Land and Sky Relay

April 15-June 30 – $380 per team ($342 for Glory Hound Social Club Members)

July 1 – November 10 – $460 per team (($414 for Glory Hound Social Club Members)

Schedule

Friday, November 11 – 4:00-7:00 PM – Location TBA

Saturday, November 12 – Packet Pickup – 4:30-7:00 AM – White Duck Taco (380 Riverside Drive, Asheville)

Saturday, November 12 – Team Starts – 5:00-7:00 AM – White Duck Taco (380 Riverside Drive, Asheville)

Saturday, November 12 – Post Race Party – 4:00-8:00 PM – Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort

Teams will depart from White Duck Taco on Riverside Drive in Asheville and follow the French Broad River through the Old Leicester area of Buncombe County before connecting to Newfound Road into Haywood County.  Once there, teams will go through Clyde, Canton, Lake Junaluska, and Maggie Valley before the new sections on the Blue Ridge Parkway (pending NPS approval).  After leaving the parkway, teams will enter the Qualla Boundary of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.  Once there, runners will enjoy lightly traveled paved and graveled roads before finishing with their team mates at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort.

Full Course Turn-By-Turn Directions

Individual Legs-Course Maps & Elevation

Leg 1

Leg 2

Leg 3

Leg 4

Leg 5

Leg 6

Leg 7

Leg 8

Leg 9

Leg 10

Leg 11

Leg 12

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 3.0 miles to 8.1 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 – 16.3 miles

Runner 2 – 17.8 miles

Runner 3 – 15.8 miles

Runner 4 – 13.1 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 –  11.3 miles

Runner 2 –  7.6 miles

Runner 3 –  7.3 miles

Runner 4 –  13.4 miles

Runner 5 – 13.5 miles

Runner 6 – 9.9 miles

Official Start Times

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.

Leg Information

Please click on the link below to see detailed information about each of the twelve legs on the course.

Leg 1.                              Leg 5                            Leg 9

Leg 2                              Leg 6                             Leg 10

Leg 3                              Leg 7                             Leg 11

Leg 4                              Leg 8                             Leg 12

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:

Every runner must wear a flashing light on their front and back during each leg.  Our friends at Noxgear are providing a 35% discount (code: Gloryhound) to purchase their latest lighted vest, the Noxgear Tracer2.  This vest will satisfy our safety requirement.

During the hours of 5-8 AM and 4-7 PM, all runners must wear reflective vests.  In the dark, head lamps are highly recommended.

Teams will be checked for compliance at all Transfer Points and those not meeting these requirements will not be allowed to continue.

Time Limit

All teams must start their final leg by 7:30 PM.

Support

Each team is expected to be self-supporting.  There will be portajohns at each Transfer Point but each team is expected to carry their own fluids and food.

There will be event staff and volunteers on each leg of 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.

2021 Photographs

Team & Course Photos

Once in Cherokee, 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 inside Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Council Fire Ballroom) with free food from the Harrah’s culinary team, a free beer and other refreshments.

Team photos will be taken at the finish line and in front of our special event backdrop outside of the post-race room.

Team awards will be handed out throughout the evening.

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

Grandmasters Male & Female (all members 50 & Over)

Mixed Grandmasters

The winning team in each category will receive individual awards for each member of the team.  Awards will be presented throughout the post-race party as categories become complete.

The clock will start for each time at your assigned start time and end when you cross the finish line in Cherokee.  Each leg will be recorded at each Transfer Point.

Dogs are not permitted on the course, at the Transfer Points or at the finish line at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort

Each team will receive a parking pass that must be visible on the drivers side of the vehicle.

One vehicle per team.

Packet Pickup and Start – Please park in the south end of the parking lot at White Duck Taco.  Vehicles may not be left overnight or after the start on Saturday.

Transfer Points – Upon arriving at a Transfer Point, follow the directions of the parking volunteers to the next available spot, being 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.

Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort – Teams will park in the Self Park Garage, which is the second parking date on your left after exiting US 19.

Glory Hound, Inc. has a NO REFUND policy.

2021 Overall Results

2021 Leg Splits 

2019 Overall Results

2019 Leg Splits (Corrected)

We are looking for organizations to partner with to provide parking attendants and course marshal in exchange for a donation to the organization.  If your group would like to be involved in this very fun, fundraiser, please email greg@gloryhoundevents.com for more information.