Friends of the Smokies holds Cades Cove Loop Lope 5K, 10-mile race

TOWNSEND, Tenn. (WVLT) - More than 750 people arrived in East Tennessee for the 6th Annual Cades Cove Loop Lope 5K and 10-mile race Sunday.

Friends of the Smokies, an official nonprofit partner of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park hosted the race, which remains the only organized footrace inside the national park.

“We are so excited to bring back the Loop Lope for another beautiful fall in the Smokies,” said Kathryn Hemphill, Special Projects Director at Friends of the Smokies. “The 5K and 10-mile race is a unique opportunity for runners to experience Cades Cove. Nothing else compares to it.”

Proceeds of the event supported park programs and projects, specifically including environmental education, historic preservation and wildlife management.

Not running but headed to the Smokies? GSMNP officials closed Laurel Creek Road from the Townsend Wye to Cades Cove Loop Road for the safety of runners. They were set to reopen the road by 11 a.m. Sunday.

Learn more about the race and Friends of the Smokies here.