Mountain Man Memorial March

🏅 Race Overview

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 2024, 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!

🤝 Partnerships

• Organization: For 2025, 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.
• Post-Race Meal: The FREE hot meal you get post-race, thank Legacies Alive for providing!!
• Return to Gatlinburg: We look forward to our partnership with Legacies Alive.

🏃‍♂️ Event Details

The 2025 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 2025 to join with our Military and Veteran community!

2025 Mountain Man Memorial March will start and finish at the Pi Beta Phi Elementary School (125 Cherokee Orchard Rd, Gatlinburg, TN 37738) and pre/post race activities will take place adjacent to the school.

🗺️ Course Information

• Course Maps: The 2025 Mountain Man Memorial March Course Maps can be found here: 18th Annual Mountain Man Memorial March Routes.
• Bridge Construction: The bridge construction in Emert's Cove area (vic mile 20) is complete - so no detour over the rocks!!!!!!!!
• Full Marathon Course Map: 2025 Full Marathon Course Map (updated 2.25.25)
• Half Marathon Course Map: 2025 Half Marathon Course Map
• 10K Course Map: 2025 10K Course Map
• 5K Course Map: 2025 5K Course Map

🌐 Virtual Racing Option

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 2025. 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.

⚙️ Category Adjustments

Based on the previous two years of registration data, there have been a couple category changes - for the individual light full march, we combined the military and civilian categories: we kept the JROTC Light Half, but did away with the JROTC Heavy Half... if a JROTC wants to do the Heavy Half, please use the Team Military Heavy Half category.

🏅 Run and March Events

• 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.
• 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.
• Military 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.
• Categories Breakdown: 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.

📦 Pre-Race Packet Pick-Up

Pre-race packet pick-up will be published as we get closer to the date of the race. Location of packet pick up on both Friday and Saturday will be at the PI BETA PHI Elementary School. 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 11, 2025 in a location TBD. Reception will begin at 6:30pm and the ceremony will start at 7pm. We will be reaching out to the Gold Star Families registered with more information.

🚀 Opening Ceremony

The race events on Saturday, April 12, 2025 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

The route begins in Gatlinburg and makes its way through Gatlinburg and into the Smoky Mountains. The route consists of paved road, gravel road, and other uneven terrain. The route is made 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.