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Flying Squirrel Ten Miler

START 8:00am | RACE DAY June 1, 2024 Directions

Races

Asheville's Premier Ten Mile Race

Flying Squirrel Ten Miler

$55 8:00AM EDT - 11:30AM EDT Price increases after April 28, 2024 at 11:59pm EDT

Description

Experience some of the best road running in Asheville with The Flying Squirrel Ten Miler, Asheville's premier 10 Mile road race presented by Jus' Running. Enjoy the ease and convenience of a road race with the spectacular views and seclusion of a mountain race. The race starts and finishes just blocks from downtown Asheville and then promptly takes runners on the winding roads of Town Mountain. Participants will enjoy shaded mountain roads typically only used by locals, such as the beautiful Sunset Drive and Patton Mountain Road. One thing about The Flying Squirrel Ten Miler is sure: you've got to "earn" those views. The Southern Appalachians are hilly and so is The Flying Squirrel Ten Miler.

Run With The Rarámuri (Tarahumara)

We are excited to welcome seven indigenous Tarahumara runners, musicians, and leaders to our race in 2024. In addition to racing the Flying Squirrel Ten Miler, they will also be performing in the Asheville/Hendersonville area from May 28 – June 4. 

Organized by members of the Copper Canyon Alliance, the race is just part of a full week of events for the seven Tarahumara leaders, including elite runners, accomplished musicians, and inspiring speakers. The Tarahumara will race in the Flying Squirrel 10 Miler in downtown Asheville, attend a reception sponsored by Hola Carolina, and perform on stage at White Horse Black Mountain. Additional events are also planned across the region, and Copper Canyon Alliance is seeking donors and sponsors for the events. 

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to run alongside the world’s greatest endurance athletes and interact with leaders of a remote indigenous culture,” says Mickey Mahaffey, lead organizer of the events. 

A prolonged drought has devastated northern Mexico, and many Tarahumara subsistence farmers have lost their crops. Copper Canyon Alliance is organizing the week of events to raise funds Tarahumara communities suffering from drought and food shortages. 100% of the funds go directly to the communities in need. 

The Tarahumara have endured for millennia in Mexico’s Copper Canyons—the deepest and most remote canyons on the continent. In recent years, they received global recognition as the world’s greatest endurance athletes from the bestselling book Born to Run and the ESPN documentary The Infinite Race. Today, the Tarahumara are also running for their lives and fighting for survival. 

Race Beneficiaries

New for 2024, we welcome the addition of a second beneficiary to the race: the Copper Canyon Alliance. (we will continue to raise funds for the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conversancy as well). The Copper Canyon Alliance is a federal 501(c)(3) nonprofit working with Rarámuri (Tarahumara) communities to secure clean water and sustainable agriculture in their ancestral canyonlands of Mexico. 

For 15 years, the Copper Canyon Alliance has been partnering with Rarámuri communities in the Copper Canyons of Mexico. They provide clean water infrastructure, native seed banks, and sustainable agriculture to Rarámuri schools and communities. A prolonged drought has devastated northern Mexico, and many Tarahumara subsistence farmers have lost their crops. Funds raised for the Copper Canyon Alliance will go directly to the Tarahumara communities suffering from drought and food shortages. 100% of these funds go directly to the communities in need.

The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (SAHC) permanently protects and stewards our region's most beloved natural areas. Since 1974, over 80,000 acres of unique plant and animal habitat, clean water sources, farmland, scenic beauty, and places for people to enjoy outdoor recreation have been permanently protected in the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee. SAHC is committed to creating and supporting equitable, healthy and thriving communities for everyone in our region. 

We value our local Western North Carolina community as well as greater running community and are committed to giving back. A portion of our race proceeds go towards our charity partners. For the Flying Squirrel Ten Miler we are proud to support the indigenous Rarámuri (Tarahumara) communities of Mexico which helps them secure clean water and sustainable agriculture in their ancestral canyonlands while continuing to support a Western North Carolina based non-profit who is helping to conserve the endangered Carolina Flying Squirrel. The Carolina Flying Squirrel is a subspecies of the Northern Flying Squirrel and requires high elevation habitat to thrive. Read more about the Carolina Flying Squirrel here: https://www.fws.gov/southeast/wildlife/mammals/carolina-northern-flying-squirrel/ 

Race Contact Info

If you have any questions about this race, click the button below.

Race Website

Additional race information can be found at https://www.jusrunning.com/flying-squirrel-ten-miler/.

Core Sponsor

Supporting Sponsor

Friends of Flying Squirrel Ten Miler

Directions

Runners will Start and Finish just north of Downtown Asheville on the corner of Orange Street and South Liberty Street.
Navigating to the race Start/Finish: Enter 55 Orange St, Asheville, NC on your device.

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Core Sponsor
Supporting Sponsor
Friends of Flying Squirrel Ten Miler

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