Race Date: Saturday November 06, 2021
Welcome to the second Land and Sky Relay, returning on Saturday, November 6, 2021. We are grateful to all of the teams that joined us for our inaugural journey in 2019 and look forward to seeing them again plus a host of teams from across the country.
This one day running relay race will take four and six-person teams on a sixty-three mile journey from Asheville to Cherokee, North Carolina through amazing valleys and up and down breathtaking ridges.
We have made some changes for 2021 including three redesigned legs near the end of the race that will include parts of the Blue Ridge Parkway and Mountains to Sea Trail. What won’t change is our unique format, incredible scenery and our fabulous staff and volunteers.
We hope you and your friends will join us on this adventure.
Registration
Online registration for the Land and Sky Relay opens at 9:00 AM on February 1, 2021.
For 2021, we are allowing teams of four and six people to participate.
Everyone on the team must be 21 years or older.
Race Capacity
In order to provide the best possible experience, the race will be capped at 100 teams.
Race Information
February 1-June 30 – $380 per team
July 1 – November 5 – $460 per team
Friday, November 5 – Packet Pickup – 4:00-7:00 PM – White Duck Taco (380 Riverside Drive, Asheville)
Saturday, November 6 – Packet Pickup – 4:30-7:00 AM – White Duck Taco (380 Riverside Drive, Asheville)
Saturday, November 6 – Team Starts – 5:00-7:00 AM – White Duck Taco (380 Riverside Drive, Asheville)
Saturday, November 6 – 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 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 Map
Individual Legs-Course Maps & Elevation
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 7.4 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 – 15.6 miles
Runner 2 – 18.5 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 – 12.8 miles
Runner 6 – 10.6 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.
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 30% discount (code: Gloryhound) to purchase their latest lighted vest, the Noxgear Tracer360. This vest will satisfy our safety requirement.
During the hours of 5-8 AM and 4-7 PM, all runners must wear reflective vests and head lamps.
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 long-sleeve race shirt.
2019 Photographs
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 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 for both Friday Packet Pickup and the start of the race on Saturday. 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 Hotel Parking Deck, which is the first parking date on your left after exiting US 19.
Glory Hound, Inc. has a NO REFUND policy. However, we do offer partial discount codes for cancellations during our cancellation periods. If the event is NOT sold out, a discount code for 50% of your race registration fee will be offered until 7 days prior to the race date. If the event IS sold out, a discount code for 100% of your race registration fee will be offered until 7 days prior to the race date.
Discount codes can be used to register for the 2022 event and will be valid for 12 months after the event date.
This policy only applies to the Land and Sky Relay. Discount codes from the previous year may not be used for any other events owned or managed by Glory Hound Events or its partnerships.
Teams may substitute team members by submitting this Substitution Form. This is the only way transfer the registration of one team member to another. Any team who is discovered to have substituted runners without submitting this form will be disqualified and banned from future races.
Unofficial results will be posted in the Post Race area inside Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort. Official results will be posted as soon as possible after the event.
TBA
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