Land Between the Lakes - The Great American Trail Race
About this race
Great American Trail Race - Land Between the Lakes - 23rd year!
LBL trail runs will happen on the second Saturday in March. March 13, 2027
There are four distances to choose from; 50 mile, 60KM, Marathon, and 23KM. They all begin together, along the shoreline of beautiful Kentucky Lake, and proceed about 2 miles to the fabulous Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, and the trail head. The Canal Loop is approximately 11.3 miles, mostly single-track, nicely packed dirt track consisting of rolling hills on the Lake Barkley side of the course, and larger hills on the Kentucky Lake side. The course yields spectacular views of both lakes, and is very runnable.
Sorry, we are dog owners, and love them, but DOGS are not allowed to run or walk with any participant due to insurance policy. We suggest you come early, or stay later and walk the trails with your pups. They'll love it.
For complete Race Instructions please check the tab on the left hand side of the home page.
or click this link: COMPLETE RACE INSTRUCTIONS
Pick your distance
Trail running
50 mile
The 50 milers start alongside runners from the other distances, beginning along the shoreline of the wondrous Kentucky Lake, and proceed about 2 miles on roads into Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, to the trailhead of the 11.3 mile Canal Loop. This Loop offers spectacular views of both Lake Barkley (Cumberland River), and Kentucky Lake (Tennessee River). Runners run this loop 4 times, and then a 1.25 mile (total distance) out-and-back, before running to the finish line at the Grand Rivers Tourism Office. Runners are afforded 12 hours to finish. If not on pace to finish in 12 hours, runners are instructed to return to the finish line after their third loop to receive an official 60km time and award.
60km
60KM runners start alongside runners from the other distances, beginning along the shoreline of the wondrous Kentucky Lake, and proceed about 2 miles on roads into Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, to the trailhead of the 11.3 mile Canal Loop. This Loop offers spectacular views of both Lake Barkley (Cumberland River), and Kentucky Lake (Tennessee River). Runners run this loop 3 times before running to the finish line at the Grand Rivers Tourism Office. Runners are afforded 12 hours to finish. If not on pace to finish in 12 hours, runners are instructed to return to the finish line after their second loop to receive an official Marathon time and award.
Marathon
Marathoners start alongside runners from the other distances, beginning along the shoreline of the wondrous Kentucky Lake, and proceed about 2 miles on roads into Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, to the trailhead of the 11.3 mile Canal Loop. This Loop offers spectacular views of both Lake Barkley (Cumberland River), and Kentucky Lake (Tennessee River). Runners run this loop 2 times before running to the finish line at the Grand Rivers Tourism Office. You must be on pace to finish in under 12 hours in order to begin loop 2. This beautiful course is a favorite of Marathon Maniacs, and 50 staters, especially considering the 12 hour time limit.
23km
23KM runners start alongside runners from the other distances, beginning along the shoreline of the wondrous Kentucky Lake, and proceed about 2 miles on roads into Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, to the trailhead of the 11.3 mile Canal Loop. This Loop offers spectacular views of both Lake Barkley (Cumberland River), and Kentucky Lake (Tennessee River). Runners run the loop, and then head to the finish line at the Grand Rivers Tourism Office. Runners are afforded 12 hours to finish, so even if you walk every step of this stunning course, you have plenty of time.
Typical race-day weather
Based on 10 years of Open-Meteo archive data for this event's race dates in Grand Rivers, plus the 3 days either side.
The sun rises at 6:06 AM and sets at 5:58 PM local time (CST) in Grand Rivers on March 13, 2027 — 11h 51m of daylight.
Course
No course map published yet.
The organizer hasn't released a route for this event, and we don't publish guesses. If you're the organizer, send us a GPX file and we'll draw the profile.
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Results — Land Between the Lakes - The Great American Trail Race
Other races near Grand Rivers
Different organizers, within 40 miles, in the next three months
Lions Club Light The Way 5 K
LBL Bridge to Bridge Trail Run
Over the Bridge Fun Run
West KY Fca & Edward Jones Turkey Trot 5K/10K
Where this page comes from. Race details were last updated on . We re-check listings regularly and again in the week before race day.
- Entries, prices, waves and inclusions — the event's official registration page
- Temperature and humidity — Copernicus ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0)
- Elevation and terrain relief — Copernicus DEM GLO-90, ESA (CC BY 4.0)
- Comparisons and counts — Race Discovery calendar, 1 Grand Rivers event
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