Great Smoky Mountains Half Marathon

A gorgeously scenic run through the Blue Ridge Mountains that straddle the Tennessee-North Carolina border await runners at the Great Smoky Mountains Half Marathon, which makes its third annual running in the late summer along a very gradual climb near the entrance to the national park just outside Knoxville.

Runners should note that this race isn’t actually run inside the confines of Great Smoky Mountains National Park — while the National Park Service allows some running events to be run inside its parks and wildlife areas (like Death Valley), in many cases the environment is too sensitive to allow events like these.

However, you’ll get to experience the feel for what the park is like just outside its gates, as you’ll cross the finish line less than two miles from the park entrance on the Tennessee side, and will get to see the “smoky” mountains that surround Maryville and Townsend all around throughout the race.