Dirty Santa Trail Run 2026
- Date
- Saturday, December 12, 2026
- Start time
- 9:00 AM start (New York)
- Location
- Lenoir, North Carolina
- Entry fee
- From $45 · goes up to $50 on Oct 11, 2026
- Included with entry
- Includes a hoodie or sweatshirt
Registration is open.
We earn a small commission when you register through this link, at no cost to you. Details
Add to calendar: Apple or Outlook · Google
Events and entry fees
| Event | Distance | When | Entry fee | Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trail Run | 8K | Dec 12, 20269:00 AM | $45$50 after Oct 11, 2026 | – |
Entry fees exclude processing fees. Prices and dates come from the race's registration page and refresh nightly.
The 8K fee goes up to $50 on Oct 11, 2026.
Race day planning
Entry fee schedule
- $45 until Oct 10, then $50 until Dec 11, then $55 until Dec 12.
Online registration closes Dec 12, 2026, unless the race fills first.
How the price compares
At $45, entry is about the same as a typical 8K in North Carolina ($45).
Light and altitude
Sunrise on race morning is at about 7:27 AM, and the Trail Run starts at 9:00 AM. The start sits about 1,840 feet above sea level.
Fees exclude processing fees. Comparisons use current entry fees and published results from races nearby.
Start location and course
1050 Zacks Fork Rd., Lenoir, NC 28645
The pin marks the address the race lists, which is usually the start. The organizers have not shared a course map with us yet.
2025 results
All results (3 years)Aggregated from official results (Racing Toes Inc) for Dirty Santa Trail Run. Individual finisher names are not stored here.
How fast do you need to be at Dirty Santa Trail Run?
In 2025, the fastest tenth finished in 33:40 or better, the top quarter in 39:49, and half the field in 48:59; the last tenth came in after 1:10:05.
| Age | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| Under 20 | n/a | 37:11 |
| 20-29 | 55:59 | 31:55 |
| 30-39 | 40:52 | 34:10 |
| 40-49 | 44:54 | 38:58 |
| 50-59 | 53:10 | 39:47 |
| 60-69 | 55:05 | n/a |
Groups with fewer than five finishers are left out. Awards vary by race; check the race's rules.
What would my time get me?
Where a finish time would have placed in 2025.
Finishers by year
Up 75 percent since 2023.
All events combined, from official results.
Dirty Santa Trail Run 8K year by year
From 2024 to 2025, the field went from 103 to 107 finishers, and the median time dropped from 51:41 to 48:59.
| Year | Finishers | Median | Fastest tenth | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 107 (+4%) | 48:59 | under 33:40 | 28:30 |
| 2024 | 103 | 51:41 | under 40:12 | 31:54 |
From each year's official results for the 8K; virtual options are left out.
How fast is it?
Faster than most US trail 8Ks
The fastest quarter of the 2025 8K field finished under 39:49, against 50:16 in a typical US trail 8K, so times here run 21 percent faster.
Compares the fastest quarter of each field, so walkers and first-timers do not skew it. It reflects the course and the field together: a flat course, cool weather, or a competitive crowd all make times faster.
Typical race-day weather
Around December 12 the day usually runs from 33°F at dawn to 51°F in the afternoon, with measurable rain on about 27% of days. Cold snaps dip to 25°F and hot years reach 61°F.
Based on 75 days within a week of the date over the last 5 years, from historical weather for the start area. Not a forecast.
Race details
- Where
- 1050 Zacks Fork Rd., Lenoir, NC 28645Map
- Course
- Trail
- Start elevation
- About 1,840 feet
- Included with entry
- Hoodie
- Distances
- 8K
- Editions
- 2026 (Dec 12, 2026), 2025 (Dec 13, 2025), 2024 (Dec 14, 2024), 2023 (Dec 9, 2023)
Organize this race? Add details or a correction
Plan your race
Quick answers
- When is Dirty Santa Trail Run?
- Saturday, December 12, 2026, starting at 9:00 AM.
- How much does it cost?
- Entry starts at $45 before processing fees, and rises to $50 on Oct 11, 2026.
- When does registration close?
- Online registration closes Dec 12, 2026, unless the race fills first.
- Is the entry fee high for North Carolina?
- At $45, entry is about the same as a typical 8K in North Carolina ($45).
- Do runners get a shirt or medal?
- Entry includes a hoodie or sweatshirt, according to the race's registration page. Check it for sizes and whether kids' races get the same.
- What distances can I run?
- 8K.
- How big is it, and how fast?
- In 2025, 107 runners finished the Trail Run; the median finish was 48:59 and the winner ran 28:30.
- Is it a fast course?
- The fastest quarter of the 2025 8K field finished under 39:49, against 50:16 in a typical US trail 8K, so times here run 21 percent faster.
- Where does it start?
- 1050 Zacks Fork Rd., Lenoir, NC 28645.
From the organizers
When the weather turns chilly, the critters quit crawling and your usual hardtop running routes are getting a bit tired and boring......its time to veer off the road and kick up some dirt on the trail! It's time for........... The Fourth Annual Dirty Santa Trail Run!
This 5ish mile race is the fifth and final event in The Foothills Run Series Presented By UNC Ortho.
The course starts / finishes at the Lenoir Rotary Soccer Complex and is made up of almost 3 miles of single track trail (Zack's Fork Mountain Bike Trail), nearly 1.4 miles of natural field / gravel trail and around .6 mile of hardtop just for some variety!