Set for its 16th annual running here among the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains of eastern Tennessee, this Halloween-themed race takes runners on an out-and-back loop course through the small city of Cookeville, where runners and walkers will start the race on the campus of Tennessee Tech University.
Upper Cumberland Haunted Half Marathon, Relay, & 5K
Date
Oct 25, 2025
Starting Time
7:00 AM
Course
Road
Fees
$80+
Location
Cookeville
Participants
100-500
Terrain
Some Hills
Environment
Small Town
Temperature
High: 69°
/ Low: 42°
Overview
Course Description
From the starting line near the intersection of North Dixie Avenue and B Street on the Tennessee Tech campus, runners head south on what is basically a clockwise loop through the city’s downtown and out into some of the more rural areas just outside town.
Runners make their way through mostly city streets and retail shops in the first couple of miles, and then head into more residential neighborhoods in the later miles.
As mentioned above, the Haunted Half is open to both runners and walkers, provided they can reach the finish line within 3.5 hours — which means they’ll need to maintain a pace of 16 minutes per mile or better.
Runners who don’t want to cover all 13.1 miles of the race by themselves should know the race also features a three-person relay event. The first leg of the race is 4 miles, followed by the second leg (4.7 miles) and the third leg, which is 4.4 miles.
The course for the half marathon is USATF (USA Track & Field) certified, and entrants must be at least 14 years of age on the day of the race in order to participate.
