Flatlanders Canyon Crash Trail run 5k/10k/13.1 mile/50k

10/02/2025

I guess there's no reason to put this announcement off any longer. The Flatlanders canyon run has officially ended. Many factors went into this decision.
I think the understanding of how the race originated is worth sharing. Myself and Randy Carr were looking for a place to train for 50k and 50 mile runs at Sweetwater state park as well as Pine mountain park. We are from Albany and if you know the area, it's as flat as a pancake. Traveling to Pine Mountain was an all day trip. One day on a whim I went to Providence alone and was very impressed with the trail and the beauty of the park. After training there for a year or so it came to us to establish the Flatlanders Canyon run. We started with the 5 and 10k, and eventually added the 1/2 marathon and 50k. Eventually even adding Canicross.
Here we are, well over a decade later. Fun fact. I have never actually ran the race! I have been the sweeper many times and truly enjoyed pushing those last runners on the trail. We have made some very good friends along the way and I have seen our shirts many times over the years in some of the most surprising places, some a LONG way from south Georgia.
As I said, many factors went into the decision. One was cost. The parks have increased the amount per participant to the point that it has really become a factor. The second was "volunteers". Over the years we have used volunteers from the causes we were donating to. We have donated 10's of thousands to the Boy Scouts, Hospice house, cancer society, as well as mission trips to Africa and Mexico. The problem is the majority of these people weren't runners and in the last few years we have had a hiccup here and there. I took a few tongue lashings from folks that took the race WAY more seriously than I had expected. One nice lady got me two years in a row! That's ok as I took it and tried to figure out how to correct the issues. After all, our goal was always to get people to the park, hoping they would return after seeing how awesome the place is. Another fun fact - It was always the 5k folks that got lost. ;)
That left us with tough choices. With the park use increasing, paying staff, furnishing the BEST shirts in the business, as well as custom awards we were at a crossroads. One option was an increase in price. I feel like we are already on the top end to get people to commit to traveling to the middle of nowhere and so I declined that option. Option 2 was to cut our quality. I mean we could give you a Haynes beefy T (no offense to other races) rather than the Tri-blend shirts or the tech hoodies and long sleeves we have done in the past. We could go cheap on awards. Again... that wasn't going to happen. Option three was to sell the race. Although we considered this option, in the end this race was our "baby" and we were very proud of what we have achieved with it over the years. We won't be selling the race.
So here we are. To anyone who wants to pick up the baton and establish a new race at the canyon, Randy and I will be happy to help and give you the knowledge we have gathered over the last 15 years. Heck it would be fun to actually run a race there!
Lastly, we want to humbly give a heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone of our participants, volunteers, and the park staff, that made this race what it was. We had runners that returned year after year. That always made me feel like we were achieving our goal. I also need to reiterate that the money in most cases went to help those that truly needed help. I think that may be the part that made the decision so hard. We love you all. See you on the trails!

Race directors-
Billy Goodson
Randy Carr

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08/19/2025

Date for 2026 will be Saturday February 28th. Registration will open 9/2.

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08/07/2025

I hope you all are as excited for 2026 as we are! Dates and details coming next week. We are hoping to add a little spice this year. We also plan on reaching out to some of our "frequent fliers" to assist with set up and planning. stay tuned!!

02/11/2025

This is our 13th year and who would have guessed "lucky 13" would actually affect us this year?? Due to unforeseen personal and logistical conflicts we are sad to announce that WE ARE CANCELLING THIS YEARS RUNS FOR ALL DISTANCES. The last thing we want it to do is present a sub par race experience for what we see as our race family for over a decade. I personally would rather call it a postponement until next year as we fully intend to be prepared for year 14. All those registered will receive a full refund for this years run and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.

Hope to see you all next year.
Billy Goodson. RD

02/06/2025

The 10k, half marathon and 50k all follow the same trail. This is the designated "red trail" from the providence canyon website. The trail will be marked with red flagging and red marks on painted on trees. There will be 2 aid stations per loop. The main one is at the start finish and will have assorted foods and drinks. The second is an unmanned with drinks and some snacks. The clock is ticking to sign up an guarantee your shirt size. Register here: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=119797 Garmin red trail data - https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/8365224143

Distance 6.33 mi | Time 1:38:21 | Pace 15:33 /mi | Elevation 627 ft

01/29/2025

This years shirt! As always, no offense to the beefy T, but we are using a high quality, short sleeve, tri-blend shirt that you will enjoy wearing. Here's the design. # weeks to go. If you don't want to be left out AND you want to guarantee your shirt size the time is not!
https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=119797

01/20/2025

So we are just over a month out and registration is clicking along. We are limited to 200 runners for safety reasons and since adding the canicross runs we generally cap BEFORE race day. There are sometimes race sign ups available but not always. In other words, IF YOU WANT TO RUN_ DON'T WAIT!
Here's a little video of the 5k from years back. Shirts details coming soon!

In March 2021, I ran my first "Flatlanders Canyon Crash" at Providence Canyon. Also known as "The Little Grand Canyon", Providence Canyon State Park is near...

01/07/2025

Here is a map of the 5k course for our 2 legged as well as our 4 legged runners. . The green arrow is the start and we will be running counter clockwise. The race will start on the road. Shortly after the start you will be directed to the wooden fence to your left. This fence follows the the canyon rim with some great views. This part of the trail will be marked with red and white flagging and the flagging will be to your left as close to eye level as possible. At approximately 800 meters you will reach the visitors center where you will enter the switch back into the canyons. At about 1200 meters total you will reach the bottom of the switch back and turn left into the 1st canyon loop. In the loop you will follow white flagging to your left as you enter, This loop can be seen from the viewing area up top so you should hear some cheers as well as a cowbell or 2 when you are making the loop. and the same flagging will be to you right as you complete the loop portion and head back towards the bottom of the switch back. At about 2k meters you will turn left and continue to follow white flagging on your left. At around 2400 meters you will reach the entrance to the second canyon loop and you will turn left. In the loop you will follow white flagging to your left as you enter, and the same flagging will be to your right as you complete the 2nd loop portion and head back towards the canyon entrance. There are some awesome views in these 2 loops. At around 3200 meters you will turn left, following white flagging on your left and start the climb out of the canyons. at app. 3600 meters the red and white trails will meet and you will continue to follow red and white flagging on your left. You will exit the trail after another 400 meters or so, following the red/white flagging as well as the wooden canyon rim fence to your left. at app. 4600 meters you will leave the wooden fence and follow the ground placed red flags to the finish line at the sign up pavilion.
If you have question please feel free to message or post here.