After weeks of puddle jumping and slick bridges, participants in the nineteenth edition of Third Creek Greenway parkrun had the pleasure of enjoying sunny skies and almost warm temperatures.

In total, 19 runners officially completed our nineteenth event. A few additional participants came out for their first parkrun on International Women’s Day just to see what parkrun is all about. They enjoyed the majority of the course and we hope to see them back in the future. Thanks to all of our regulars who spread the word about parkrun and introduced someone new to Knoxville’s parkrun. Five first timers joined us this weekend. If you’re new to parkrun or you want to bring a friend, family member or colleague encourage them register for a personalized barcode.

With the pleasant weather came great times! Jay Johns ran his first official parkrun with us and crossed the line as first finisher in 21:08. Shane Frank joined us for his second parkrun and bettered his personal best from last week by over a minute. In total, six individuals earned PBs this weekend. Congratulations to Sarah Hamilton, Karter Johns, Laura Johns, Zoey Johns, and Amelia Childers. It’s great to see so much improvement from all of our runners!

In honor of International Women’s Day, we had some special chalking on the course and a number of new women take part with friends. Thanks to Kassandra Galvin, Stefanie Garvin, and Lisa Campbell for joining us as newcomers on this special day. While we always celebrate all of our runners, it was nice to take time today to recognize our women parkrunners and the importance of sport in their lives.

A call for volunteers

We are always looking for volunteers and encourage you to try it out whether you are a parkrun veteran or newbie. All the volunteer roles at Third Creek Greenway parkrun are easy, fun, and don’t require a lengthy commitment. You’ll get a briefing about roles at 8:45am and be on site until the tail walker has crossed the line.

Parkrun also rewards those who volunteer 25 times with a unique purple running t-shirt. Excitingly this weekend our own Meredith Hale marked her 25th volunteering occasion with parkrun - a worthy recognition of her commitment to bringing parkrun to Knoxville and supporting participants each week! We can’t wait to see your new purple t-shirt on the greenway soon.

If you’re interested in volunteering at a future event, please email thirdcreekgreenway@parkrun.com.

Next week’s parkrun

We are back next week! Don’t forget to register and don’t forget your barcode...

Since launching on October 26 2019, Third Creek Greenway parkrun has had 118 individual finishers and 27 individuals volunteering.

Facebook: facebook.com/ThirdCreekGreenwayparkrun

Instagram: instagram.com/tcgparkrun/

Twitter: twitter.com/tcgparkrun

With temperatures hovering below freezing, a total of 12 participants came out to enjoy a run or walk on the Third Creek Greenway. Two participants experienced the course for the first time, though with a bit more ice than is typical.

Despite the conditions, we witnessed several speedy performances! David Talmy racked up his fourth first place finish along with barkrunner Scout. On the women’s side, all three of the first women across the line posted personal bests. Carlene Steenekamp finished as the first female for her first time and both Rebecca Rogers and Tingting Xu ran their fastest times on the course.

Mary Phelan, a tourist from Ireland visiting family in Johnson City, fit in parkrun right before a flight out of McGhee Tyson directly after. We admire her commitment and hope she’ll join us again in the future. Mary kindly reported, “It was my slowest parkrun ever, but it was also my favorite ever.” She said she took some time to take photos of the sights on the course. For those of us who have direct access to the greenways, it’s easy to take for granted the sounds and scenery we encounter along Third Creek. Mary’s words are a thoughtful reminder of how lucky we are here in Knoxville. Ashley Bell also ran the Third Creek Greenway course for her first time as her introduction to parkrun. If you’re new to parkrun or you want to bring a friend, family member or colleague encourage them register for a personalized barcode. 

A call for volunteers

Thanks to everyone who volunteered this week, especially Katie Chadwick who was visiting from England. No trip to Knoxville is complete without experiencing Third Creek Greenway parkrun, right? We are always looking for volunteers and encourage you to try it out whether you are a parkrun veteran or newbie. All the volunteer roles at Third Creek Greenway parkrun are easy, fun, and don’t require a lengthy commitment. You’ll get a briefing about roles at 8:45am and be on site until the tail walker has crossed the line.

If you’re interested in volunteering at a future event, please email thirdcreekgreenway@parkrun.com.

Next week’s parkrun

We are back next week! Don’t forget to register and don’t forget your barcode...

Since launching on October 26 2019, Third Creek Greenway parkrun has had 110 individual finishers and 27 individuals volunteering.

