Panther Creek Challenge

Panther Creek Challenge Ten Miler, Five Miler, and Kids Trail Mile 

DATE TIME PLACE: Saturday morning, September 7, 2024. 9:00 am. KIDS RACE starts at 8:30 am. Starts/finishes at The Overlook pavilion of Panther Creek State Park off US Highway 11E North in Morristown.   Google Maps Link to Start.   Latitude/Longitude 36.2121° N, 83.4061° W

DIRECTIONS: From Knoxville take Exit 394(Hwy 11E North) and travel 35 miles. Take a left onto Panther Creek Road (by the BP Station) and travel 2.5 miles. Park entrance is on the right. From North on I-81, take Exit 12 (Hwy 160). At the end of the ramp, take a right on Hwy 160 (North) to Hwy 11 E. Turn right on 11E. Look for the BP Station. Take a left on Panther Creek Road. Travel 2.5 miles and the park entrance is on the right.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: After several years away from this much-loved park, the Treadin' Trodden Trails team is excited to travel thirty-five miles northeast of Knoxville to Panther Creek State Park, this verdant and wondrous paradise of woods and lake, for an arduous romp through the forest. The longer distance option will be about ten miles in length, and the shorter race will cover five miles.  Both trails will definitely present runners with a good test of their fitness, as well as offer a delightful tour of the park.  Both courses will begin at the overlook in the northwest corner of the park, descend a steep single track, and then wind up, down, and around, in a dizzying series of circuitous loops through the woods and along the glittering waters of the lake. 

REGISTRATION AND FEES (NO REFUNDS AND NO BIB TRANSFERS): Fee: $20.00 for pre-registration and online registration. KTC discount accepted. $10.00 for students 14 and younger. Online registration available at Runsignup.com. Late registration fee $25.00, no discounts.

SPECIAL SERIES REGISTRATION OFFERS: Sign up online for 12 for $199 Dirty Dozen, 9 for $109 Starter Pack, or 3 for $99 Distance Pack bundle deals and SAVE BIG! https://runsignup.com/treadintroddentrails2024series   Expires June 1.

T-SHIRTS: Special limited edition T-shirts will be printed for the series. This is the same shirt as at all other 2024 Treadin’ Trodden Trails races; one shirt per runner PER SEASON please. Taking multiple shirts minimizes monies we are able to donate to trail friendly causes.

GRAND PRIX POINTS: Full points (i.e., 100, 90, etc.) will be awarded for the 10 Miler and Half points (i.e., 50, 45, etc.) awarded for the 5 Miler.

TTT SERIES AWARDS: This year we'll be awarding the top 3 in each division free race entries: 1st gets the full monty, all 12 races, 2nd gets the 9 race series, and 3rd gets entry into 6 races. Additionally we'll hold a drawing so that two lucky runners get a pair of shoes, thanks to the generous sponsorship of Runners Market. We'll once again be presenting the awards at the annual KTC Holiday Party in December.  Reminder, to qualify for series awards (and free shoes!), you'll need to be a member of KTC, and you will need to have volunteered two times during the course of the trail race season 

RESULTS: Results will be available on Runsignup.com and Webscorer.com

COURSE ETIQUETTE: We reserve the right to disqualify anyone who exhibits unsportsmanlike conduct or is abusive to volunteers. Due to insurance regulations, no headsets, earphones, bicycles, baby strollers, roller blades or pets on the course.

SAFETY: Aid and water stations will be provided, but in an effort to be greener, we urge all runners to carry their own water, i.e., only very small cups will be provided at the aid stations.  We also strongly recommend that anyone sensitive to insect stings or bites carry their own medication. Finally, we urge that everyone do some pre-race training offroad, as there is no substitute for experience. We want you to have a good time.

SAFETY POLICY CLARIFICATION: Our primary goal is to keep everybody safe out there in the woods. We've had some interest by younger folks in running the longer races, and we're all over that idea, but we are also concerned about their safety. Thus if a runner is under 12 years old, he or she will need to be accompanied by an adult in order to run the adult race (i.e. not the kids mile).Also, and this is less of a safety concern and more of a concern for the welfare of our volunteers: We'll also be enforcing the 18:00/mile minimum pace. This has been our policy all along but we've gotten a little lax and this keeps our volunteers in the woods far longer than they should have to be. Moving forward, each race will have a sweeper, and runners will need to be moving at greater than an 18:00/mile pace to stay in the race. Don't get caught by the sweep!

DON'T TAKE A BIB IF YOU'RE NOT RUNNING. This is safety-related - we want to make sure that everybody who starts the race stays safe. If you take a bib, we think you're running the race. Then when you don't show up at the finish, we have to try and track you down and make sure you're not lost in the woods or hurt. So please -- if you're not running the race, don't take a bib. Also, if you have to drop out of the race, please let one of the race officials know so you are accounted for.  Also, don't crunch or fold the bib, or tear off the bottom.  We need an unspoiled bib to record your time and finish place.

INFO FOR RUNNING OR VOLUNTEERING: Contact TTT Series Director Michael deLisle at mdelisle@comcast.net or 865.548.4718.  Volunteer info and signup available on Runsignup.com.  We value volunteerism highly. Runners can take their participation in the KTC TTT series to the next level by volunteering! Not only does the success of each trail race depend on our great community of volunteers, but volunteerism is required for placement in the esteemed Grand Prix Rankings. In order to qualify for a Grand Prix award, runners must also volunteer for a minimum of 2 events. Each trail race has opportunities for both folks running in the event and those preferring to provide support during the race. Volunteer positions can be found and selected on the respective race page on Runsignup.com. No experience is necessary and one might argue that volunteering is more fun than running. Come out, support the community and secure your place in the Grand Prix hierarchy!

KTC SAFETY POLICY: The Knoxville Track Club Board of Directors has approved an Event Safety Policy, viewable here: Weather Policy. Please familiarize yourself with it.