Memorial Day Weekend Races – 2010 – Asheville, NC – Western North Carolina

There’s plenty to choose from on the racing scene this Memorial Day weekend including traditional road races and grueling trail races. Here’s a summary of what I see in the area.

Friday May, 28th.

The Rock 2 Rock 10k Trail Race was the one I chose last year. It was the toughest race I’ve ever run but it’s a beautiful place and a beautiful course. The downhill part of it is highly technical but if you’re up for a challenge, I highly recommend this.

Saturday May 29th.

The Sunset Stampede 10 Mile race is the one I’m doing this year. I’ve done this three times before (2006, 2007 and 2008). It’s a long steady climb to the top of Sunset Mountain (the halfway point) followed by a nice, often shady downhill run on Patton Mountain Road and Sunset. The drawback on this race is that it starts at 9:00 AM and things can get a little warm at the end of May by 9:00 AM.

The Lighten up for Life 5k race that goes along with the 10 miler is in West Asheville in the afternoon (4:00 PM) starting near the Silver Dollar Cafe.

The trail race on Saturday is the Paris Mountain 15k Trail Race. This sounds like a nice one with lots of single track running in a scenic setting. Trail races can be great choices when the weather warms up because the vegetation provides refreshing cool shade.

There’s also a pair of races held in conjunction with the White Squirrel Festival in Brevard. The White Squirrel 5k/10k starts and finishes at the Brevard Music Center. I ran the 10k in 2008 and it was rolling and featured a tough uphill finish.