Tennessee Running Tour Makes Trip to Montgomery Bell

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The Tennessee Running Tour
Photo provided by Tennessee Running Tour.

The Tennessee Running Tour is a group of trail runners who meet up and run state park trails. On February 11, they will be running the 5K Two Lakes Trail at Montgomery Bell State Park. The race will begin at 11:00 a.m. Walkers who can complete a 13-minute mile are also accepted into the event, but they will need to begin at 10:00 a.m. The last event of the season will be, “Race on the Trace,” taking place on March 4, 2023 at Natchez Trace State Park.

America’s longest existing state park running series, The Tennessee Running Tour, is currently in its 44th year. It consists of 20 trail races with distances varying from five to 13 miles. Races take place at 20 different State Parks located from Memphis to Kingsport from October until March.

Each event is sponsored by a local running club in partnership with the State Park where it takes place. In 2022, the total number of finishers was 2,238. Not only are the parks run all over the state, but racers come from all over the state, too.

Racers accumulate points during the season and Running Tour Champions are named at the end of it in seven age categories: Open is for those ages 20 to 39, Masters are 40 to 49, Grandmasters are between 50 and 59, Veterans are 70 to 79 and the last group is Eight Plus. Anyone who participates in five or more races will receive a Grand Prix Award at the organization’s annual banquet. An extra award is given to anyone who run ten or more races.

Running trails is different from running on concrete. According to trailandkale.com, off-road terrain and vertical ascent and descents are more challenging than pavement and make it necessary to run slower or exert additional mental and physical effort to overcome them. Therefore, the runs take longer.

It is the challenge that draws the runners, that and the camaraderie they enjoy by sharing their passion for running in the cold of Winter and the tail end of Summer’s heat. It can also be a bit dangerous when there are branches hanging overhead, or holes in the path. The good thing is that many of the common injuries like ITB pain, shin splints and plantar fasciitis are less likely to happen because runners are not running on a hard surface.

Running shoes are very important when moving over uneven, slippery and loose terrain. Special shoes are made for running on trails.

Finding trails can sometimes be hard. The website railstotrails.org offers a list of “Top 10 Trails in Tennessee.” And a list of other Tennessee Running Tours can be found here.

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