The green, tree-covered hills and mountains of western North Carolina’s Nantahala National Forest rise all around the valley that is home to the campus of Western Carolina University, where the springtime running of Cullowhee’s Catamount Climb Half Marathon (known as the Valley of the Lilies Half Marathon until January 2021) is set to take runners on an out-and-back tour of the campus and its nearby mountain communities.
From the starting line on campus just off University Way, near WCU’s Balsam Residence Hall, runners will start the race by heading out through campus onto Killian Building Lane, followed by a loop around Central Drive, Buzzard’s Roost Road and Memorial Drive, along a stretch that brings runners past the university’s Hunter Library and its Natural Sciences Building.
