Treadin' Trodden Trails
In 2004, KTC board members met with representatives of Knox County and the City of Knoxville. As a result, the Mayors Cup Series of Off Road Racing was born. For four years, the Mayors Cup Series drew small but enthusiastic crowds of trail buffs to wonderful and oft underutilized city and county parks for races on single track trails and on grass. In 2006 and 2007 the Mayors Cup worked with XTERRA to bring local runners an opportunity to compete for points that earned top runners a chance to run in a national championship event.
KTC then formed a Trails Committee and charged the group with presenting a comprehensive schedule of off road events to attract larger crowds and bring trail running to the forefront of running consciousness.
The committee presents the following schedule for the 2010 Treadin' Trodden Trails Off Road Racing Series.
March 21, 2010
Belly of the Beast
Laura Gearhiser and Dwayne VanHoose - race directors
In the far northwestern reaches of Knox County lies a park astride a scenic bend in the Clinch River. Mown grassy pathways are maintained year-round and connect with a number of stretches of wooded trail, including the infamous Beast. Much of the trail system is easily navigable, with an additional hilly section in the eastern quadrant of the park.
Our race course begins in a broad meadow on a cross-country course, then takes contestants up a short, looping hill in an area of new-growth woods. Returning to the lakeside, runners sweep around more grassy pathways before encountering for the first time the Beast. the course follows a convoluted figure-8 as it returns near and passes the start before curving back around to finish with a hair-raising descent of the Beast some five miles from the starting line.
- Directions: I-140 take the Hardin Valley Exit, go west, turn onto Steele Rd., right beside Hardin Valley Elementary School. Go left at next intersection, Sam Lee Rd. to Couch Mill to Williams Bend Rd runs right into park
- On Google Maps
- Entry form
- Online registration
April 18, 2010
Forks
of the River Trail Race
Nicole Howe - race director
Just east of Ijams Nature Center is an area of more than three hundred acres of grass and woodland. Managed by the State of Tennessee for multi-use, including hunting, part of the area is maintained in food crops for birds, including sunflowers and corn, while additional acreage is wooded. The trails in places are obscure but rewarding and offer visas of the French Broad River.
The course will combine wooded singletrack with pathways that traverse cropland and hayfields, covering about five miles in length.
May 15, 2010
The Trail That Can't Be Concord
Tracy Rafferty- race director
This trail system off Northshore Drive out near Farragut is largely unknown to the tens of thousands who live within minutes of its trailheads. Solely single-track offerings wind and climb up and down through thick undergrowth beneath a dense tree canopy along Fort Loudoun Lake.
Our race will begin in the western portion of the park with a two mile jaunt to get the runner warmed up for the second section, a more challenging and lengthy run with a couple of good hills and some interestingly overgrown undergrowth. Race distance will be something exceeding seven miles.
Jun 13, 2010
I.C.
King of Trails Race
Jack Kilislian - race director
A delightful circuit of single-track trails, the system at I.C. King Park south of Knoxville offers up to nine miles of winding, hilly footpaths. Frequented by mountain bikers as well as runners, the area is a hidden gem just five miles south of the University of Tennessee.
The 2010 race will be limited to 100 runners, due to parking constraints and desire to not overwhelm the trail itself. It will also be handicapped by age and gender. For more information, click here.
Jul 17, 2010
Panther Creek Challenge
Michael deLisle - race director
For the first time the Treadin' Trodden Trails series will travel thirty-five miles northeast of Knoxville to Panther Creek State Park, a verdant and wondrous paradise of woods and lake, for an arduous romp through the forest.
The course will begin at the overlook in the northwest corner of the park, descend a steep singletrack, and then wind up, down, and around, in a dizzying ten-mile series of circuitous loops through the woods and along the glittering waters of the lake. It promises to be an event not to be missed by the avid trailster.
August 6, 2010
Haw
Ridge Trail Race
An outdoor enthusiast's paradise, more than twenty-eight miles of rolling, twisting, single-track and double-track trails await the intrepid trail runner at Haw Ridge, situated on a rugged peninsula along the Clinch River between Oak Ridge and Knoxville. So much trail awaits that one can arrive to what appears a full parking lot and complete a run while encountering nary a soul. Recent automobile break-ins, however, have necessitated caution in terms of parking and what to leave (and not to leave) in your vehicle.
The race will be contested along the eastern portion of the park, and although some hills present themselves, the lakeside sections of trail are not prohibitively challenging. Covering varied terrain and offering beautiful scenery, the race will be approximately seven miles in length.
September 5, 2010
Norris Dam Hard Trail Race
Kerry Trammell - race director
Here, adjacent to the Clinch River above and below Norris Dam, many miles of trails await the avid trail runner. From the nearly level trail paralleling Lower Clear Creek, to the knee-stiffening, quad-busting grades of Ridgecrest and Lakeside, the trails in and around the Norris Municipal Watershed and Norris Dam State Park offer a challenging and rewarding array of single-track and jeep roads.
