Homepage - 2024 Hiking Marathon

The Latest News

This year is the 10th anniversary of the Hiking Marathon. This is a summary of all that is happening over the next few weeks:

Mikki Betker is the author of a wonderful book about Salsa the Wonder Doodle’s travels along all the marathon trails. This book is on sale for $20 with all profits going to the Friends of the Trails.
We will have all types of merchandise for sale with the Anniversary Hiking Marathon logo. You order it online and they will be delivered to your home. (The online shop opens on July 8th.)
We are offering the 100-mile Ultra Marathon . Hikers can complete 74 miles during the months of July and August and then the final 26 miles during the regular marathon in September.
As usual we have the 26.2 mile Marathon, the 13.1 mile Half Marathon and the 10K Challenge.

ONLINE STORE OPEN!!

Yes, yes, you’ll still receive the traditional free t-shirt in October for participating in the 2024 marathon. 🙂

But this year, we’re also giving you an opportunity to show your 10th anniversary pride AND support the trails with polos, sweatshirts, jackets, caps, bags, and more! Visit our new website to shop a wide selection of merchandise in colors and sizes of your choice. All garments can be personalized with a black or white logo as seen above. Prices include printing of the logo and shipping directly to your address.

Your purchase will help build and maintain trails in the county, as proceeds benefit Friends of the Trails (FOTT).

Questions? Email to store@hikingmarathon.com

Hike 26.2 miles individually or in small groups over one month at your own pace on specially selected trails on the Cumberland Plateau. It is completely FREE to enter. Participate in the marathon and get a free T-shirt at the Hit the Trails Festival in October. Finish the marathon and also get a patch. Bring a dog with you and the dog will get a bandana.
Don’t feel that you can complete 26.2 miles……try the half-marathon(13.1 miles) or the 10K Challenge (6.3 miles).
You can download a log-sheet to record your progress as the whole marathon is done on the honor system.

What can you expect during the Marathon

If you have not done the marathon before, take a few minutes to watch this video to get a flavor for you the sort of things you can expect to see and experience on the trails.

Log Sheets

The Results

Log your completed trails and see how your friends are doing here:

100-mile Ultra Marathon

The 100-mile Ultra Marathon is an event created for our 10th Anniversary. It gives hikers the opportunity to hike 100 miles of trails that have been included in the last nine marathons. Actually you hike 74 miles of trail in July and August and then round out the 100 miles by completing the regular 26-mile marathon in September.

Registraton is open now but will close on July 15th.

Salsa, the Wonder Doodle

Salsa has published a delightful book all about the Cumberland County Hiking Marathon as he has walked all the trails.. It includes the history of the marathon and includes trail-maps for most of the trails that have been included in the nine marathons since 2015.

The book is available for purchase with all profits going to the trail-building efforts of Friends of the Trails. The cost is just $20 and it is available at the Crossville Depot, the Chamber of Commerce, the Fairfield Glade Center and online at the Marathon online store.

Get your copy today!

We have sold 0 books already!

We are Very Grateful for our Sponsors

Platinum = $2,500
Gold = $1,000
Silver = $500

Donations Donations

Our generous sponsors allow this to be a FREE event for all participants. However if you enjoy the Hiking Marathon each year and wish to make a contribution to keep it going (…..or contribute to the cost of new trails), just use this “DONATE” button to make an on-line donation.

Kids Program

We are offering a special program for kids to encourage them to be nature-friendly hikers. Kids who participate will receive a backpack filled with fun items.

2024 SCHEDULE

Aug 15: Registration Opens
Sep 1: Start Hiking
Sep 30: Stop Hiking
Oct 5: Hit the Trails Festival

Marathon Flyer

Download a PDF version of the flyer to help spread the word about the Hiking Marathon.

SHORTCUTS

Marathon Logsheet
Marathon Trails Description PDF
Challenge Logsheet
10K Challenge Trail Description PDF
Festival Flyer
Marathon Flyer
View Marathon Gallery

Make a tax deductible donation to Friends of the Trails for use on the hiking trails in Cumberland County. You can specify how or where your donation should be used. We will email you a receipt for tax purposes.