Facebook: facebook.com/ThirdCreekGreenwayparkrun

Instagram: instagram.com/tcgparkrun/

Twitter: twitter.com/tcgparkrun

This week half of our finishers were newcomers to parkrun! Welcome to Katrina Brisbane, Karter Johns, Laura Johns, and Zoey Johns! We also had four junior athletes eagerly take off at the start and successfully complete the 5k.

Max Lemons was our first finisher for the second time this week. He added on the 5k to his long run as part of his training for a marathon in March and a slew of sprint triathlons as well as an Iron Man in the year ahead. All parkrunners should feel free to work parkrun into any running plans you already have. For those looking for distance, it’s easy to tack on miles before or after parkrun.

In terms of personal bests, this week the McConnell family dominated! Grace, Thomas, and Rebecca McConnell worked together to get everyone across the line in under 43 minutes. We love having families and junior athletes out.

Thomas McConnell races to the finish!

Thanks to everyone who volunteered this week! All the volunteer roles at Third Creek Greenway parkrun are easy, fun, and don’t require a lengthy commitment. You’ll get a briefing about roles at 8:45am and be on site until the tail walker has crossed the line.  If you’re interested in volunteering at a future event, please email thirdcreekgreenway@parkrun.com.

Finally, each week we do our best to include motivational messages or fun images in chalk on the course. We want to hear from our parkrunners if there are quotes or messages that are particularly special or motivating for you that you’d like to see in future weeks. Don’t hesitate to share!

Next week’s parkrun

We are back next week! Don’t forget to register and don’t forget your barcode...

Since launching on October 26 2019, Third Creek Greenway parkrun has had 105 individual finishers and 25 individuals volunteering.

Facebook: facebook.com/ThirdCreekGreenwayparkrun

Instagram: instagram.com/tcgparkrun/

Twitter: twitter.com/tcgparkrun

Running in the New Year… Run Report #11

While the course was wet, with one formidable puddle following our third bridge crossing, the rain mostly held off during the eleventh Third Creek Greenway event. A total of thirteen participants came out to celebrate our first parkrun of 2020. We are looking forward to a full year of parkruns ahead.

This week four runners achieved personal best times. Both of our first two finishers, Max Lemons and David Talmy, had their best ever finishes. Jeanne Wykert and William Kelch also shaved time off their previous runs.

Max is our first finisher and runs his fastest time

David runs a personal best

In addition to many familiar returning faces, at today’s parkrun we had one newcomer. Martin Cordell brought along his daughter, Freya. She had a strong run, keeping alongside her father and sister for the 5k. If you have a friend or relative who you think might enjoy parkrun, please do invite them out to take part and support them on their first run. Having someone you know introduce you to parkrun is often far more effective than social media posts and it really embodies the community spirit we aim to foster.

The Cordell Family

As always, we are very grateful for our volunteers who make each event happen. This week Alex was “helped” by her daughter Lauren in scanning barcodes and Rebecca Rogers stepped up to timekeeping. We would also like to give a special shout out to our tail walker, Diane Taylor, who donated a bag to better transport and store all of our course signs. Thank you so much for finding the perfectly sized container (a gift wrap bag)!

Alex and Lauren Snyder barcode scanning

Diane finds us the perfect sign carrying case

If you’d like to volunteer at a future event please email thirdcreekgreenway@parkrun.com. Volunteer roles at Third Creek Greenway parkrun are easy, fun, and don’t require a lengthy commitment. You’ll get a briefing about roles at 8:45am and be on site until the tail walker has crossed the line. 

Next week’s parkrun

Rain or shine, we’ll see you next week! Don’t forget to register and don’t forget your barcode...

Since launching on October 26 2019, Third Creek Greenway parkrun has had 91 individual finishers and 22 individuals volunteering.

Facebook: facebook.com/ThirdCreekGreenwayparkrun

Instagram: instagram.com/tcgparkrun/

Twitter: twitter.com/tcgparkrun

Event number 10 at Third Creek Greenway parkrun had anything but typical wintery weather. With temperatures in the 50s and sunny skies, 19 participants took to the course this week.

For the last event of 2019, we welcomed five first timers - Jack Brown, Jan Brown, Bruce Goulart, Ken Lonseth, and Dana Rohloff all were parkrun newcomers. Jan Brown and Bruce Goulart visited town from Connecticut to spend time with their grandson, Jack Brown.

