The Tsali Ultra Trail Race, in its 15th year of operation, will host the NC USATF 50-Kilometer Trail Championships on Jan. 18, 2025, in Almond. 

Thursday, July 4, marks the 34th running of the Firecracker 5K in Bryson City. Created in 1989 to celebrate the town’s centennial, this annual tradition has grown from 30 to 300 runners. 

The Riley Howell Foundation Fund’s (RHFF) yearly fundraiser race, the Mighty Four Miler, will take place at 8 a.m. on Saturday, April 6, in downtown Waynesville. 

Every year, the National Council for Black Studies, the preeminent professional Black studies organization, recognizes one academic program for outstanding achievement with the Sankore Institute Award. 

The race for Board of Education in Jackson County is one step closer to being moved to November elections after county commissioners signed a resolution in support of the change. 

With a new year approaching, it’s the perfect time to start setting fitness goals — and to plan for participating in any of the 15 races Glory Hound Events has on its schedule for 2024. 

The racing season is back at Cataloochee Ski Area, starting in January for ages 8 through adult. 

Held Sunday, Nov. 12, in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Cades Cove Loop Lope raised more than $110,000 to support the park. 

Support Haywood Waterways Association and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Haywood County during the annual Trout Race slated for 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, at BearWaters Brewing in Canton.

Working at a newspaper requires thick skin. I’m a columnist and lifestyle writer, so I don’t get nearly as much pushback or rebuttals as the reporters. Nonetheless, I’ll occasionally get a hateful or condescending message from someone who doesn’t agree with an opinion I stated in a column.