Mount Mitchell Challenge and Black Mountain Marathon

The 40-mile Mt Mitchell Challenge begins at dawn in Black Mountain and follows trails to the "rooftop" of Western North Carolina, the 6,684' summit of Mount Mitchell (aka eastern America's highest point) before returning to the start/finish area. With a starting altitude of 2,360', the elevation gain for this 40-mile run will be 4,324' in the first 20 miles!

Race founders Wendell Begley of Black Mountain Savings and Trent Thomas from Black Dome Mountain Sports saw a need for this kind of event for both the elite athlete and the weekend warrior. Their goal was to design a race that was attainable physically while offering the opportunity to test oneself against the often uncooperative forces of nature. 

Spots for the race fill up very far in advance (registration typically opens in July), but it's also a great race to watch and cheer runners on!