Runners from across the area will soon have the opportunity to compete with one another and take in the sights and sounds of Roan Mountain.
Following a year lapse in the event, the Roan Mountain 10K, to be held at Roan Mountain State Park, is set to take place on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 11 a.m. and Park Ranger Meg Guy is ready to get the ball rolling for the endeavor.
“The race itself is part of the Tennessee State Parks Running Tour,” Guy said. “That the running tour has been going for around 38 years now I believe.”
But Roan Mountain did not participate in the tour last year after a changeup at the director position. Ever the avid runner, Guy wanted to bring the race back and was sure to put her name in the running to become the race’s new director.
“I wanted to take it over last year,” she said. “State of Franklin Track Club took it off their schedule so there wasn’t a race director. It wasn’t on the tour schedule last year and that made me sad because that’s our park. That’s where I work and I’m a runner so I talked with the tour director to get this OK’ed. It’s exciting.”
Registration opened up this week for the run. Preregistration is available now by visiting www.reg2run.com or by visiting the Roan Mountain State Park website. Participants can sign up now for $20 – covering the registration fee and a long-sleeved t-shirt. $8 covers the cost of the race without a shirt.
Day-of registration for the race will also be held with a fee of $15. No t-shirts will be available for day-of registration. Participants will receive trophies based on top performers and winners for each age group.
“It’s all road,” Guy said of the 6.2-mile race. “We’ll be meeting at the campground at picnic shelter 3. That’s where day-of registration will be held and where the awards will be presented after the race. The finish line is actually in the cabin area, so it’s just a short walk back to the picnic shelter. There’s the beautiful fall colors and we’ll expect people to make a weekend out of it. The race will only last around a hour-and-a-half so people will have the chance to walk the Appalachian Trail, pick up a park program. It’ll be a fun weekend.”
As excitement grows for the race, Guy is hoping for a sizeable crowd.
“I have run it for the past four years and the biggest crowd I saw was around 65 people,” she said. “The smallest was around 35. We’re hoping for at least 50 for this race.”
As the fall season gets into full gear, the rangers at Roan Mountain State Park have experienced a rather busy, but enjoyable, year, according to Guy.
“2016 has been very, very busy,” she said with a smile. “We had the largest Rhododendron Festival, ever. Vicky Dyer has worked at our park for over 30 years and she mentioned it was the largest she’s ever seen. Our visitation has been through the roof … I really don’t know where the summer went. We got a little bit of a break there in August but now with October here, we’re back at it. It’s like flipping a switch.”
For more information on the race, visit www.tennesseerunningtour.com or call Guy at (423) 772-0190.