Fireball Turns 40!

Fireball turned 40 in 2024! This year we welcomed runners from 13 states: Tennessee, North Carolina, Florida, Virginia, Georgia, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Arizona, Montana, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. With the American flag once again flying high above Neyland Drive, Fireball’s “Ruby Jubilee” festivities began with over 60 kids completing the Firecracker Kids mile followed by nearly 900 runners sprinting down Neyland Drive to complete the 5k race.

We expect the flat course to bring us fast finishes and even with the heat and humidity, this year was no exception. Will Jeter was the overall winner with a time of 16:14. Alex Morgan and Luis Chavez rounded out the top 3 with times of 16:41 and 16:44. On the women’s side, Peighton Meske took the overall win with a time of 17:07. In second place, was Gina Rouse in 18:08, and third was Ashley Zimmerman in 19:18.

In the Masters category, the top male and female were Seth Crum (17:03) and Elizabeth Whelpley (20:06). Ryan Shrum (19:04) and Masha Morton (24:44) were first place male and female Grandmasters. Brent Bueche repeated as male Senior Grandmaster winner with a time of 20:15 and Sherry Dutkosky with a time of 25:56, won the female Senior Grandmasters category. Peyton Hairston won the Clydesdale category with a time of 23:31 while Alicia Teubert won the Athena category in 21:34.

Special thanks to all our sponsors: title sponsor, Pilot Travel Centers, LLC, and other sponsors: Runners Market, RunKnox, Quest Health and Performance, Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon, and Dicks Sporting Goods.

A big thank you to the University of Tennessee for the use of its facilities, the City of Knoxville, the Knoxville Police Department, and the Knoxville Fire Department for keeping us safe on the course and flying the flag from the bucket truck.

Finally, a HUGE thank you to all the volunteers who worked so hard before, during, and after the race to make this event a success! You all braved the heat and humidity and made sure all our first-time participants had a great experience – you all rock! KTC has some of the best and most dedicated volunteers and I’m so happy to serve alongside you. I hope to see everyone again in 2025! Happy running!