Introduction
Asheville hosted its 12th annual “Asheville Half-Marathon & 10K/5K”, on Saturday Aug. 23, 2025, which started and ended in Pack Square downtown.
Just under 500 runners came from 32 states to participate in this unique race, as the terrain is more elevated than an average racing track due to its proximity to the Blue Ridge mountains. Not to mention the shorter track options, such as 10K or 5K.
This race was not just an occasion for the athletes to run up and down the hills, but also to discover downtown and suburban Asheville, as a form of sport tourism. This place is unique as its moderate yet diverse characteristics of a city. Asheville is mostly known for its numerous breweries, various food options and expressive arts scenes. Not to mention its charming look and mountainous terrain. Perhaps that was the motive that some 500 runners, from across the country, came all this way to explore this western North Carolina city.
Based on my own experience
One of the reasons I decided to cover up this one topic in particular is because I actually got the chance and audacity to run this half-marathon myself.
I have been practicing running for three years at this point and it does bring a sense of satisfaction. In many people’s eyes, including myself, running is a sport that helps clear the mind and purify the body. Even a simple and short jog does help a lot with long-term self-improvement goals, such as in physical and mental health.
I have prior experience with running competitions, including an 8-kilometer run twice and another half marathon before this one. Though I have participated in all of those in my hometown, with Niort located in Western France. That being said, the track was rather easy in terms of terrain and temperature, though it could get very crowded in the streets.
On the other hand, the one I did in Asheville was drastically different. There were many people, yet the race did not have that crowded appearance after a while. All the runners initially started from the same spot downtown, until they diverged to follow their own path depending on their race (half marathon or 10K), around 30 minutes after the start. This is when we exited downtown Asheville.
Since then, the terrain started to get more challenging, as we were beginning to hit the rising slopes. I remember having to be careful enough not to exhaust ourselves too early, so we were slowing down a little bit. We were then heading towards the greener and more natural areas, as well as the residential neighborhoods.
That was the moment I realized running in America feels very different from running in France. The streets had a distinct look and the nature around appeared wilder and larger, especially when closer to the mountains. Maybe if I was running in another place in France, say close to the Alps, it would have a similar wilderness look, although the city and roads would still look nothing alike.
Overall I think the half marathon in Asheville was more demanding, primarily due to the rising hills and the trail was completely unknown to me. Regardless, I was glad to have the opportunity to try this half marathon, even though I barely arrived in the United States two weeks prior. Not to mention the fact I only ran once in Asheville, just a week before this race.
Finally, I remember the last minutes of the race. Despite getting closer and closer, I always felt like the climax was always the hardest, as you have that desperate urge to finish as quickly as you can but also start to feel the pain. This is when we ran near the UNC campus in Asheville and when I started to walk a little bit. Slowly but surely, we were getting closer to downtown, which means I was about to finish the race.
That is when, during the last minute of the marathon, I was glad that I could finally see the finish line. Even though this was the last rising slope, I tried my best to accelerate and I could see the people cheering on us. On my way there, I could see my friends and my advisor cheering on me, as well as the people around me.
At that exact moment, I smiled, shouted “yes” and raised both arms up to make the victory gesture, in the same way former president Richard Nixon did – politics aside. This was clearly a sign of victory and I was glad I made it all through. I thought to myself I had not been running all this way just to give up. The race was over, I got my new medal, then I could finally relax and got to see my friends before grabbing a beer – which I was allowed to do since I turned 21 earlier this month.
