History of the Race

The Beginning

Race founders Wendell Begley of Black Mountain Savings and Trent Thomas from Black Dome Mountain Sports saw a need for this kind of event for both the elite athlete and the weekend warrior. Their goal was to design a race that was attainable physically while offering the opportunity to test oneself against the often-uncooperative forces of nature!

And Many Years Went By…

…Jay Curwen has been the race director for many, many, many years and is a Race Directing star! That’s him in the picture to the right. The one with the megaphone.

New This Year

Kick It Events, owned by Leslie and Tim Grotenhuis, have agreed to carefully (and with love) take over the event and are thrilled to be working with Jay for the next few years to ensure a smooth transition.  Leslie and Tim are based an Asheville and have been producing running events in and around western North Carolina since 2007, including the Smoky Mountain Relay, a 200 mile relay race from Brevard to the Nantahala Outdoor Center in Bryson City.

Also on our team since 2018 is race director, Rhianna Zarbock. She’s no stranger to ultra running, having completed the 2025 Hellbender 100-miler, finishing 17th in the women’s division.

About Mount Mitchell

Mount Mitchell is, at 6,684, the highest peak in eastern America nearly 400 higher than New Hampshire’s Mount Washington. Once known by its Native American name of Black Dome, its name was changed to honor Dr. Elisha Mitchell through whose efforts the controversy over that lofty distinction was settled. (It is Dr. Mitchell’s stone grave which marks the turnaround of the Challenge at the mountain’s summit!).

Many visitors (and runners) find it hard to identify Mount Mitchell among the other peaks in the thirteen-mile-long Black Mountain Range…a common problem since six other peaks in the range are greater than 6,500! Due to its elevation, the climate and the ecosystems of Mount Mitchell more closely resemble that of New Hampshire and Maine. The consequence of its elevation provides perhaps the most profound surprise to visitors…especially to those who arrive on foot! Because of the meteorological variability, race organizers have said that there will never be a “course record” for these events as the influences of weather conditions outweighs even the demands of the steep terrain.

Top two photos by Angeli Wright