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2023 Raccoon Mountain Road Race 5K / 10K
Saturday, February 25, 2023
Volunteer Opportunities: 02/25/2023
Chattanooga, Tennessee
5K Timed Run
10K Timed Run - ROY Race
Event Schedule
- Saturday, February 25 10:00 AM-10:30 AM 10K Timed Run - ROY Race 10:00 AM-10:30 AM 5K Timed Run
Saturday, February 25
• 8:30 - 9:45 AM Eastern - Packet pick up & Registration • 9:45 AM EST - REGISTRATION CLOSES • 10:00 AM EST - 5k & 10k START (10K is a Runner of the Year race.) • 11:15 - Noon - Awards ceremony, refreshments and door prizes ALL FINISHERS WILL RECEIVE A MEDAL. Sub Events & Pricing Register by February 12 if you want to be guaranteed a T-shirt. Shirts will be long sleeve, 100% cotton, Gildan G240 6oz (thick). The order for T-shirts will be placed on the morning of February 13. A limited number of extra shirts will be ordered, but there will be no reorder. For registrations after February 12, as sizes sell out, they will disappear from size options available. If your size is not available when you register, you can trade for a different size after the race if all shirts are not claimed. If your size is not available and you do not want to risk having to take the wrong size, opt-out for a $5 discount. FAMILY - FRIENDLY PRICING! Young people can race, get a T-shirt, and get a finisher medal for only $10. We are using the same affordable Raccoon Mountain prices as pre-pandemic 2019 ! 5k - 21 and under $10.00 with shirt 5k - 22 and older $25.00 with shirt Race Day Price $25.00 with no shirt 10k - 21 and under $10.00 with shirt 10k - 22 and older $25.00 with shirt Race Day Price $25.00 with no shirt Any remaining shirts not claimed on race day by registered runners may be purchased for $10. Cash, checks, and credit cards will be accepted. OVERVIEW The Raccoon Mountain Road Races are USATF Certified 5k and 10k races sponsored by the Chattanooga Track Club, taking place at one of the most scenic, quiet, and peaceful race courses in the region. The course is entirely on roads within the TVA reserve, meaning vehicular traffic will be minimal. Most of the race circles a 528 acre lake, with a portion of the race run on the largest rockfill dam ever built by TVA, 8500 feet long and 230 feet high. From the dam, spectacular views of the Tennessee River Gorge toward the west and Lookout Mountain toward the south make this race unique. MOVING RACCOON MOUNTAIN TO A WINTER RACE WAS POPULAR IN 2022. Over time, several Chattanooga Track Club 10k races have drifted into the September / October time frame, while a huge winter void has remained on the calendar. Logistically, with Raccoon Mountain in September, we always had to keep our fingers crossed right up until race morning, hoping that TVA would unlock the gate at the top of the mountain timely as promised to give volunteers time to finish setting up the course. In 2022, we moved Raccoon Mountain to February, giving CTC a winter 10k! Raccoon was the perfect race to move, because it allows us to start the race later, mitigating the possibility of a nightmare scenario of cars lined up onto Elder Mountain Road waiting for the gate to be unlocked! START TIME Both races start at 10:00AM Eastern. Since all vehicles must travel over the race course to reach parking at the start / finish line, all spectators and runners should be parked at Laurel Point no later than 9:45AM Eastern. Hint: If you plan to arrive at 9:45, aim for 9:30 instead. At the top of the mountain, you will have to drive another 4 miles on the course to reach the start/finish line. For the safety and enjoyment of participants and volunteers, vehicles may be delayed intermittently if traveling on the course to and from the start/finish line between 9:45 AM and 10:30 AM Eastern. DIRECTIONS There is not a street address for the start/finish line. For navigation, use 541 Browns Ferry Road (Chattanooga), turn onto Elder Mountain Road, and follow signs. The start line is approximately 12 miles from downtown Chattanooga. From Chattanooga, take I-24 westbound around Moccasin Bend to exit 175. Turn right, drive 0.9 miles on Brown's Ferry Road and turn left onto Elder Mountain Road at the Brown's Ferry Food Mart. Follow Elder Mountain Road 1.8 miles up the mountain, then turn left at the Raccoon Mountain Project entrance. Follow signs to Laurel Point. Map coordinates for Laurel Point are 35°02'42.5"N 85°25'01.0"W PARKING There is plenty of free parking at the start / finish line at Laurel Point. TVA requires that we not park on the grass and will bill the Chattanooga Track Club for the costs of repairing any damage caused by parking on the grass. So, please park in the paved lots. COURSE DESCRIPTION Both courses are USATF certified. Start and finish line is at Laurel Point. For 5K and 10K, there is a climb to the dam at the end of mile 1 and corresponding downhill in the last mile. Mile 2 of the 5K is completely flat (on the dam). For the 10K, there are three or four additional hills, two of them significant. The first significant hill begins at the end of the dam at the 1.5 mile mark and rises gradually for about 0.6 miles. The second, beginning at the 3.2 mile mark, is 170 feet uphill over 0.55 miles and is one of the better known hills in Chattanooga area races. After the 3.8 mile mark, the course is almost completely downhill or flat. OPTIONAL T-SHIRT & BIB# PICK-UP There will optional bib# and T-shirt pickup Friday afternoon, February 24, at CTC headquarters, 1014 Dallas Road (Suite 101) from 4:00 to 6 pm. (From downtown Chattanooga, cross the Market Street bridge and continue straight on Market. At Northside Upholstery, the road will turn slightly to the right and become Dallas Road. Continue on Dallas Road 0.4 miles past Circle K and Guardian Storage Centers. CTC is in the first building on the right past Guardian Storage.) There will be plenty of time Saturday morning at the start / finish line to check in and pick up your bib and T-shirt. T-shirts will be reserved Saturday morning for pre-registered runners who have ordered a T-shirt. RACE CANCELLATION POLICY If the race must be canceled for any reason (most likely inclement winter weather), the race will not be rescheduled and there will be no refunds. Our permit from TVA only allows us to use the facility on February 25. Most costs associated with the race (such as T-shirts, awards, and TVA’s fee for use of the facility) are up-front costs which will be incurred even if the race cannot be held, thereby preventing us from offering refunds in the event of cancellation. IMPORTANT - PHONE # AND EMAIL FOR RACE UPDATES - IMPORTANT Please provide a phone number for text messages in the event late updates regarding the status of the race are necessary. Pre-registered runners providing a valid email address also will be emailed any important information regarding the race as soon as information becomes available. All runners should watch the CTC’s Facebook page (CTC On the Go!) for ongoing updates regarding door prizes and other interesting information regarding the race. BENEFICIARIES The Chattanooga Track Club is a non-profit 501(c)-3 corporation. The race director is a volunteer who does not receive a fee for directing the race. Any limited net proceeds after expenses will accrue to the Chattanooga Track Club.
Please arrive and park at Laurel Point by 9:45 A.M. It will take you longer to get there than you think, because when you reach the top of the mountain, you still have to drive the last 4 miles of the 10k course to get to the starting line. Hint: if you're planning to arrive at 9:45, aim for 9:30 instead. There is plenty of free parking.