Athens Big Fork Trail Marathon & 17 Mile Fun Run

Race Overview

Welcome to the 28th annual Athens Big Fork Trail Marathon and 17 Mile Blaylock Creek Fun Run. Both events are on an “out-and-back” well-marked course beginning and ending at the Big Fork Community Center, utilizing the Athens Big Fork trail. Full Marathon runners will climb eight mountains twice for a total of SIXTEEN mountains with ~7,000' of cumulative gain! The event is free/donation based. A minimum $35 donation is suggested to cover our costs. All proceeds over our cost will be donated to the Big Fork Community Center, who graciously allow us to use their facility as our race headquarters, and the Ouachita Amateur Radio Association, who help us keep our runners safe.

Aid Stations

• Location: We will have three fully stocked aid stations.
• Offerings: All aid stations will be fully stocked with your typical aid station fare.
• Unique Drinks: Each of our aid captains provide their own bougie concoctions for you to enjoy.
• Cupless Race: Please bring your own cup or handheld because we are a CUPLESS race.

Post-Race Meal and Swag

There will be an option to purchase race swag and post-race meal tickets. The post race meal will be catered once again by Cheryl with the Big Fork Mall. Buy early because there will be no race-day meal ticket purchases, and swag is pre-purchase only.

Community Experience

We encourage you to bring a chair, blanket and other comfort items and plan to stick around to cheer in the finishers. The community experience at the finish is one of the many things that makes this race so unique and popular, and we love catching up with our trail family!!

Awards

We will have awards for overall male and female in both the full and fun runs. We also offer unique awards to our 10 and 15 year finishers. We do not offer finisher awards, as the unique experience of this race is an award in itself!

Marathon Route Aid Stations

• Little Missouri Trailhead: Mile 3.8 Outbound & Mile 22.4 Inbound
• Cutoff: 3:42PM Cutoff (Mile 22.4)
• Blaylock Creek West Trailhead: Mile 8.5 Outbound & Mile 17.7 Inbound
• Cutoff: 10:30AM Cutoff (mile 8.5) for marathon runners

Safety and Required Gear

Safety Gear: A hydration system (handheld or bladder) and a light source (handheld or headlamp) are required. A windbreaker or space blanket is strongly suggested but not required.

Runner Safety: Runner safety is a high priority for us. We will have HAM radio operators at every aid station and they will be in communication with us at Net Control at all times. We also have several medical entities on standby. It is worth taking your cell phone because runners are often able to get service on the top of some of the mountain peaks.

Important Notes

• Experience Required: This event is NOT for trail-newbies.
• Difficulty Warning: If you are not an experienced trail – or ultra-runner (or adventure racer), we happily invite you to one of the other UTS runs, BUT NOT THIS ONE.
• Cut-off Time: A cut-off time of 10:30 AM (2.5 hours) will be enforced at the turn-around (halfway) point for the 17-mile run.
• No Bib Transfers: NO BIB TRANSFERS will be allowed at this race.

Event Details

Date: 2027-01-09
Location: 6118 AR-8, Mena, AR
URL: Athens Big Fork Trail Marathon & 17 Mile Fun Run