HELEN - The 32nd Annual Helen-to-the-Atlantic Hot Air Balloon Race is scheduled to lift off Thursday.
The race, the only one of its kind in the world, begins, weather permitting, with a mass ascension at 7:00 a.m.
The finish line is I-95, anywhere between Maine and Miami. If no one has crossed the interstate by Friday night, the balloon closest to the highway is declared the winner.
The shortest distance is 225 miles and the race usually takes two days.
It has been done in one day, while some races have taken as many as four
days. Six to eight balloons enter the cross country race. Prevailing winds
of the area usually take the balloons southeast of Helen across South
Carolina, however, contestants have finished in North Carolina and Savannah,
Georgia.
While the competition to the Atlantic continues, other balloonists
compete in local events beginning Thursday, continuing Friday and Saturday
with approximate flight times of 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Tethered rides are also available to the public.
Thursday
May 2nd, 2024
7:30AM
