Shakori 40 Running Festival
About the Event
The Shakori 40 brings the running community together for a celebration of nature, team camaraderie, and live music. We offer a 40-mile ultramarathon, a 40K open race for men and women, and a 40-mile age-graded team relay for up to 10 members—factoring in age and gender to determine the overall winning team. There’s also a 4-mile open race. Our cross-country style course winds through the Shakori Hills Community Art Center in Pittsboro, NC.
Shakori Hills, located just outside Chapel Hill, NC, is renowned for the Shakori Hills Music Festival. The Community Art Center is a place where everyone can enjoy nature, walk scenic trails, spend sunny afternoons with family, and immerse themselves in art, music, and life’s simple pleasures. By embracing these abundant resources, our local culture continues to thrive.
You’ll have a blast at the Shakori 40, thanks to great camaraderie, live music, delicious food, camping, bonfires, craft beer, and so much more. Join us each December for a weekend you’ll never forget!
Ready to test your limits? The Shakori 40 Running Festival brings a highly anticipated Ultra, 40K, 6.4K to Pittsboro on December 4, 2026. Expect a fantastic route right in the heart of North Carolina.
Races Offered
Trail running
40 mile Individual
10 laps of the 4 mile course You must wear your bib at all times during the race. Your bib has your chip. You must run through the checkpoint each lap to get an official time Top 3 male and female will be awarded Everyone will get a 40 mile finisher award Aid Station – around the half way point with Water, Gatorade, Gels and Bananas. The 2nd Aid Station would be the event camp site
40K Individual Open
6 laps of the 4 mile course You must wear your bib at all times during the race. Your bib has your chip. You must run through the checkpoint each lap to get an official time Top 3 male and female will be awarded Everyone will get a 40K finisher award Aid Station – around the half way point with Water, Gatorade, Gels and Bananas. The 2nd Aid Station would be the event camp site
40 Mile Team Relay
All relay team members must run a minimum of 1 x 4 mile loop. AGE GRADED: All team times will be calculated based on Age and Sex to even the teams out performance wise. The fastest team may not be the winner. Team captain or 1 individual from the team must be responsible to pick up team packet. Team bibs, shirts, camping passes, batons, and add on items, will be stuffed together in one bag for 1 person to pick up. Make sure it's a responsible person. All relay teams members will have their own personal bib associated with their name and age. You must wear your bib and also carry your team’s baton with the chip in it. All relay teams must wear the bib they are issued. Each person on each team gets 1 bib. You can run in ANY ORDER you choose, but you must wear your bib and have your baton. Your relay baton is your timing chip. You must carry your baton the entire race and hand it off to the next person. You baton must cross the checkpoint and finish line. If you lose your baton, you are disqualified. There is 1 trophy for the winning relay + $800.00. There is a Gross (Fastest time) award for $200 The winning team will get their name engraved on the trophy which will be passed along each year. Aid Station – there is 1 around the half way point with Water, Gatorade, Gels and Bananas. The 2nd Aid Station would be the event camp site. HANDICAP - Each individual is handicapped and that helps the entire team. For example: if you are a 50 year old female you have a 24% handicap. Because you are part of a team that has 10 legs or a 10 person team, you bring your teams handicap down from 100% (which is 0 handicap) to 97.6%. Now your overall time is multiplied by .976. The more people on your team with a handicap, the lower your overall team's handicap score will be. This takes a lot of strategic thinking, its not all about the handicap, and it is not all about being the fastest either.
40 Mile Team Relay Bulk Purchase
If you would like to pay for your team in bulk, the first person to register pays and then the rest of the team can join free.
4 mile Open Race
Can't find a team? Want to come run the 4 mile course? This is the option for you to come race the 4 mile and you will be added to our overall 4 mile course results. Come and enjoy the Shakori atmosphere!
About Pittsboro
Shakori 40 Running Festival takes place in Pittsboro, North Carolina, United States. The local timezone is America/New_York.
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Race information has been sourced from the event's official website and other publicly available resources. For the most up-to-date details, please refer to the official website directly. If you notice any incorrect or missing information, don't hesitate to reach out to us by email.
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