Shorefire Trail Races

Shorefire Trail Races

The Shorefire Trail Races include two trail events at Smith Mountain Lake State Park. Both courses start and finish at the covered Beach Pavilion and use the park's doubletrack trails and connector routes that run along the lake shoreline and through native forest terrain. Parking and restrooms are available near the Beach Pavilion and at multiple points along the courses.

The 25K route is mostly nontechnical with rolling hills and about 1,800 feet of elevation gain measured from on-course barometric recordings. The course contains several turns and a few lollipop sections, is marked with blue flagging and directional arrows, and has an official GPX file for GPS devices. Aid stations are placed throughout the route; the first is an unmanned water stop and subsequent stations provide Tailwind, water, fruit, PB&J, chips and other race fuel.

The 10K course gains approximately 700 feet. It begins with a brief technical descent into Walton Creek Trail, then opens to runnable doubletrack and a 3-mile lollipop loop on the Five Oaks Trail. The 10K is marked with pink flagging and arrows, and a GPX file is available. The 10K shares a staffed aid station on the Five Oaks loop and the unmanned water stop near the Visitor Center connector.

Volunteers will staff key junctions. The event lists Friends of Smith Mountain Lake State Park as the charity partner. Park vehicle entry fees are included with race registration. Spectator areas include picnic spots, a playground and a sandy beach and no lifeguard is on duty at this time of year. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.