A year ago, thirty two participants crossed the Third Creek Greenway (TCG) parkrun finishing line for its inaugural event. A lot has happened since then. While 19 rather than 52 events have occurred in the past twelve months due to COVID-19 and a flood cancellation in February, the events we did have were full of the true parkrun spirit - friendly competition, dedication to physical activity, service to the community, and cowbell encouragement!
This year there were many impressive frontrunners at TCG parkrun events. The men’s course record of 17:09 is jointly held by Jasper Wilson and Conal McCambridge. These two Carson Newman students posted this fast time during very rainy conditions, but were unphased. Seeing them push each other to the record was a joy. The women’s course record of 23:21 is held by Dana Rohloff. She achieved this time on TCG’s 10th parkrun event, right after Christmas. Congrats to these standout runners for blazing the trail. We look forward to seeing others chase these times in our future events and strive for their own personal best times.
parkrun is also all about dedication and continuing to show up week after week. A few participants stood out due to their commitment. The parkrunner who finished the course more than anyone else was Nancy Henry. In total, she completed the 5k eleven times (and also volunteered twice!). She was the female first finisher 7 times! Marcus Steward was the male parkrunner with the most finishes - 8 in total! In the junior competition, TCG’s most consistent parkrunner was Alex Steward, with 7 finishes. In TCG’s first year, 118 unique individuals have finished the course. It has been wonderful getting to know each of these parkrunners.
TCG parkrun is especially grateful for all of its dedicated volunteers during its first year. These events would not be possible without those who came out to help time, tailwalk, and set up the course. Thanks are due to the core volunteer team, but every contribution was essential. In total, 27 individuals have given their time to support free weekly timed 5ks. Here’s a list of every person who volunteered during our first year:
- Alex Higginbotham
- Alex Snyder
- Andrea Zukowski
- Christopher Snyder
- David Talmy
- Diane Taylor
- Heather England
- Hunter Miller
- Jeanne Hale
- Jillian Sparks
- Joe Sparks
- Jono Pace
- Katie Chadwick
- Kirk Anderson
- Max Lemons
- Meredith Hale
- Nancy Henry
- P. Mark Taylor
- Rebecca McConnell
- Rebecca Rogers
- Roger Hale
- Sam Steward
- Steven McConnell
- Timothy Sparks
- Trinity Douglass
- William Steward
- Xavier Juan
While parkrun remains cancelled until we can safely meet in groups again, there are still ways to be involved. Each week parkrunners can log any 5k walk, jog or run they complete as a (not)parkrun. Simply login to your parkrun profile at https://www.parkrun.com/signin/ and click on “(not)parkrun.” This allows you to continue to track your progress and be involved with the virtual parkrun community. The good news? - you can't forget your barcode! If you’ve never completed a parkun, you are also welcome to join and participate in (not)parkrun during these unusual times. You can register here - https://www.parkrun.us/register/?section=form In addition, you can always get out and enjoy the Third Creek Greenway course on your own.
Thanks to everyone who has been involved in any way with the Third Creek Greenway parkrun. Support from the Knoxville Track Club early on meant a lot as does the participation and promotion of the event by all our volunteers and parkrunners. Thank you for being part of our first year. Here’s to many more!
Facebook: facebook.com/ThirdCreekGreenwayparkrun
Instagram: instagram.com/tcgparkrun/