We need volunteers to act as coordinators and assist with parking at many of the eleven Transfer Points along the course. Volunteers will receive a sweet piece of swag, a free entry into one Glory Hound Events owned events in 2026 and an invitation to join us at the post-race celebration at Fonta Flora Brewing-Whippoorwhill Farms.
The locations and times of where we need assistance are as follows:
Transfer Point 3 (6:00-8:00 AM), Excel Collge, Black Mountain
Transfer Point 4 (6:45-8:30 AM), Andrews Geyser, Old Fort
Transfer Point 9 (10:45 AM-1:15 PM), McDowell Chamber of Commerce/Visitor Center, Marion
Transfer Point 10 (11:00 AM-2:30 PM), Big League Camp, Marion
Transfer Point 11 (12:00-3:45 PM), Oak Grove Baptist Church, Nebo
Finish Line (12:00-4:30 PM), Fonta Flora Brewing-Whippoorwhill Farms*
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