Newcomers, Ken Lonseth and Dana Rohloff cross the finish line

Jan Brown, visiting from Connecticut, completes her first parkrun

Several junior athletes made major improvements or reached significant milestones this week. Jack Brown impressed us all by running his very first 5k in 27:35! Bruce ran alongside Jack throughout his first 3.1 mile run. Evan Snyder also had an outstanding run, cutting twelve minutes off his previous personal best to finish in 30:06. It’s great to see so many junior athletes excelling!

Jack Brown completes his first ever 5k!

Several other performances merit a special shout out. In addition to Evan, three returning athletes ran personal bests - Kirk Anderson, Martin Cordell, and Max Lemons. Chris Davis also returned to continue his first finisher streak. Chris has been first across the line at all six of the Third Creek Greenway parkrun events he has completed. Keep up the quick times!

Evan runs a twelve minute personal best

Finally, we also had a familiar face volunteer this week for the first time. P. Mark Taylor, who has run two of our official events, helped us by handing out finish tokens. We love seeing you guys out each week enjoying yourself and making the most of Knoxville’s beautiful greenways. We couldn’t put on our events without volunteers so a huge thanks to our ‘high-vis heroes’  who make parkrun possible. If you’d like to volunteer at a future event please email thirdcreekgreenway@parkrun.com. Volunteer roles at Third Creek Greenway parkrun are easy, fun, and don’t require a lengthy commitment. You’ll get a briefing about roles at 8:45am and be on site until the Tail Walker has crossed the line. 

Next week - Time to ring in 2020!

Whether you want to participate in parkrun for the first time or are a veteran parkrunner, join us next week for our first parkrun of the new year. Don’t forget to register and don’t forget your barcode...

See you then!

Since launching on October 26 2019, Third Creek Greenway parkrun has had 91 individual finishers and 22 individuals volunteering.

Facebook: facebook.com/ThirdCreekGreenwayparkrun

Instagram: instagram.com/tcgparkrun/

Twitter: twitter.com/tcgparkrun

The team answers some of your questions about the upcoming Third Creek Greenway parkrun.

What is parkrun?

Put simply - parkrun is a free, timed 5k that takes place each week on Saturday morning.

Participants on Third Creek Greenway for a practice parkrun event.

Where has parkrun come from?

parkrun has just celebrated its 15th birthday. From a single event in London, UK, there are now 1,400 events worldwide each weekend, including in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada and all across Europe.

The first parkrun in the USA launched in Michigan in 2014 and the number of events is increasing year-on-year. 

Third Creek Greenway is the 38th US parkrun and second in Tennessee, after the wonderful Mountain Goat Trail at Sewanee. parkrun is a growing phenomenon in the US and we’re so excited for Knoxville to be part of this.

Participants at Mountain Goat Trail, Tennessee's first parkrun event.

What makes it different to a paid-for 5k or other group run?

parkrun is all about inclusion. Events are completely free and take place each week.

Everybody is welcome - whether their comfortable pace is walking, a steady jog, or a fast and furious sprint. parkrun rewards commitment to participating or volunteering rather than speed at individual events.

parkrun events are centered on social support and community. Participants are cheered every step of the way by the volunteers.

Why did you want to set one up in Knoxville?

We’ve blogged about that - check it out.

Third Creek Greenway, soon to host a weekly free parkrun 5k

Am I too slow for parkrun?

It’s a very understandable concern. Joe - one of the core team here - nearly walked away from the first event he was planning to attend in London because he felt he was “not a runner”. Three years’ later and he’s done 127 parkruns at locations across the world.

Ultimately there’s no such thing as being too slow for parkrun! We all take part at our own comfortable pace.

Can I walk at parkrun?

Absolutely - we positively encourage walkers. It’s a wonderful way to appreciate the greenway and you’ll never be last thanks to the tailwalker volunteer*. 

(*Unless you yourself want to be the tailwalker volunteer - message us if you do).

Can persons with disabilities take part?

Yes - the course is paved and suitable for wheelchairs, though there might be a few bumpy places. Please listen out at the briefing for any specific safety notices.

Can children take part?

Yes - parkrun is a wonderful way for young people to get into a lifetime habit of regular exercise.

Children must be aged four and over to register. Please keep any under-11s within arms reach of a parent, guardian or designated adult. This is a key insurance requirement for us. We will have to remove results of any under-11s not finishing alongside an adult which would be a real shame. 

Can I run with a stroller?

Yes, strollers are allowed, subject to course conditions. Please listen out at the briefing for any specific safety notices.

Can I bring a dog?

Yes please! We love dogs (on a short leash).

'barkrunner' Scout leading David and Karen

If it’s free, why do I have to register?

