Bethel Half Marathon & 5K
630 Sonoma Rd
Waynesville, NC 28786
USA
Run along the peaceful, tree-lined backcountry roads of the area made famous by Charles Frazier’s best-selling novel Cold Mountain, the Asheville Track Club-sanctioned Bethel Half Marathon and 5K takes runners along an out-and-back course filled with the changing autumn leaves, the rolling Appalachian mountains in the distance and the Pigeon River that flows near town.
From the starting line at Bethel Middle School on Sonoma Road, the course for the half takes runners from the school down highway 276, then to Love Joy Road, and then begins a moderately inclining uphill until a turn back onto Lake Logan Road.
After heading back towards the starting line, runners take Pisgah Drive to Wells Rd before taking a left on Old River Rd and heading back to the finish line. As for the 5K, the finish line is on the Middle School’s running track.
On the half marathon course, runners should look for water stations at four stops and organizers caution all participants to be aware of traffic on the roadways along the course. Nearly 215 runners crossed the finish line in both races combined at the event’s 2016 running, with nearly 105 of those runners finishing the half marathon alone.