Black Bear Half Marathon
New for 2022!
The Black Bear Half Marathon & 8K presented by Hunter Subaru are now USA Track and Field (USATF) Sanctioned and Certified! According to Race Director, Daphne Kirkwood, “Having the races sanctioned and certified gives a special stamp of approval from the governing body of running - USATF. In order for any road running performance to be accepted as a record or for a runner to be nationally ranked, it must be certified. By sanctioning and certificating the Black Bear race courses, runners can rest assured that they will be running the distance they signed up for. We are thrilled to have completed the process and both courses have been accurately measured according to the USATF standards and qualifications.”
Also new for 2022, ALL participants in both races will receive a custom-designed, spinning bear finisher medal to commemorate the event! Run your race and collect your “unbearably” awesome bling at the finish line!
Exciting Event Highlights
Participants don’t just get the “bear” necessities - they get all kinds of great perks with their race registration! Half marathon runners have the option of a dri-fit, Brooks technical running shirt in men’s or women’s style. All participants receive a Hunter Subaru goody bag and a commemorative finisher medal. Overall and Age Group award winners will receive a gorgeous, locally handmade, custom pottery mug! They’re so awesome we can “bearly” believe it!
The race is also the final half marathon in the Appalachian Trilogy. A 2022 series of four half marathon events in Western North Carolina that nearly two hundred runners have participated in over the course of this year. The Trilogy started with the Asheville Marathon and Half in March, followed up in May with the Jump off Rock Half Marathon and the RAD Half Marathon in Asheville in June. Series participants will be awarded their special trilogy medal at the conclusion of the Black Bear Half Marathon race.
Post Race Festivities
Enjoy Bluegrass music, local beer, an Apple Cider donut and snacks from Hendersonville Community Co-op will all be waiting for you after you run your heart out!
Relax and Recover at the Recovery Zone with Asheville Personal Training, grab a massage from Yoga and Massage or an injury screening from Movement for Life. Don’t forget to stop by and visit all the vendors in the race village.
Featured Non-Profit Partners
We are pleased to announce our selection of three community non-profits to benefit from this event. As part of our ongoing effort to give back to our local community, donations through the Black Bear events will support the Jackson Park Greenway Flooding Clean-up Project, Friends of the Oklawaha Greenway, and iDream Athletes Foundation.
The Jackson Park Greenway Flooding Clean-up fund directly benefits the project to improve the Jackson Park connector path to 7th Avenue that floods frequently during intense rain storms.
Friends of the Oklawaha Greenway work to protect, promote, and expand the Oklawaha Greenway. They continue to keep the Oklawaha Greenway beautiful, clean and maintained. Funds donated will benefit the upkeep and projects of the Greenway.
iDream Athletes Foundation is a tax-exempt non-profit that provides needs-based scholarships for youth and adults of WNC who are unable to pay for sporting event fees, coaching, travel expenses, or equipment to train for and/or participate in events.
To give a donation to any of the non-profit organizations listed above, visit HERE.
For race info and to sign up for the Black Bear Half Marathon & 8K, click HERE.
High Resolution Photos Available upon request.