Runners start the race at the parking lot just off Connector 3 Road inside the park, along the Poe Branch Creek. From there, the half marathon and the 10K start together, with runners in both races following the same route for the first six miles.
Those miles take you over a range of terrain, which in recent years has included surfaces from dirt to mulch, with plenty of rocks and tree roots to contend with as you run. There are also plenty of hills in the first half (of the half marathon), so expect lots of up-and-down terrain.
You can expect the trails to be wider and the terrain to be softer in the first half of the race, organizers say – it’s in the second half where the course shifts to single-track trails.
Once you finish the first 10 kilometers – the first six miles and change – that’s when the second half of the half marathon begins, and it takes you deeper into the park’s more remote wooded areas. Here’s where you’ll find some of the bigger hills in the race, especially between miles 9 and 10, where the steepest hill on the course occurs.
Where you’ll be running the race – Enterprise South Nature Park – doesn’t lie far from downtown Chattanooga. It should only take you about 15 minutes to drive there, as it’s located next door to the Volkswagen of Chattanooga car manufacturing plant.