Heat and Humidity at Hard Knox Pizza Dogwood Classic 5k

The Hard Knox Pizza Dogwood Classic 5k is my favorite Spring race, and not only because I direct it. Following a rolling route on Cherokee Blvd, full of Tulips, Dogwood trees, and Azaleas, make this the ideal Spring course.

An early pre-race sprinkle knocked some pollen from the air but also added a whole lot of humidity. The air was heavy, but feet were light for the kids race. Ten year old S. Riddle was the first kid back, blazing through the mile long course in 7:55!

The 5K route was primed for speed, and The Long Run owner Ethan Coffey got the overall win, burning through the course at lightning speed of 16:32! Elizabeth Herndon ate hills for breakfast and took the first overall female on the 5K with a time of 18:21!

A huge thank you goes out to our title sponsor, Hard Knox Pizza in Bearden.

Stanley’s Greenhouse once again donated their beautiful tomato plants as the age group awards. Runners give their all in warm, humid conditions to win a plant and enjoy delicious tomatoes all summer. Make sure to stop by Stanley’s Greenhouse for your spring and summer landscaping needs! And their gorgeous baskets of flowers make GREAT Mother’s Day gifts!

Thank you to Tennessee Sports Medicine Group for onsite post-race injury assessment and post run stretching.

And thank you to the rest of our great sponsors: Eddie’s Health Shoppe, RunKnox, Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon, Runner’s Market, and Patdome Promotions.

Races are not possible without volunteers, and the Knoxville Running Community has some of the absolute best. The race started on the right foot following C. John Chavis singing the National Anthem, and no one got lost thanks to Knoxville Police Department and a host of course monitors. The water stop kept runners hydrated so they could power through the last mile and a half to the finish. The University of Tennessee – Knoxville running club showed up in force, volunteering before the race, speeding through the run, and then volunteering again at the finish line. They are an amazing group of runners and a joy to the running community.

It’s an honor to direct this race, and I look forward to seeing what next year brings! Don’t forget about The Expo 5k and 10k coming up on May 24^th! See you there! – Karla Gander, KTC Board Vice President and Hard Knox Pizza Dogwood Classic 5k Race Director