THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER TRAIL RACE TO BENEFIT FLYING PIGS ANIMAL SANCTUARY

August 16-17, 2025 | Somewhere Real Hot, Real Hilly | Rural Tennessee- The Barkley's LONG LONG Distant Cousin

Welcome to the heat. Welcome to the hills. Welcome to The Dog Days of Summer, where the trails are brutal, the vibes are feral, and every sweaty, soul-grinding step helps save the lives of animals in rural Tennessee—places where shelters don’t exist and animal control is just a rumor.

This is trail running in its purest, rawest form. No frills. No inflated egos. Just dirt, heatwaves, and a whole lot of heart.

RACE OPTIONS:
Choose your pain:
  1-mile loop or 3-mile loop (we THINK that's how far they are...)
  1 hour, 3 hour, 6 hour, 12 hour, or the ultimate 24 HOUR GAUNTLET

Each loop starts and ends at a single aid station party zone. You’ll climb gnarly hills (seriously, we’re an hour from the Barkley Marathons—so yeah, it’s gross out here), melt into the Tennessee humidity, and then do it all over again… and again… and again. There's no elevation chart—just pain, persistence, and the occasional goat or pig.

WHY YOU DO THIS:
Because you're a lunatic.
Because you want the hardest, sweatiest, most mentally delicious training day of your year.
Because it’s the same day as the Leadville 100, and you get to honor the soul of trail running in your own backyard.
But mostly? Because you're saving real lives—dogs, cats, pigs, and animals that no one else is looking out for. All race proceeds go directly to helping animals in rural Tennessee where support is non-existent but the need is massive.

WHO SHOULD RUN:
  Trail runners who don’t care about shiny medals and care deeply about making a difference.
  People who can laugh while hallucinating in 90+ degree heat.
  Runners who would rather high-five a dog than post a PR.
  You. You badass.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

• Loops with heartbreak hills and shady bits you’ll cry into
• Water. Electrolytes. Probably watermelon. Maybe someone grilling something weird.
• A community of dirtbag runners who know how to suffer well and love even harder
• Barkley-style trail names given after certain milestones (or meltdowns)
• Dogs. Possibly goats. Maybe Coco the emotional support bunny. We’re not saying no.

So grab your trail shoes, your sense of humor, and your biggest heart. Let’s run for those who can’t. Let’s suffer for the strays. Let’s prove that the trail community shows up, even when the thermometer says we shouldn’t.

The Dog Days are here. Let’s run wild.