About the Cades Cove Loop Lope
The course runs inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park, along the road that loops through Cades Cove. The terrain is paved and mostly flat, passing open meadows and historic homesteads with mountain ridges on all sides. There are two distance options, a shorter loop and a longer one, both following the same scenic valley road. The race benefits park conservation and preservation programs.
Getting there takes some planning. Parking inside the cove on race day requires a reserved vehicle pass purchased separately during registration, and those sell out quickly. Everyone else catches a shuttle bus from the Townsend Visitor Center early that morning. Packet pickup happens the evening before at a running store in Knoxville, or the afternoon before at the Townsend Visitor Center. There is no race-morning pickup.
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Cades Cove Loop Lope 2025 Results
Going by the 2025 results, this is a decent-sized field, with a competitive front end and a big recreational middle.
10 Miles Results · 2025
403finishers
1:01:12winner
1:53:57median
2:59:36cutoff
Top 3: Zimri Kuhn (1:01:12) · Jordan Webb (1:04:15) · Jeremy Donahue (1:04:33)
5K Results · 2025
301finishers
21:34winner
49:45median
2:35:00cutoff
Top 3: Avery Vanlandingham (21:34) · Ashlyn Vanlandingham (21:34) · Nolan Smith (23:51)
The Cades Cove Loop Lope has been held every year since at least 2017. That is as far back as RunSignup's records for this race go, so it may well be older.
How we calculate these stats: RunSesh calculates these figures from the most recent published results of past editions, sourced from RunSignup. We show aggregates only: field size, winning and median times, and the cutoff. We never publish individual finisher tables. Last updated Oct 25, 2026.
Distances & Start Times
10 Miles11/8/2026 07:30$100
5K11/8/2026 07:45$100
Going for a Time?
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Not sure what to aim for? The 5K pace chart lists the pace for every finish time.
Where to Stay
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