When
Friday, April 10th, 2026
Where
Pi Beta Phi Elementary School, Gatlinburg TN
Distances
Marathon · Half · 10K · 5K
About this race
Honor*Through*Action
The 19th Annual Mountain Man Memorial March planning is underway and we look forward to seeing everyone! Book your travel for this year's event taking place April 10-11, 2026. Join us as we host our Gold Star Families and celebrate the lives of our fallen Veterans!
We thank the Mountain Man Memorial March faithful who have been the bedrock in the continued growth of our event and Veteran & Gold Star community which continues to Honor our Fallen and support our Gold Star Families! To the new participants in 2025, we thank you for joining the MMMM family and we look forward to seeing you in future events. We are so thankful for our participants, volunteers, partners and sponsors!
For 2026, the Mountain Man Memorial March will again partner with Legacies Alive (https://legaciesalive.com/), a 501(c)(3) Non-profit organization directly supporting Gold Star Families. Legacies Alive will again cook three hot meals for all registered participants and volunteers. THANK YOU Legacies Alive for providing!!
FRIDAY AFTERNOON LUNCH, 2:00 – 5:00 PM
SATURDAY - PRE RACE – BREAKFAST, 6:00 – 8:00 AM
SATURDAY - POST RACE - LUNCH / DINNER – NOON TIL 6:00 PM
The 2026 Mountain Man Memorial March will continue to offer both the March events and the Run events. We look forward to having everyone return to Gatlinburg in 2026 to join with our Military and Veteran community!
We are thankful to both the City of Gatlinburg and the Sevier County Schools to keep the 2026 Mountain Man Memorial March start and finish at the Pi Beta Phi Elementary School (125 Cherokee Orchard Rd, Gatlinburg, TN 37738) and pre/post race activities adjacent to the school.
We expect no major changes to the courses and you can find them a last year's link - 2025 Mountain Man Memorial March Course Maps can be found here: 18th Annual Mountain Man Memorial March Routes. The bridge construction in Emert's Cove area (vic mile 20) is complete - so no detour over the rocks!!!!!!!!
2025 Full Marathon Course Map (updated 2.25.25)
In addition to in-person racing and the usual categories in the team march, individual march and run events, we will also continue to offer a virtual racing option in 2026. We believe many MMMM veterans want to return, but the virtual option will be there if you cannot make it to Gatlinburg and still wish to be a part of this tremendous event and mission. Virtual racers will still receive the same race shirt and participant medal, but will not compete for placing since conditions will vary at each of their location. We hope this slight change to the format offering will accommodate all of our previous MMMM family and allow us to continue to grow the race in Honor of our Fallen and in support of the Gold Star Families left behind.
The run events include a full 26.2mi marathon, a 13.1mi half marathon, a 10K run and a 5K run. The run events are further divided into categories based on gender and age.
The march events have two distances - the full 26.2mi marathon and the 13.1mi half marathon. The march event subcategories will be defined further as follows - an individual, as a team (5 members), in a civilian category or in a military qualification category. Competitors in the Military category, whether competing as a team or as an individual, must be affiliated with a military organization or military type organization. Military teams or individuals may register in the civilian categories but civilians without military affiliation may not register in military categories. The March categories are further divided into Heavy and Light categories. Heavy categories and Light categories have uniform and ruck sack weight requirements - see here. Individual march events will be further divided into categories based on gender and age. See the official rules for a complete breakdown of categories and uniform requirements.
Pre-race packet pick-up will be published as we get closer to the date of the race. All registrations will be online only! We are working with other organizations & vendors to also be available during both Friday and Saturday.
GOLD STAR FAMILY CEREMONY: The Gold Star Family Ceremony will take place on Friday, April 10, 2026 in the Mills Auditorium located within the Gatlinburg Convention Center. We will be reaching out to the Gold Star Families registered with more information.
OPENING CEREMONY: The race events on Saturday, April 11, 2026 will begin at 7:30 AM with the opening ceremony and followed by the race beginning at 8:00 AM. Winners of the run and march events will be recognized and prizes awarded throughout the day as the events culminate.
The route begins in Gatlinburg and makes it way through Gatlinburg and into the Smoky Mountains. The route consists of paved road, gravel road, and other uneven terrain. The route is made of up of flat stretches, rolling hills, and steep climbs. Water points, snacks, medical aid and support staff will be positioned and available along the route, but it is highly recommended that all participants carry appropriate water and fuel to properly finish their race.
HONOR*THROUGH*ACTION
Course map
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