So Much More at KTC’s Townsend 15k/10k

Writer: Sally Joines

As a runner, when choosing what races to participate in, I think about the scenery in the miles ahead, the energy of fellow participants and the fun race swag. As a Race Director, I think about these things even more, hoping that we can exceed the expectations of participants and have them leave with more than just a ‘been there/done that/got the tshirt” experience .

The 46th running of the Townsend 15k was welcomed by great temps and 205 participants who completed the courses. This year the 10k route followed the same course as the 15k, giving those runners a lot of extra peer support and beautiful scenery, while the 15k runners enjoyed the same course plus a couple more miles on the beautiful backroads of Townsend. .

In the 10k, the winners were, Male Overall: David Santoski finishing in 40:44 and Female Overall winner with a finish time of 52:46 .Annika Brashear. In the 15k, Seth Koloss earned first place finish with a time of 49:57 and Gina Rouse secured first place female with a finish time of 55:38. For a complete listing of results, please see the KTC website.

Like all KTC events, we could not have done this without our most amazing sponsors. In particular, the Abbey has graciously opened their doors for us, providing the perfect spot for race day! If you’ve not been by, you are missing out! They are almost done with some amazing outdoor spaces that will make your next trip to Townsend complete! In addition, we want to thank other sponsors who supported us Pilot, B-Dry Towel, Townsend Strategy, Tennessee Sports Medicine, WBIR, Little River Campground and It’s Not The Coffee.

No race recap would be complete without giving a huge shout out to all the volunteers who woke up early, stayed late, dealt with the crazy and overall provided a lot of awesome! In particular, I’d like to give a shout out to those who stepped in for parking duty, this is a job that few are brave enough to do, but are an essential part of a successful event. In addition, a huge thank you to Coach Pam Haggard/aka previous most awesome Race Director for this event. Thank you Coach P for motivating a bunch of teenagers to come out and support this event. Your Alcoa High School Cross Country team is a huge blessing to our community of runners!

Once again, it was awesome hosting this race morning in the Peaceful Side of the Smokies. Amazing athletes, fun runners, smiling faces and good times were abundant. We hope that you left the race with thoughts of been there/done that/got the tshirt – plus so much more!!