The Great White Stag is a semi-professional running club based out of the Upper Valley in New Hampshire and Vermont. The club has fewer than 10 members because of it's strict guidelines regarding eligibility. To become a Great White Stag, hopefuls must run a hilly 12 mile run through the hills of Vermont crossing the Appalachian Trail and finishing at the local swimming hole, The Norwich Pool. Once the run is complete, hopefuls must then plunge into the frigid water to be baptized with the essence of The Great White Stag. 

Legend has it that the name, The Great White Stag, was formed while founders Keith Drake and Harrison Little were running the trail with Russell Brown. Russell was moving at such a clip that all Keith and Harrison could see on that misty morning was the gallant white blur moving quickly far off in the distance. Russell Brown, the distant blur, was the inspiration for The Great White Stag and the initiation trail is therefore known as The Hunt For The Great White Stag.

Members run distances from 800 meters to marathons and vary in levels from professional to the kings of local 10K's and half marathons. Although The Great White Stag is based in the Upper Valley, Stag jerseys can be seen in races from Boston, MA to Lincoln, NE to Oregon and beyond. Members train together a few times a week and are often accompanied by deer throughout the woods where they tromp.