Hann Jivin’ Prerace

With Spring now in full fledged splendor, KTC’s annual night trail race, Hann Jivin’ in the Dark, is coming up on May 9. A jaunt through the quiet side of the Urban Wilderness, it’ll start at 9:00 (preceded by a fabulous Kids Trail Mile at 8:30). Come take a journey of Lost Chromosome, Chain Ring, AC/DC, and some other lesser known trails that branch off the main loop of Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness. Never run in the woods at night? This is a fantastic opportunity to get your feet wet (maybe literally) on a well-marked course while surrounded by 200 of your closest trail running buddies !!!

Race registration will remain open right up till the start of the race but the fee will go up on MAY 1 at 11:59PM. Sign up now, save a few bucks. This link will take you directly to the registration page.

This is a night race, so please come prepared to run in the dark by yourself. For the adult race, NO RUNNERS WILL BE ALLOWED ON THE COURSE WITHOUT AN ILLUMINATION SOURCE, i.e., a headlamp, handheld flashlight, or other light source. The course will be well marked and we’ll have course monitors posted at key locations, but it is your responsibility to look out for your own safety. Sunset on May 9 is at 8:28, meaning it’ll be getting quite dark by 9:00. The moon won’t rise till nearly midnight, so we’ll all get a good taste of the darkness.

The Kids Trail Mile is also all trail, running out and back on Lost Chromosome. Kids race starts at 8:30 pm, dusky but not full dark. We will have a lead “rabbit” but parents are welcome and encouraged to run with kids.

This race starts and ends at Anderson-South Head Start at 4808 Prospect Road. Map here. We will have a couple of portapotties onsite and we’ll offer assorted snacks and beverages for relaxing in the dark afterward.

There will be one aid station and you’ll only hit it once. THERE WILL BE NO DISPOSABLE CUPS AT THE RACE, but we will provide reusable Hydrapak Speedcups free of charge for use at this and at future races. And as always, we encourage you to bring your own means of hydration.

As for the weather, the average temps for May 10 are 76/53. We’ll hope for perfect weather, but even if we get some rain, UW trails drain relatively well, and as long as we bear in mind that there are bridges on the course that can remain slick (and a water crossing!) we’ll be good to go. The race will go on rain or shine.

We can always use more volunteers. If you’re unable to run the race, this is a great way to share in the fun. Or if friends or family are coming to cheer you on, encourage them to sign up as a volunteer. This link will take you to the volunteer signup page.

We also want to remind you that we have new TTT hoodies — a few of our 2024 hoodies still available, too! — as well as cool hats and stickers for sale in our online store. We’ll also have them at the race for easy online purchase. Visit our online store at this link.

And don’t forget the TTT Grand Prix. We’re keeping track of points that accrue during the season and top three finishers in each of the four divisions—as long as they’re KTC members and volunteer at least twice at TTT races—will be awarded valuable prizes at the end of the year.

If we’ve left anything out, or you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to KTC’s Treadin’ Trodden Trails Series Director Michael deLisle at trails@ktc.org or call 865.548.4718. You can also reach Hann Jive Race Director Alex Walker at alexanderkwalker@gmail.com or 423.827.4400. We’ll send another email a week in advance of the race with any last minute details or updates, but this should provide most of what you need.

See you on May 9 !!!