A Message from our Club President

Brian Huskey, KTC President

Citius, Altius, Fortius.

Faster, Higher, Stronger.

I’m nearing the end of my time as president and on the board of the Knoxville Track Club, so it seems natural to take a look back.  When I joined the board almost six years ago, I was excited to help, but didn’t have enough knowledge about the club to offer any specific goals.  In the middle years, we (like everyone else) were simply trying to figure out how to navigate a global pandemic. When I took the role as president, I promoted a framework that divided our activities into three areas:

• Running the Club was about the core activities and all the things that come to mind when you think of the KTC.

• Growing the Club was just that – adding members to the roll, increasing the number of participants at races, growing the RunKNOX training group, signing-up more volunteers to support the other activities, etc.

• Transforming the Club was about considering new ideas, partnerships, capital projects, etc. that could dramatically change the club – think exponential vs incremental.

Of the three areas, I hoped that we could focus our efforts on growing the club. We had some success – seeing record numbers at lots of road and trail races along with a big jump at the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon. However, I’d be surprised if Eric Weatherbee (our Executive Director), Jason Altman (our Marathon Director), or any of the board members thought we’d maxed out in participation or membership.

My hope for the club is that there is continued growth. My dream is that the growth is dramatic in numbers, but also in passion.  I think there is plenty of opportunity, but it will require imagination and a willingness to try new things.  What worked for the club in the past may not be enough for today or in the future. For example, you can find multiple races almost any week-end. It should be no surprise that I’m biased and want you to run our races. Bringing Des Linden to the CHKM is an exciting example of trying new things. We want the KTC events to be the best – accurate courses, timing and scoring; fun routes; cool swag; etc.  We want them to be successful so that we can fulfill our mission of encouraging life-long physical well-being through running and walking. We want them to be successful so we can give back and help make Knoxville a healthy community.

And here is my continued call to action…

• Invite a friend or family member to join you at a race. We are working hard to have distances that work for everyone.

• If you are a member, think about including your entire family when you renew your membership. The membership easily pays for itself if you take advantage of any of the many discounts.

• Want to run more or faster? Sign-up for a RunKNOX training cycle and get coaching expertise, group accountability, and a great support community.

• If your organization doesn’t participate in the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon’s Fittest Company or School Challenges, reach out and let’s get connected.

• Spread the word about KTC activities – like, share, retweet on social media.

• Did you have a great experience at another race or receive cool swag? Let us know what things get you excited about participating.

With your continued help, the future of the club is bright!

Citius, Altius, Fortius.

Faster, Higher, Stronger.