The 2010 Norris Dam Hard Trail Race will add an exciting new option. Racers will choose either the original loop, which this year will approach fifteen miles, and a double loop option that will total 50k. The single loop sends runners along a new five mile section of trail along Norris Lake, then explores the eastern part of the watershed before returning with a heart pounding ascent, then a downhill finish.The second loop will mostly run the first one in reverse, with a few slight modifications. A festive award ceremony and picnic celebrationwill follow at the adjacent pavilion.
COURSE
DESCRIPTION:
Start: Shelter 2 Norris Dam State Park East Entrance.
Leave shelter run to Tea Room. Take Tall Timbers Trail to bottom of hill……down
steps…..turn right at bottom of the hill to the NEW lake View Trail. New
Trail turns left and goes down steep hill. Stay on Lake View Trail for 5 miles.
Trail will intersect with Highpoint Trail, turn left. Take Highpoint Trail to
Upper Clear Creek Rd. Turn left…..up the hill……to the Boundary
Trail, turn right. Take Boundary Trail to Belmont Trail, turn right back to Upper
Clear Creek. At Upper Clear Creek, turn left to Red Hill. At Red Hill Trail turn
right. Follow Red Hill Trail by Cemetery to the White Pine Trail. Turn left on
White Pine Trail….at gate on left…..follow White Pine Trail down hill
to Clear Creek Trail. Turn right on Clear Creek Trail. Follow Clear Creek Trail
to Bridge. At Bridge, turn right on High Point Trail. 100 yds, turn left on Ridgecrest
Trail. Follow Ridgecrest Trail to Freeway Trail. Turn left on Freeway Trail. Follow
Freeway Trail to Longmire Trail, turn right. Follow Longmire Trail back to Highpoint
Trail. Turn left on Highpoint Trail. At top of hill, turn left on road and returns
to shelter. Turn right at split in road. Once in park, follow markers to finish.
DIRECTIONS: From Knoxville: Take I-75 north to exit 122. Turn right off exit towards Norris. From the top of the exit ramp, go 1.4 miles, then turn left on Hwy 441/Norris Freeway. Go about 4.8 miles, then when you approach the dam, turn right at the Norris State Park cabin/campground. Go up the hill about a quarter of a mile to the 2nd pavilion on your right.
September
25, 2010
Big South Fork 17.5 Mile Trail Race
One of the most well-respected trail races in the east, the Big South Fork Trail Race has attracted avid trail runners from throughout the region. Since its inception in the mid-1990's, Race Director Bobby Glenn has presented a trail racing classic suitable for hardcore ultra enthusiasts as well as road runners looking for a challenging introduction to off road running.
The course starts and ends at the John Litton General
Slavens Trailhead.
The first 1.5 miles is paved and gravel, with the balance
being a single track trail. After a short paved section to exit the campground,
runners will follow the gravel road out of the campground area. After about 1
mile on the gravel, runners will enter the trail and descend
through the John
Litton Farm to the Litton/Slavens trail. Taking a left there, they continue 2.5
miles to the Grand Gap Loop. Taking a right
there, they follow the 6.8 mile
Grand Gap Loop, and then return the entire 5.1 miles to the trailhead via the
Litton/Slavens trail. Aid stations at
(roughly) 3.5, 8.5, 12, and 14 miles.
Course closes in 5 hours.
There is no day of race registration, so sign up early!
October 16, 2010
Cumberland Trail 50k
Susan Donnelly - race director
Course Overview: The race takes you on a challenging, out-and-back route on the rugged New River section of the Cumberland Trail. This section crosses the high point of the trail, Cross Mountain, at over 3000'. Be prepared - this course could take up to twice your PR for a 50k. The climb up Cross Mountain is steep and will be slow. The course is 80% single-track trail and 20% gravel road. The race course starts through Cove Lake State Park, then uses approximately 9.3 miles of the Cumberland Trail before diverging off the trail and onto ATV and gravel road the rest of the way to the halfway point. It returns to the finish using the same route.
LOCATION AND DIRECTIONS: The course starts and finishes in beautiful Cove Lake State Park. The race will start at the pool parking lot and finish at Picnic Shelter #3. Parking for both start and finish is at the pool parking lot. Please do not park in the picnic area, since people are using the other picnic shelters and the parking capacity here is limited. Cove Lake is located in East Tennessee's Campbell County, 30 miles northwest of Knoxville, on U.S. 25W and I-75 between LaFollette and Lake City. From I-75, take Exit #134, travel 0.5 miles on Veterans Memorial Highway and take the first left turn.