You don’t *have* to register but we do encourage it.

Registration involves filling out a simple form once on the parkrun USA website. Once you’ve entered your details and selected Third Creek Greenway as your home parkrun you’ll be emailed a personalised barcode.

Print this and bring it along to our event on a Saturday morning. When you cross the finish line you’ll get a token telling you your position. This token and your personal barcode are then scanned so your result appears against your profile on the website.

What are the benefits of registering?

From a safety point of view - your printed barcode will have details of an emergency contact which will be used by the volunteers should something happen on the course.

On a more positive note - bringing your barcode allows you to start building up your results online and track progress towards your personal goals and parkrun milestones. For example - Jonathan’s results here show how many events he has run, his times, and that he’s achieved a 50-event milestone t-shirt.

And you can take your barcode to any event in the world. It’s basically a passport to a global community. 

parkrun is free so you can use sticky tape or laminate your barcode. If you are likely to be a regular participant then you might want to think about investing in more permanent barcodes which are extremely durable - but this is optional.

And a warning - if you forget your barcode we can’t record your result! We can’t scan the barcode in emails, it *has* to be physical.

I’m registered in another country - how do I change my home parkrun?

Drop parkrun HQ an email via the online contact form and just explain that you want to register in the US to Third Creek Greenway.

What are the parkrun milestones?

Parkrun rewards commitment to participation - either as a volunteer, walker, jogger or runner. You get a t-shirt for volunteering 25 times, and also after your 50th (red), 100th (black), 250th (green) and 500th (blue) events. 

Why do you need volunteers?

Volunteers deliver a safe event, log times for the website and create a friendly, supportive environment for all participants.

We have five volunteer roles at Third Creek Greenway. To briefly introduce them:

• Run Director - takes overall charge of the event and delivers the initial runner briefing
• Timekeeper - records your time as you cross the line
• Finish tokens - hands you a finish token with your finishing position
• Scanner - scans the finish token and your personal barcode so your time will appear on your personal results profile
• Tailwalker - walks the course and is last to cross the finish line.

Are the volunteer roles difficult?

No and you’ll get a briefing in the morning. It’s an amazing feeling supporting your fellow walkers, joggers and runners. Get in touch if you’d like to know more.

Why do you want me to sign up to emails about volunteering? Will you spam me if I do?

We hate spam. We’ll email once a week asking if you are available to volunteer at upcoming events - just reply if you are.

Where do you meet on Saturdays?

For fall and winter we’re starting at 9am in the clearing on Third Creek Greenway down from the Safety City parking lot. We’ll move to 8am for the spring and summer when it starts to get hot and steamy. 

After each event we grab a hot drink and breakfast at Panera on Kingston Pike.

You’ve not answered my question...

Email us thirdcreekgreenway@parkrun.com or get in touch on social media:

Facebook: facebook.com/ThirdCreekGreenwayparkrun

Instagram: instagram.com/tcgparkrun/

Twitter: twitter.com/tcgparkrun

Hey everyone,

Ahead of our launch on October 26th, we are holding a dress rehearsal along our parkrun route on Saturday (October 12th) so please come along to help us test out our systems.

We’ll be meeting at 9am in the clearing, down from Safety City parking lot.

If you already have a parkrun barcode, please bring it along. You won’t get an official time added to your results page but it’ll help us test the scanners and systems.

If you don’t have a barcode yet - sign up by filling out this form once. Please choose Third Creek Greenway as your home event. After this you’ll be sent an email with your personalised barcode - print this and bring along.

Any questions please email us at thirdcreekgreenway@parkrun.com.

We hope to see you there!

Meredith, Joe, and David

Join our community on social media:

Facebook: facebook.com/ThirdCreekGreenwayparkrun

Instagram: instagram.com/tcgparkrun/

Twitter: twitter.com/tcgparkrun

You can now register for your parkrun barcode for Third Creek Greenway events.

The benefits of registration:

• It's free
• You only need to do it once
• You start building your results online and progress towards milestone rewards
• You can bring your barcode to our event or any of the 1,400 events taking place worldwide

Register online using this form, selecting Third Creek Greenway as your home event from the dropdown.

Please also opt-in to receive volunteer email updates. This is an email sent about once a week asking if you're available to volunteer at upcoming events. We don't spam!

If you're going to be a regular parkrunner - consider ordering some more permanent barcodes which are easy to carry and waterproof. Visit the parkrun shop to find out more.

Any questions about registering for parkrun or problems with the form - get in touch with us at thirdcreekgreenway@parkrun.com.