4 running events in Mauldin, South Carolina

🎄✨ HO HO HO and Welcome to the TACKIEST 5K of the Year! ✨🎄

Straight from the North Pole (okay, maybe more like South Carolina), it’s your jolly friend Christmas here, and I’m inviting YOU to jingle all the way through the woods at the Tacky Sweater 5K! 🎅🧣🎽 This isn’t just any run—it’s a full-blown festive fashion disaster parade on the move! Whether the forecast calls for snowflakes ❄️ or sweat beads 💦, nothing stops a South Carolina runner in a sweater covered in tinsel, blinking lights, and pure holiday joy! 🌟

🦌 Tacky Day Details:

🎄 WHEN: Race kicks off at 10:00am sharp (don’t be late—Santa's watching!)

🎁 WHERE: Lakewood Nature Preserve – 220 Lakewood Dr., Greenville, SC

🎁 PACKET PICKUP: Begins one hour before the run (plenty of time to fluff your sweater pom-poms!)

Get ready for 2 festive loops (1.5 miles each) through the wild & whimsical woods of Lakewood! The trails are wide, grassy, and sprinkled with just enough hills to jingle your bells 🎶. Keep your eyes peeled for curious critters who might just mistake your outfit for a holiday decoration gone rogue! 🐿️🦃🦌

• COURSE MAP HERE

🎉 TACKY SWEATER CONTEST 🎉

This is where the magic ✨ (and the mayhem) happens!

🎅 CASH PRIZES for the most spectacularly ridiculous sweaters:

TEAM AND SOLO COMPETITION

🥇 1st – $50

🥈 2nd – $25

🥉 3rd – $10

👕 Rules of the Reindeer Runway:

Sweaters MUST be worn the entire race (not tied around your waist like a last-minute elf escape).

🎨 Creativity – The wilder, the better (lights? ornaments? 3D candy canes? YES.)

🎄 Theme – Bonus for holiday or running-inspired looks!

🧶 DIY Vibes – Homemade disasters get extra love.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 All ages & styles welcome—kids, grownups, even your festive four-legged friends! 🐶

🧑‍🎄 Best Group Sweater – Grab your crew, match your holiday chaos, and shine together!

📸 Photo Finish Required – Strike a pose at the "Tacky Sweater Finish Line" (go ahead, throw in some jazz hands!).

🎤 Judging Tent Fun – Head there post-race to show off your style and collect your prizes!

🙌 Spectator Votes Count! Loud cheers, claps, and votes at the post-race party help crown the People’s Choice!

🌲 After the Race:

Kick back by the barn, soak up the holly-jolly vibes, and sip on holiday cheer (BYOB-style! 🧃🎅). Enjoy festive tunes, fun photo ops, and all the cozy feels as we celebrate the season together. So grab your most horrendous holiday sweater (the itchier, the better), lace up those jingle-joggers, and run wild through the woods in full festive fashion. 🎄💨 This is one holiday event you’ll remember fa-la-la-long after the season’s gone!

🌕 Ahem... Hello, dear runners. It is I—your guiding glow, your silent cheerleader through the darkness—the Moon. 🌌✨ Allow me to personally invite you to one of my favorite nights of the year: The Longest Night Trail & Ultra Run at Lakewood Nature Preserve. Trust me, I’ll be watching every step. 🌙👣

As I rise over the trees and cast my silver light across the prairie, you'll embark on an overnight running adventure like no other—starting at sunset and continuing ‘til the first golden whisper of dawn. 🌄 From the cozy charm of an old barn nestled in the preserve, you’ll set out on a 1.5-mile loop through wide grassy trails under my watchful eye. Whether you're a seasoned ultrarunner or just testing your night legs, this is your time to shine.

Every loop you run, you’re racing both the clock and the stars. ⏳✨ You’ll have 25 minutes to complete each loop—plenty of time to push your pace, then cozy up by the fire with fellow moonlit wanderers while I float above. 🔥🐺🦉As you run, listen for the whisper of wings, the rustle of deer, and maybe even the soft crunch of fox paws. You’re not just racing—you’re part of the nighttime wilderness now. And I promise, it’s magical. And when your legs are tired and your heart full, you’ll gather beneath my setting light and the rising sun to celebrate the wild, quiet journey you just completed.

🌙 Event Details

🕕 When: All races begin at 6:00pm (just as I rise!)

📍 Where: Lakewood Nature Preserve – 220 Lakewood Dr. Greenville, SC

🎽 Packet Pickup: Begins at 4:30pm inside the barn

⏱️ALL RUNNERS MUST ADHERE TO THE TIME SCHEDULE BELOW, Completing Laps under 25 Minutes

🌙 Choose Your Nightly Journey

🏃 50 Miles – 34 Laps

🏃 50K – 21 Laps

🏃 Marathon – 18 Laps

🏃 Half Marathon – 9 Laps

🏃 10K – 4 Laps

🌙 What to Expect:

1.5 mile loop on wide grassy paths

Rolling hills, perfect for moonlit pacing

Free parking and ample space for tents or a cozy setup inside the barn

Fireside warmth, good company, and maybe a howling chorus 🎶

🌲Course

The course extends 1.5 miles from our central barn, which serves as the hub for the start/finish line, the runners’ aid station, and the personal setup area.

• Course Map HERE

🌙 Aid Station:

🍲 Hot soup & broth (Veggie)

🥨 Pickles, chips, candy, fig newtons

🥤 Water, Coke, ginger ale, Wildly Charged Hydration

🚫 Cup-less event! Please bring your own hydration vessel.

🌙 Personal Set Up:

There is ample space in and around the barn for your personal setup. If you and your crew are coming, we’ll have room around the barn and along the course for larger base camp setups. Bring your tent, your friends, your firewood, and your sense of adventure. Just remember: pack it in, pack it out so we leave this preserve more beautiful than we found it. So lace up, brave soul. Let’s run through the dark together. I’ll be there, shining above—your finish line beacon in the longest night. 🌕💫

Site & Setup Guidelines

• Fire pits: Must be off the ground or set on a protective ground barrier.

• Tents: All tents must be properly staked in and secured.

• Setup time: On-site setup will begin at 3:00 PM.

• Parking by the barn: If you are running a half marathon distance or less, please do not park by the barn. Those spaces are reserved for runners attempting longer distances.

Parking & Setup

With 350+ runners in attendance, our space (parking and setup) is limited, but we can accommodate everyone if we all make smart preparations this week and follow directions on race day.

Setup Time

• The preserve opens at 3:00 PM for SETUP.

Parking Plan

• Barn parking (150 spots): First come, first served.

• Field lot (adjacent to barn): Once barn parking fills, park here next.

• Road parking: After the field lot is full, participants may park along the road leading into the preserve.

• 🚨 IMPORTANT: ROAD PARKING RULE

• ✅ Park on the RIGHT side of the road ONLY.

• ❌ Any car parked on the LEFT side WILL BE TOWED.

Base Camp Rules

• ✅ Tents, tables, and portable firepits / propane fires are permitted.

• Please be mindful of the space you use so everyone has room to set up.

• Pack In, Pack Out: Do not leave trash on site and do not leave it by the barn for me to handle. That’s not our job.

• No Utilities - This nature preserve has NO POWER and NO WATER.

Register now... before the sun rises.