A Message from our Executive Director

Four seasons.

We always hear transplants to East Tennessee say they were looking for somewhere to experience all four seasons. And most years, they’re probably happy with the variability and the transitions. But goodness, if this year hasn’t broken that mold… from warm to cold in the drop of a hat! It makes training for anything more challenging… how do we heat-train when the temperatures here are dropping? How do we prep for a cold-weather race when summer won’t kick the bucket?

That said, we seem to have turned the corner. The “Third Saturday in October” always feels like fall, and this year is no different. The track club is ramping up and prepping for the end of the year festivities, starting with the Pilot CrossKnox 15k. New this year (and only this year, we hope!) is a route that deviates from the norm to avoid the paving work on the Third Creek Greenway. Most of y’all know, this section of greenway is one the most heavily traveled in our area, and is home to a number of races annually (including CHKM). It’ll be great when the project is done, but in the meantime, it means a little adjustment is needed! We know the trails at Norris won’t be closed, and if you’re looking for an ultra, it’ll be the site of KTC’s only 50k.

We’ll roll into the holidays from there, with the Regal Entertainment Group Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. Outside of the marathon weekend 5k, this is our biggest race every year, and this year is trending toward record numbers! It’s an event that brings every element of the running community together – frontrunners and back-of-the-packers, solo-ers and families, young and old, the Turkey Trot showcases the best of our RRCA Runner-Friendly Community!

We know the temps will drop as the distances rise, and we’ll finish the year with some long ones – the Dirty South trail races and the Pigeon Forge Half Marathon, 5k, and Relay. We’ll wrap up the year once and for all on December 12 at our Annual Meeting and Holiday Party. This year, we’ll celebrate our top volunteers, our grand prix winners, and more at The Emporium in Knoxville. It’s free for members, but it’ll help us tremendously if you’d register (here) so we can have the right amount of food!

For you who like to plan, we’re working on getting our 2024 races live in runsignup. You can find a list of all the upcoming races on the website: Upcoming KTC Races.