Treadin' Trodden Trails
In 2004, KTC board members met with representatives of Knox County and the City of Knoxville. As a result, the Mayors Cup Series of Off Road Racing was born. For four years, the Mayors Cup Series drew small but enthusiastic crowds of trail buffs to wonderful and oft underutilized city and county parks for races on single track trails and on grass. In 2006 and 2007 the Mayors Cup worked with XTERRA to bring local runners an opportunity to compete for points that earned top runners a chance to run in a national championship event.
KTC then formed a Trails Committee and charged the group with presenting a comprehensive schedule of off road events to attract larger crowds and bring trail running to the forefront of running consciousness.
The committee presents the following schedule for the 2008 Treadin' Trodden Trails Off Road Racing Series.
March
16, 2008
Belly of the Beast
Dani Huff and Nicole Howe - race directors
In the far northwestern reaches of Knox County lies a park astride a scenic bend in the Clinch River. Mown grassy pathways are maintained year-round and connect with a number of stretches of wooded trail, including the infamous Beast. Much of the trail system is easily navigable, with an additional hilly section in the eastern quadrant of the park.
Our race course begins in a broad meadow on a cross-country course, then takes contestants up a short, looping hill in an area of new-growth woods. Returning to the lakeside, runners sweep around more grassy pathways before encountering for the first time the Beast. the course follows a convoluted figure-8 as it returns near and passes the start before curving back around to finish with a hair-raising descent of the Beast some five miles from the starting line.
- Directions: I-140 take the Hardin Valley Exit, go west, turn onto Steele Rd., right beside Hardin Valley Elementary School. Go left at next intersection, Sam Lee Rd. to Couch Mill to Williams Bend Rd runs right into park
- On Google Maps
April 13, 2008
Haw
Ridge Spring Splat
Michael deLisle - race director
An outdoor enthusiast's paradise, more than twenty-eight miles of rolling, twisting, single-track and double-track trails await the intrepid trail runner at Haw Ridge, situated on a rugged peninsula along the Clinch River between Oak Ridge and Knoxville. So much trail awaits that one can arrive to what appears a full parking lot and complete a run while encountering nary a soul. Recent automobile break-ins, however, have necessitated caution in terms of parking and what to leave (and not to leave) in your vehicle.
This will be the first race contested along the western portion of the park, and although some hills present themselves, the lakeside sections of trail are not prohibitively challenging. Covering varied terrain and offering beautiful scenery, the race will be approximately six miles in length.
May 17,
2008
Seven Islands Sunblast Race
Beth MacDonald - race director
Just twenty minutes west of downtown Knoxville is one of the best kept secrets in the area. The trails at Seven Islands, a relatively new Knox County park, are largely grassy, with a few challenging stretches of wooded single-track. Closed to mountain-bikers, these trails offer a degree of solitude unavailable in many trail running venues, along with grand views of the Smokies and the Cumberland Escarpment.
One of the most popular trail racing venues over the past few years, Seven Islands combines singletrack racing with some sweeping climbs up grassy mown pathways and similarly grassy trails along the French Broad River. All told, the course covers approximately six miles.
June 1, 2008
The Trail
That Can't Be Concord
Michael deLisle - race director
This trail system off Northshore Drive out near Farragut is largely unknown to the tens of thousands who live within minutes of its trailheads. Solely single-track offerings wind and climb up and down through thick undergrowth beneath a dense tree canopy along Fort Loudoun Lake.
Our race will begin in the western portion of the park with a two mile jaunt to get the runner warmed up for the second section, a more challenging and lengthy run with a couple of good hills and some interestingly overgrown undergrowth. Race distance will be something approaching seven miles.
June 29, 2008
Forks of the
River Trail Race
Beth MacDonald - race director
Just east of Ijams Nature Center is an area of more than three hundred acres of grass and woodland. Managed by the State of Tennessee for multi-use, including hunting, part of the area is maintained in food crops for birds, including sunflowers and corn, while additional acreage is wooded. The trails in places are obscure but rewarding and offer visas of the French Broad River.
The course will combine wooded singletrack with pathways that traverse cropland and hayfields, covering about five miles in length.
July 6, 2008
I.C. King of
Trails Race
Jack Kilislian - race director
A delightful circuit of single-track trails, the system at I.C. King Park south of Knoxville offers up to nine miles of winding, hilly footpaths. Frequented by mountain bikers as well as runners, the area is a hidden gem just five miles south of the University of Tennessee.
The 2008 race will be limited to 100 runners, due to parking constraints and desire to not overwhelm the trail itself. It will also be handicapped by age and gender. For more information, click here.
August 31, 2008
Norris
Dam Hard Trail Race
Bobby Holcombe - race director
Here, adjacent to the Clinch River above and below Norris Dam, many miles of trails await the avid trail runner. From the nearly level trail paralleling Lower Clear Creek, to the knee-stiffening, quad-busting grades of Ridgecrest and Lakeside, the trails in and around the Norris Municipal Watershed and Norris Dam State Park offer a challenging and rewarding array of single-track and jeep roads.
The 2008 Norris Dam Hard Trail Race will be the culmination of the Treadin' Trodden Trails Series. The 20k distance will send runners up to High Point for an exciting tour of the watershed, before returning to the finish. An award ceremony for the entire series will follow, along with a picnic celebration at the adjacent pavilion.
CLICK HERE FOR POINT TOTALS FOR 2008 SERIES