Pikes Peak Marathon #7!

Pre-race Photo With the Competition

Best Little Shakeout Loop in the World

The most wonderful time of the year!

An Old Favorite


Part 2 of run here: https://www.strava.com/activities/7095504092

Did you know you can gain a vertical mile up Mount LeConte if you start in Gatlinburg? Better yet, it can be done almost entirely devoid of pavement! Why is this not more popular?!

I know I'm not the first to do this, but I may be the first to research it as much as I did, haha. I didn't find much, so here are some instructions/guidelines for anyone who wants to follow my lead. I think this could be a great FKT route.

UPDATE: It's official! I feel weird having an FKT for something maybe no one else has run, so get after it! https://fastestknowntime.com/route/mt-le-conte-tn

1. To get the necessary gain, you must start below 1313 feet above sea level. I created a custom terrain shading layer in CalTopo to figure out what qualifies. The most logical start/finish is somewhere on River Road, but you must start north of LeConte Creek or you'll be too high. (My starting elevation was 1286', according to CalTopo.)

2. I took things a step further and chose a start point with direct access to the river. I dipped my toe in the river at the start and finish. I started and stopped my watch at the river as well, so my time included running up and down the stairs. This is not necessary if your only objective is to gain a mile, but I just thought it was a cool idea, akin to the "sea to summit" routes on Haleakala, Mauna Kea, Rainier, and others. There aren't many places where something like this is feasible.

3. River Road is a great start/finish because parallel parking is free along the water if you get there early enough to snag a spot. I parked 10 feet from where I started. If you want to start "in" the river like I did, there are multiple places with stairs down to the river, but I liked the one I chose, in front of Edgewater Hotel.

4. Once you pick a start point, all that's left is to get to the top of LeConte and back via any route of your choosing. Note that I didn't take the shortest route possible because I prefer loops over out-and-backs. You could save about a mile over my route by optimizing everything, but I'll leave that up to you.

5. The lodge is not the summit. Cliff Tops is not the summit. Neither are high enough to net you a vertical mile of gain, unless you start much farther away. High Top, the giant rock pile at 6593', is the summit and your turnaround point, if you want to do this correctly. :)

6. Finally, please don't get hit by a car when you run back through Gatlinburg at the end. It's quite jarring to go from solitude on the mountain to the hordes of tourists in town, so be prepared for that and don't expect anyone to yield.

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Christopher Hanlon

LeConte Vertical Mile! This needs to be a thing! Who’s with me?

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Pikes Peak Marathon #7!

Pre-race Photo With the Competition

Best Little Shakeout Loop in the World

The most wonderful time of the year!

An Old Favorite

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