Land And Lakes Relay

Name: Land And Lakes Relay
Start: 2026-02-28T05:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-02-28T20:00:00-05:00
Location: Warren Wilson College

February 28, 2026 @ 5:00 am - 8:00 pm

Welcome to YEAR FOUR of the Land and Lakes Relay. This race is growing and we are excited to welcome back old friends and meet new teams and runners.

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.

Now is the time to get your team together to run and celebrate with us.

RACE DAY – SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28

Registration

Registration for the Land and Lakes Relay will open on Wednesday, June 4.

Captains should first register their teams and themselves then have the remaining team register under that 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.

Details

Date:: February 28, 2026
Time:: 5:00 am - 8:00 pm
Event Category:: MultiRace

Online Registration

Venue

: Warren Wilson College
: 701 Warren Wilson Road
Swannanoa, NC 28778 United States + Google Map

Race Information

Entry Fees

Packet Pickup/Late Registration

Schedule

Friday, February 27 – 4:00-6:00 PM – Mountain Running Company (4 South Tunnel Road, Suite 230, Asheville)

Saturday, February 28 – Packet Pickup – 4:00-5:15 AM – Devries Athletic Center, Warren Wilson College (701 Warren Wilson Road)

Saturday, February 28 – Team Starts – 5:00-6:00 AM – Devries Athletic Center, Warren Wilson College (701 Warren Wilson Road)

Saturday, February 28 – Post Race Party – 3:00-7:00 PM – Fonta Flora Brewery-Whippoorwill Farm (6751 NC-126, Nebo, NC)

Course(s)

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

Relay Leg Summary

Individual Leg Sheets

Additional Info.

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 purchase during registration, including our ever-popular hoodie and a new quarter-zip you will want to have.

Photos

Team and Course Photos – 2025

Team and Course Photos-2024

Team & Course Photos-2023

Team & Course Photos-2021

Post Race

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.

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.

Awards

We will recognize the winning team in the following categories for both four and six-person teams:

Open Male/Female

Open Mixed

Masters Male & Female (all members 40 & Over)

Mixed Masters (all members 40 & Over)

Grandmasters Male & Female (all members 50 & Over)

Mixed Grandmasters (all members 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.

Timing

Dogs

Parking

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.

Cancellations & Transfers

Results