The Shut-In Ridge Trail Run / Race is a 17.8 mile endurance running event that takes place in the mountains near Asheville, NC. The route begins in the North Carolina Arboretum[1] and ascends approximately 5,000 feet, with a finish line at the top of Mt. Pisgah. The last two miles are steep and technical, to such an extreme that observers may see "runners hanging on to trees to keep from falling backward".[2][3]
History
editThe Shut-In Ridge Trail Run event officially began in December 1980 when 64 runners ran the same 17.8 mile route that George Vanderbilt used to get from his Asheville mansion (Biltmore Estate) to his mountaintop hunting lodge. Shut-In Ridge is among the oldest running events in the USA.[4]
References
edit- ^ Chávez, Karen. "Watch out for Shut-In Ridge Trail runners on the Blue Ridge Parkway Saturday". The Asheville Citizen Times. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
- ^ Metzler, Brian (2005-06-01). "Short and Sweet (and Muddy, and Steep)". Runner's World. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
- ^ "Vasque Athlete Shiloh Mielke Takes Top Finish at Shut-In Trail Race". Outside Business Journal. 2009-11-10. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
- ^ "Shut-In Ridge Run". Trail Runner Magazine. 2018-12-13. Retrieved 2022-04-20.