North Carolina · Saturday, January 10, 2026
The South Mountains Marathons is a half marathon and marathon event held on Saturday, January 10, 2026.
Come out to Valdese and join us for the 50th running of the Great Waldensian Footrace to celebrate the Festival of the Glorious Return. A long-running staple of the August race calendar, the Great Waldensian Footrace features a 5K, 10K, and 1 Mile Fun Run/Walk, surrounded by the Historic Valdese Festival. All participants & guests are invited to take a cool, post-race swim in the Valdese Community Pool. Enjoy local crafts, food, and great entertainment throughout the day.
Day of race registration is available from 7:00am to 7:45am. Race entry fees are $20 through March 1st; $25 from March 2nd through July 31st; and $30 through August 6th. Race day entries are $35. Students may enter the 5K or 10K for $15 through August 6th. Entries received after July 15th cannot be guaranteed a tee shirt. Register early, claim your preferred tee shirt size, and save!
HKY 100 Mile Ultra Run
Experience. Camaraderie. Competition.
Hickory’s inaugural 100 Mile Ultra Trail Race is for teams of 2 to 10 people and soloists. This demanding course puts you or your team racing around the clock challenging the limits of endurance, pace and strategy. The course consists of a 4-mile route taking you on double-track farm trails (believed to be old moonshine roads), to single track hiking trails onto the newly created Aviation Trail, then through Winkler Park into the Hickory Crawdad’s stadium where the start/finish line welcomes you back. Over 15,500 feet of elevation awaits you for this 100-mile challenge. The route consists of approximately 70% trails and 30% paved. There are several short steep climbs and two longer climbs at .65 miles each (see course map). The course will be well marked with cones, arrow signs and reflective tape for night running. Keep in mind this course will consist of off-road trails that include hills, descents, tight turns, roots, rocks and other trail type features.
The Hickory Foundation YMCA is excited to announce that we will celebrate the 25th Annual Hickory Turkey Trot 5K, 10K, and Fun Run on Saturday - November 21st, 2026. Proceeds from this race help the Y carry out its Mission to provide programs that build healthy spirit, mind, and body to make Hickory a stronger community. Your race entry fee and generous Donations will help to continue this support in our community.