Avery Vandlandingham, right, ran the 10-mile course once at the Cades Cove Loop Lope by mistake after her sister, Ashlyn, got too far ahead for her to make the right turn on the 5K course. (Steve Vanlandingham Photo)
Steve Vanlandingham lives in northern Kentucky but has always visited the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and has taken his daughters, Ashlyn and Avery, almost every year and sometimes more than once per year.
“We go down and have a good time. We love the park. Ashlyn (age 20) enjoys hiking, so we’ve done a lot of hiking. The girls both became runners and we kind of did a 5K (3.1 miles) here and there locally.”
The Vanlandinghams ran their first race in that area after they learned about a 5K at night inside Dollywood. After doing that run for two years, they learned about the Cades Cove Loop Lope 10-Miler and 5K inside the national park and will be back running again Sunday.
“Generally the Dollywood run and Cades Cove are the same weekend. Usually on Sundays we are heading home (to Hebron) but we saw Cades Cove was early on Sunday morning. We had biked there before and done the car tour there. We just thought it might be kind of neat to run there,” Steve said.
The first Cades Cove Loop Lope they entered was in 2020 but it was cancelled by COVID. However, they will be back at the park Sunday running in their fifth straight Cades Cove Loop Lope.
“The park is just special to us. My parents took me down there and we enjoyed it. The girls really like it. So to be able to run in the national park is really neat,” he said.
Avery, 16, said they both run cross country and track and Cades Cove is the final 5K of the year for both of them.
“We really like the race and it kind of ends the year on a high note for us,” she said.
Avery attends Conner High School while Ashlyn, 20, attends Savannah College of Art & Design at the Atlanta campus where she runs on the cross country and track teams.
“Now that I’m in college, I feel going back to Cades Cove to run every year is like a little taste of home because we’ve gone there my whole life. I’m a senior now and to just go run a 5K and not worry about my time or competitors is super enjoyable. I love the mountains, scenic views and wildlife you see along the way,” Ashlyn said.
Actually, she’s still competitive even at Cades Cove. She was first overall in the 5K last year in 23 minutes, 11.92 seconds, a 7:28 per mile pace. Her sister, Avery, was second in 23:15.61 — less than four seconds behind her.
“Well, I am competitive but it is still fun,” she said. “But I do have a competitive spirit.”
Avery has never beat Ashlyn but loves the Cades Cove Loop Lope experience.
“Everybody gets hyped for it. It’s early in the morning when people are usually still in bed and just seeing all the people out there supporting such a great cause and having fun is pretty cool. I remember that every time I cross the finish line people are cheering,” Avery said.
Avery is well known among Cades Cove Lope regulars not for her speed but an-course mistake she made in 2021 that resulted in her running the 10-mile course instead of the 5K like she planned.
“That was the first year I ran the Loop Lope. I think I was 13 and it was scary. I started the race and was going to follow Ashlyn. Our goal was to push each other but stay together,” Avery said. “Ashlyn got way ahead of me and when it came time to go left (for the 5K) or right (for the 10 miles) I had no idea where to go. I took the right and when I hit maybe 3 1/2 I was thinking the course was too long. And then I hit like 5 miles and I knew I messed up.”
Steve was waiting for his daughters at the finish line. When Ashlyn came in, he assumed Avery would not be far behind.
“We started wondering what was going on,” Steve said.
Avery stopped at the water station and told the volunteers she thought she was lost. They told her she was at about the 5-mile mark and could either finish the course or go back the way she came but either way would be 5 miles.
“One of the Friends of the Smokies found us at the finish line and told us Avery took a wrong turn but was fine. I just kind of laughed and waited for her to finish,” Steve said. “The girls run longer distances in practice but 10 miles was a whole new thing for her.”
Avery said that remains her longest run ever and when she tells friends about it they “think it is the funniest thing” ever.
“But I will never forget to turn left, not right, at that race,” Avery said.
Steve remembers a few years ago when snow and ice threatened to cancel the race.
“I remember coming across the finish line and I guess from my heavy breathing I had frost on me,” Steve said. “Then once I stopped I had steam coming off me. It was beautiful starting out with the snow on the mountain and sun coming up but when I got to about mile 5 I was thinking I should have listened to my wife and not done this.”
The sisters plan to stay together Sunday during the 5K.
“When you are competing in any race, it is much better if you have someone next to you who is pushing you,” Ashlyn said. “Last year we would be going around a turn and I would see someone right behind us and that definitely was motivation for us to go faster. We have a good dynamic to just go forward and not look back.”
Steve was impressed that despite their competitive spirit, the sisters talked about what they saw along the race course last year.
“It almost made me tear up when I saw a picture of them on the course running together. I could tell they were enjoying the run and to me that’s what makes Cades Cove so unique from other runs,” Steve said.
2 Responses
What a great story about a family enjoying the beautiful park & each other as a family. Love hearing about young ladies pushing themselves as athletes. Enjoy this year's race!
Had a professor at UK named Vanlandingham – quirky character.
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