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King of the Mountain

calendar_today 14 Aug, 2027

directions_run Running

language Official Website

sell $31.00

King of the Mountain

About the Event

Race start is at North Trailhead

Beginning with a short service road start, runners will quickly sort themselves before entering the single track of Blue Trail. After some rolling uphill, you will take a hard left up one of Oak Mountain's gnarliest climbs, and my favorite training hill, Outback Highway! Once summitted, good news, the most grueling stretch is behind you. But you still have 2.5 miles of rugged Alabama terrain. After the next, shorter, and gentler hill, you will crest over onto one of my favorite top-outs with boulders towards a slippery pine straw downhill. Next is a walk-worthy climb to your halfway point, your water station, and the crown of this race: King's Chair! After a quarter mile of mostly runnable trail, you will come to your second toughest, but final climb to Eagles Nest. From there, it's about a half mile of technical downhill till you get back to Red Road for a fast finish. But make sure you watch your ankles here!

Each participant gets a headband, sticker, finisher pin, food, beer, coke, and some gnarly climbs! 

There are only two awards in this race. The King, and the Queen. However, if a female wins overall she is both King, and Queen, unless another female gets second. In that case we will have a lady King (first overall), and a lady Queen (second overall). Men are not eligible to win the Queen award. However, anyone who beats 40 minutes will also be knighted.

So, come test your grit with the Southeast's toughest 5k. ~1,100 feet of climbing, and descending over only 3.1 miles, on Oak Mountain's rugged terrain.  

Packet pickup will be morning of, at North Trailhead  

Race start is at North Trailhead

Website

AllTrails

Strava

Races Offered

5k

Aug 14, 2027

straighten

Distance — 5K

terrain

Type — Running

timer

08:00

sell

$31.00

Weather History

These values represent the 3-year monthly averages for August in Pelham.

thermostat Temperature
21.6° / 31.8°
wb_sunny Feels like
23.6° / 34.3°
light_mode Avg sunshine hours
11h 19m
water_drop Avg rainfall
2.6 mm
ac_unit Avg snowfall
—
air Avg wind speed
7.5 km/h (Light breeze)
opacity Sweat loss rate
Very high
terrain Course conditions
Hard and dry surface
sunny Max UV Index
High (7.0)
humidity_mid Humidity
73.9%
wb_twilight Sunrise
06:10
nightlight Sunset
19:30

About Pelham

Learn more about the host city, Pelham.

Scenic view of

Pelham is a city in Shelby County, Alabama, United States. The population was 24,318 at the 2020 census. It incorporated on July 10, 1964, and is a suburb located in the Birmingham metropolitan area, Alabama which was home to nearly 1.2 million residents as of the 2020 census. It was named for Confederate Civil War officer John Pelham.

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