Runners will take their mark for a 7 AM shotgun start in front of Food City at Goody Kentucky. The course takes the runner south on US 119 to Toler, Kentucky, where runners will turn left on old 199 at Velocity Market for a brief period. Runners will follow old 119 past Southside Elementary to the bridge across Pond Creek and onto route 319. Immediately after crossing the bridge the course goes left and begins a gradual incline for a brief period. From Toler the courese will take the runner through the coal camps of Hardy, Kentucky, and a piece of our history ater the Hatfield-McCoy Feud. Once through the Hardy area the course begins to travel through the heart of "Feud Country" taking the runner past Randolph McCoy home place site and the graveyard where Tolber, Bud and Pharmer McCoy are buried along with sister Alifair and brother Calvin.
Tolbert, Bud and Pharmer were tied to pawpaw trees and shot by the Hatfields for the Election Day stabbing and eventual death of Devil Anse Hatfield's brother Ellison. Alifair was killed duing the New Year's Eve raid on the McCoy home. After passing these historic sites, the course continues a gradual incline until the foot of Blackberry Mountain. It's a one mile climb to the top, but it's down hill from there.
At the foot of Blackberry Mountain the course passes Rev. Anderson Hatfields home site. It was at his residence the Hog Trial was held in 1878. This site is also very close to where the Election Day stabbing took place. Also at the foot of Blackberry Mountain the course turns left on route 1056, which runs along Blackberry Creek till it meets the Tug River at Buskirk, KY where the three McCoy's were tied to the pawpaw bushes and shot.
Runners will cross the bridge at Buskirk, KY into Historic Matewan, West Virginia site of the 1920 Matewan Massacre. A gunfight between miners and Baldwin-Felts agents brought in by coal companies to prevent union organization. Matewan is the finish line for the Half Marathon. Marathon participants will continue out of matwan back across the Tug River just like the Hatfield and McCoy families did during the feud.
The runners will turn right onto River Road. This is a very scenic part of the marathon which crosses the river over a bridge at the Tug Valley Country Club. In less than a mile you will cross back into Kentucky. This leg of the run goes past several cemeteries and home places. The course follows route 292 until Aflex, Kentucky and then turns right to US 119. The runners will go less than one mile and take a right for the last time across the Tug River back into West Virgina heading for the finish line in front of the historic Coal House in Williamson, West Virginia. It's a challenging, historic 26.2 mile run for the marathon runner as well as for the half marathon runner with the toughest being the first 13 miles.
The course is not certified.
This is not a Boston qualifer.
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