Third Creek Greenway parkrun is a free, timed 5k that takes place along this beautiful Knoxville greenway each Saturday morning starting near Safety City. So what makes parkrun a perfect entry point for new runners and those building to longer events?
parkrun is all about inclusion and community support. 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.
There’s simply no such thing as too slow for parkrun – even though this inaccurate perception may put people off from starting to run. It’s a very understandable concern and often the first step is the hardest. From my own experience, I nearly walked away from the startline of my first parkrun event because I was so convinced that I was “not a runner”. Three years’ later and I’ve just completed my 130th parkrun.
We have met a number of people who said they normally feel too nervous and intimidated to attend group runs, but have felt empowered to come along to parkrun each week and take part at their own comfortable pace. This is exactly the ethos and community that Third Creek Greenway parkrun is seeking to build.
We welcome walkers, persons with disabilities and anyone wanting to take part with a stroller or dog. Children over four can register too – it’s a wonderful way to start a lifelong habit of exercise.
If you’re a more experienced runner then you can use parkrun as a time trial or incorporate it into a longer Saturday run. We were joined a fortnight ago by members of the Carson-Newman University Track and Field Club on an off-weekend who set a new course record of 17:09!
To take part in parkrun there’s a simple registration process involving 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.
There are 42 parkrun events in the USA and thousands more in 13 countries across the world which are all completely free and follow the same format. You can take your barcode to any event worldwide.
Since launching in October – we’ve had 78 different finishers and 16 volunteers. Parkrun is a worldwide phenomenon and we’ve seen tourists specifically visiting Knoxville from locations as diverse as Orlando, Washington DC, England and Australia to take part.
Email us thirdcreekgreenway@parkrun.com or get in touch on social media if you want to find out more:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ThirdCreekGreenwayparkrun
Instagram: www.instagram.com/tcgparkrun/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/tcgparkrun
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