The Marathon course is a 26.2 mile journey through scenic Knoxville, TN.  The course has been designed to show-off Knoxville and run through several of its fine neighborhoods.

2009 turn-by-turn course description:  2009 Course Description

2009 course map (subject to minor modifications): 2009 Full and Half Map

Course profile:  km course profile.pdf

Race start time:  7:00 a.m.

Certification:  USATF Certified - #TN08015MS
Course is a Boston Marathon qualifier.

Amenities  All Marathon participants will receive a Saucony technical t-shirt and goody bag upon packet pickup at the Health & Fitness Expo on Saturday, March 28th.  NOTE: This is mandatory packet pickup; there is NO RACE DAY PACKET PICKUP.  At the finish line marathon finishers will receive a mylar blanket, finishers' medal, and finishers' running hat. 

Refreshment 

The marathon course will feature 18 runner refreshment stations.  Each station will feature Powerade and Mountain Valley Spring Water.  There will also be two gel station serving GU (flavors: Vanilla, Chocolate, and Tri-Berry) at approximately the 11 and 16 mile marks.  There will be another station serving fruit. 

Music  An awesome lineup of both live and recorded music is planned for the marathon course.  To give you an idea what to expect, read about the live acts that we had on course for 2008!

Restrictions  Marathon participants must be 18 years of age or older.  And you must be able to complete the course, whether running or walking, in 7 hours.  The course will be rolled-up in a 16 minute/mile pace.  At a pace slower than this, you will need to move to the sidewalks and proceed toward the finish.  The finish line will remain open for 7 hours.
There is no separate start time for walkers. 

Timing  You need to wear the loaner AMB timing chip that we provide.  If you do not wear the timing chip, you will not have a registered finishing time and will not be listed in the results.  AMB timing has been used in some of the most high-profile events in the world, including the 2004 Olympic Marathon and Triathlon.  It is incredibly accurate, easy to use, and comfortable to wear.
Note:  Personal Championchips are NOT compatible with our system.

Portable Toilets  On course, we will have plenty of portable toilets.  They will be near (but not right next to) every water station.  There will be 3 at each of the first 6 water stations and then 2 at each of the remaining 12 water stations on course.  There will also be plenty available at the start, as well as indoor restrooms in the Knoxville Convention Center concourse. 

Medical Support  Plenty of medical support will be available throughout the course, at the finish line, and at the Pilot Post Race Party at Thompson Boling Arena.  Mobile medical support units will be positioned every couple of miles along the course.  There will be a first aid area after the finish line.  And there will be a first aid team and self-care area at the Pilot Post Race Party at Thompson Boling Arena.  In addition a therapy team provided by Covenant Therapy Centers will be available at the Pilot Post Race Party.

Massage  After all your hard work, you deserve a massage.  Massage therapists will be on hand at the Pilot Post Race Party. 

Teams
All runners have the ability to participate as a team and be eligible for special team awards and prizes.  Note, there is also a 4-Person Relay, which you can read about on the Relay page.  The Marathon team competition is where each member of the team completes the entire course.  You may have as many people as you'd like on your team.  For special team awards, only the top 3 participants on your team will score - their times will be combined for a team time (ALL participants are also timed individually and eligible for all individual awards and prizes.)  There will be team categories for male only, female only, and co-ed teams. 
Teams can be any groups of people who want to add this designation (for free!) to their registration.  Encourage others you know to join you in the race...coworkers, classmates, family, military, friends, etc. are all great ideas for teams.  If you register as a team with coworkers, your team can also win the "Fittest Company" competition - determined by which company's employees complete the most combined miles on race day.   

Pace Teams
We are organizing pace teams to help get you to the finish line.  We will have pace teams led by experienced runners for time increments ranging from 3 hours to 7 hours. 

*If you are interested in leading a pace group, we would really appreciate hearing from you.  Please contact us for more information. 
To run with a pace group, please stop by the Pace Teams booth at the Expo.