Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon is back!

Carol EvansOur Town Outdoors

The Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon is back in full swing this year. The event, which includes a half marathon, 2- and 4-person relays, a 5K race and a kids’ fun run, will take place Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 2-3, at World’s Fair Park. Saturday events kick off at 4:30 p.m. with the Kids Run and Covenant 5K, while Sunday starts early at 7:30 a.m. There’s even a virtual option! For more information or to volunteer, go here.

Do be prepared for road closures in the center city this weekend. These roads will be closed for the duration, between 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 3:

  • Clinch Avenue between Henley Street and World’s Fair Park Drive
  • World’s Fair Park Drive between Clinch and Grand avenues

Knoxville Police will enforce temporary rolling closures along the route, protecting race participants and bystanders, as well as allowing traffic to cross the race route during breaks between runners.

The route begins on World’s Fair Park, proceeds to University of Tennessee campus via Phillip Fulmer Way and Neyland Drive, down Kingston Pike to Cherokee Boulevard through Sequoyah Hills and back to Kingston Pike, across Forest Park Boulevard to Newcom Avenue and onto the Third Creek Greenway, east to Tyson Park and through Fort Sanders via 22nd Street and Forest Avenue.

The second half of the marathon route leaves World’s Fair Park via W. Summit Hill Drive to N. Gay Street, through Fourth & Gill, across Hall of Fame Drive to E. Fifth, loops through Parkridge and across Magnolia Avenue at N. Bertrand Street to McCalla Avenue and back toward the Old City via Willow Avenue and into downtown via S. Central Street. The marathon’s last six miles take runners over Hill Avenue from Gay Street to James White Parkway across the river to Sevier Avenue, loop through the Island Home neighborhood and back to Sevier, returning to the World’s Fair Park via Gay Street, Market Square and Clinch Avenue. View a map of the route here.

Go to OutdoorKnoxville.com to find other activities.

Carol Evans is executive director of Legacy Parks Foundation.

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