Kitty McLanahan, left, with her sister, Suzie Allard, and nephew, Grant Allard. They will be participating in their ninth Cades Cove Loop Lope this year.
Kitty McClanahan has a Cades Cove Loop Lope registration day ritual.
“I set an alarm on my phone for 10 minutes before the signups start and watch the countdown so we can be among the first to register,” said McClanahan.
That not only assures that McClanahan and her sister, Suzie Allard and her son, Grant Allard, all get registered but also secure a parking pass that has become a necessity for a post-race ritual — making breakfast at the picnic ground on a camp stove after they finish the 5K (3.1 miles).
“The breakfast idea is not mine. My sister and nephew camp a lot and they came up with it. It is awesome,” McClanahan said. “We have ridden the (shuttle) bus (to the starting line) a couple of times but not since we added the breakfast ritual.”
McClanahan, who lives in nearby Maryville, Tenn., did not participate in the first Cades Cove Loop Lope 10-Miler and 5K in 2010 but has not missed the event in the Great Smoky Mountains since it resumed in 2017 and will be back Nov. 9 for another run that is totally inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
“It is now a family tradition because it is just such a special location and experience. Most 5Ks are about getting the best time you can, but Loop Lope is different. In this beautiful, timeless setting, it’s about interacting with the environment so directly without even a vehicle to get between you and Cades Cove,” she said. “This will be our ninth one to do. My nephew, Grant, was living out of state for several of these but always came back for the Loop Lope.”
McClanahan and her sister usually walk/jog together.
“I would love to do the 10 miles someday but I would need to up my training a lot to finish before the (time) deadline,” she said.
Her nephew, Grant, runs the 5K course and has also done the 10-Miler.
“He’s always waiting on the route near the end to cheer us on already wearing his medal,” McClanahan said.
Rather than a single best memory of the event held entirely inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park, she has a “montage” of greatest hits.
“One year wildlife spotting was really spectacular. There was a bear sitting very close to the road eating in the forest and seemingly amused by the colorful herd of people passing by. Then a buck ran across the meadow, jumped the fence and ran across the road and into the forest right in front of us! And there was a huge flock of wild turkeys,” she said.
“My time was really slow that year because of stopping to watch and take photos. Another year was very cold and windy and you really felt it splashing through the creek crossing. Another vivid memory was a year where the fall color was especially brilliant and the route seemed even more beautiful than ever.”
Those opportunities to “be immersed in this one of a kind environment” where participants stop to take photos or just look at the surroundings make Cades Cove Loop Lope special for McClanahan — and others.
“It’s a great feeling knowing that the event helps to support the good work of the Friends of the Smokies. Also all races have medals but each year the Loop Lope hangs a stunning work of art around your neck when you finish!” McClanahan said. “ The handcrafted wooden medals with the Cove buildings are incredible keepsakes.”
The Cades Cove Loop Lope is a major fundraiser for Friends of the Smokies to help finance projects inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. But the organization also has members who make sure the runs are special.
“My family really appreciates all the great work of the Friends to put this event on each year,” McClanahan said. “They really went above and beyond one year when my sister had been in the hospital and we weren’t sure she would be recovered enough to participate. When it turned out that she was well enough, they helped make it possible.”
