Upgrade to Trails

Overview

The 6th Annual Rootrock Trail Run at Briar Chapel, held on the morning of October 17, puts runners to the test on 5K, 10K, or Half Marathon courses featuring miles of stellar, root- and rock-strewn single-track. After racing, athletes enjoy a festive post-race vibe with food, great music, a free kids’ race for treasure, and a fun awards ceremony packed with giveaways.

Complementing the afternoon 3rd Annual Rootrock Mountain Bike Race, the Rootrock Trail Run is a popular mid-fall challenge and the first leg of the Rootrock Trail Races.

Athletes who register for both events receive a special award and 10% off each race (select the Rootrock Trail Races Bundle during registration).

Get pumped for an awesome day of trail racing action!

About Briar Chapel

Sprawling over 900 acres on the south side of Chapel Hill, NC, Briar Chapel is a green community with an extensive network of forested hiking and mountain biking trails. Centrally located Great Meadow Park, featuring a beautiful lawn, stage, and pavilion, provides the perfect start-and-finish area.

Course Maps and Description

5K Rootrock Course Description

The 5K is perfect for families with kids (aged 6+) and for those looking to get a small taste of trail running. The 5K course starts with .45 mile of wide-open pavement, followed by 3.0 miles of double and single-track.  The exact distance is 3.3 miles, with an elevation gain of 222’.  While there are some hills, rocks, and roots along the course, the majority of the terrain is less technical than the 10K and Half Marathon courses. Rootrock 5K Technical Terrain Course Rating:  Overall 2+ out of 5 – (1.8M of EASIEST/EASY and 1.5M of MODERATE) (This is a fun and fast course)

10K Rootrock Course Description

The one-loop 10K race course is a super-fun, tried-and-true loop that many Briar Chapel residents run and ride all the time.  It starts with .3 miles of wide-open pavement and .2 miles of double-track trail, perfect for establishing pace and position.  Other than a few road crossings and the last .3 miles of the course, this is the only pavement in the race.  After entering the single-track trails, 10K racers run along semi-technical terrain, up gradual hill climbs, and along relatively flat stream valleys before finishing in Great Meadow park, a large grassy community area.  The exact distance of the 10K course is 6.2 miles, with an elevation gain of 438’.  Rootrock 10K Technical Terrain Course Rating:  Overall 3 out of 5 – (1.0M EASY and 5.2M MODERATE) (An excellent, challenging, and very ‘runnable’ course)

Half Marathon Rootrock Course Description

The one-loop Half Marathon course is an AWESOME challenge, and includes all the terrain of the 10K course as well as many of the newer trails in the western portion of the neighborhood. These newer sections have some steep hill climbs with plenty of rock and root filled sections.  The half marathon course has been slightly revised for 2024, replacing .6 miles of the neighborhood pavement near Encore, and a small section of two-way traffic near the golf course, with a direct connection to the western trails via the gravel road behind Constellation Park.  In addition to the challenge of the added length and elevation, the Half Marathon course has decidedly more technical terrain than the 10K course. The exact distance of the Half Marathon course is 13.1 miles, with an elevation gain of 960’. Rootrock Half Marathon Technical Terrain Course Rating:  Overall 3+ to 4- out of 5 – (1.6M EASY, 8.1M MODERATE, 3.4M DIFFICULT) (varied, fun, and very challenging course)

Course Maps (click on map titles for course details and elevation profiles)

Registration Fees

• 5K: $45 by 1/11, $47 by 7/17, $50 by 9/17, $55 by 10/16, $60 on race day
• 10K: $55 by 1/11, $57 by 7/17, $60 by 9/17, $65 by 10/16, $70 on race day
• Half Marathon: $70 by 1/11, $75 by 7/17, $80 by 9/17, $85 by 10/16, $90 on race day
• Registration fees are $2-$10 lower for Youth 17-U and Seniors 65+

Expect Excellence. Your Registration Fee Includes:

• Limited race entry to provide an intimate and friendly race experience and to prevent overcrowding on the trails
• Fun and challenging course design
• Professional race operations
• Superbly marked course – you won’t get lost
• Race tee that you’ll love and want to wear. Comes in men’s/unisex, women’s, and youth sizes (see link for sizing/specs).
• Beautiful finisher medal
• Exciting atmosphere with great music
• Excellent volunteer support
• Frequent and well-stocked aid stations every 1-2 miles along the course
• Medical support
• Chip timing – accurate and timely posting of results
• Abundant, varied, and tasty post-race food/beverage, including items such as sliders, fresh fruit, hummus/veggies, bagels/peanut butter, trail bars, chips, cookies, and a crowd favorite, little cups of M&Ms.  Beverages include water, Gatorade, soft drinks, Honest Kids juice, and Athletic Brewing Company non-alcoholic beer.
• FREE Kids Race for Treasure (see below for details)
• Awards ceremony with fun contests and lots of giveaways (see below for details)
• FREE photo downloads post-race (a professional photographer will be at the race)

Schedule of Events

STAGING AREA:  Great Meadow Park at Briar Chapel (161 Salt Cedar Ln, Chapel Hill, NC 27516)

SATURDAY, 10/17/26 (Race Day)

• 7:30am-9:00am:  Check-in
• 8:20am:  Half Marathon Pre-Race Brief
• 8:30am:  Half Marathon Start
• 8:35am: 10K Pre-Race Brief
• 8:45am:  10K Start
• 9:05am:  5K Pre-Race Brief
• 9:15am:  5K Start
• 9:45am-12:30pm:  Post-race Food/Beverage
• 10:30am: Awards / Contests / Giveaways (5K/10K)
• 10:45am:  FREE Kids Race for Treasure (kids 11-U)
• 11:45am:  Awards / Contests / Giveaways (Half Marathon)

FREE Kids Race for Treasure

At 10:45am, kids 11-under are invited to participate in the FREE Kids Race for Treasure.  All kids are welcome to participate and parents are encouraged to line the race course to cheer them on.  We will match kids in age groups (3-U, 4-5, 6-7, and 8-11) and start each group separately on a short out and back ‘race’ in the large field near the staging area.  After running, kids can grab a prize (toys from the dollar store:) from the Treasure Chest!    

Awards, Contests, and Giveaways

All finishers will receive a medal.  Awards (1st-5th place tumblers) and prizes (Fleet Feet gift certificates) for top five overall M/F competitors in each distance. Awards (1st-3rd place pint glasses) for the top three M/F competitors in each age group.  

Age groups for each distance: 13-Under, 14-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70+.

Racers and volunteers are invited to join the contests – fun stuff such as push up, squat, cornhole, rock/paper/scissors, etc, etc.  Contest winners receive NICE swag like Goodr sunglasses or race merchandise and ALL who participate receive an item of swag.  After the contests, we randomly select winners of the rest of the swag – more great stuff such as Goodr sunglasses, gift certificates, running gear, and Roadless Races merchandise. 

Venue

Rules and Policies

Rules:

• In-ear earbuds, headphones, and external speakers are not permitted in the race.  Bone conduction headsets are OK.
• Respect the environment.  No littering.
• Excellent sportsmanship is an expectation at our events. Respect other racers, volunteers, and race staff.  
• Follow the marked course and stay on designated trails. No shortcutting. 
• Please inform our timer if you drop out of the race.
• Bib numbers must be visible from the front at all times.
• PLEASE, DO NOT give your bib to someone else. This will make the results, age group, and overall awards incorrect. If you need to transfer your registration, you may do so up to 3 days prior to race day by going to your runsignup account, selecting ‘Transfer to Someone Else’ in the menu, and then following the instructions.
• Run at your pace.  There are no cut-off times.

Policies:

• Refunds: Receive a refund (minus $10 and the runsignup processing fee) if you cancel 21+ days before the race. No refunds within 21 days. To cancel, email request to info@roadlessraces.com
• Credits: Receive a coupon code for future Roadless Races if you cancel 3+ days BEFORE the race. Cancel 21+ days before race = 100% credit. Cancel 8-20 days before race = 75% credit. Cancel 3-7 days before race = 50% credit. To cancel, email request to info@roadlessraces.com.
• Transfer Your Entry to Someone Else: Transfers must be initiated online at least 3 days prior to the race. No race day transfers. We do not allow transfers to another race. To transfer to another racer, go to you profile on runsignup, and follow directions to ‘Transfer to Someone Else’.
• Change Distance: Distance changes must be initiated online at least 3 days prior to the race. No race day distance changes. To change distances, go to your profile on runsignup, and follow directions to ‘Transfer Event’.

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