Deep Hollow Half Marathon and 5k is the premier event of the Liberty Mountain Trail Series. As a Liberty University Homecoming event, the race always draws an impressive crowd and creates a spectacular race day environment.
The half marathon course features a beautiful blend of single-track trails and mountain roads within the 5,000-acre trail system nestled in Lynchburg, VA. With nearly 2,000 feet of elevation change throughout the 13.1 mile course, it is a brutal though rewarding challenge. This event is the most popular race in the series and draws experienced trail runners from all over Central Virginia.
The half marathon course was developed in 2007 and the local running community continues to embrace the event. The first Deep Hollow race director was Dave Christen, who is currently the race director for the Boulder Ironman and Triathlon series in Colorado. The initial course was very tough due to a much larger elevation gain and loss compared to the current course.
It included the old “Deep Hollow Trail”, from which the race initially got its name. That trail no longer exists, having been incorporated into what is now “Horton’s Loop”, named after the ultra-running legend himself, David Horton. Although the trail is no longer in existence, the Deep Hollow name has survived to this day.
For the second year in a row, Deep Hollow is incorporated into the 2017 Virginia Commonwealth Games, which has only caused the competition to grow fiercer. The half marathon course winds beautifully through the valleys and streams of Liberty Mountain and features peak foliage in the month of October. Deep Hollow continues to set itself apart as a race that exemplifies comradery within competition.
