Mount Afton Challenge

Mount Afton Challenge is held in Concord, North Carolina, on January 16, 2027, starting at 8:00 AM. Rather than a fixed distance, the format is a two-hour challenge in which you run, ruck with a weighted pack, or walk as many laps as you can within your division, with awards going to whoever covers the most ground. There is no requirement to keep moving the whole time, so you can break the two hours however you like.

A timed-lap event rewards a different plan than a normal race does. Going out at 5K effort will cost you badly in the second hour, so pick a pace you could hold for a long training run and take your breaks deliberately. The event is put on by F3 Afton and raises money for mental health and suicide prevention through the Cabarrus County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, with a meal and drinks at a local spot afterward.