Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon 2021 races ‘re-routed’ to fall

Out of an abundance of caution and in order to deliver a premier event for participants, the 17th annual Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon will be postponed until fall 2021. 

Due to the surge in COVID-19 cases in Tennessee and potential restrictions on public gatherings as a result, all races and supporting events are cancelled for the tentative race weekend of March 27-28. The Knoxville Track Club and Covenant Health continue to work with the City of Knoxville and state officials, as well as sponsors and other partners, to confirm 2021 scheduling and plan a safe, in-person race weekend. Specific dates will be announced as soon as possible.

“We are dedicated to providing opportunities for East Tennesseans and visitors to our community to set and achieve personal fitness goals,” said Jason Altman, race director of the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon. “As part of that commitment, we must prioritize the health and safety of participants and volunteers amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We also want to ensure a reliably scheduled and managed event, as is within our abilities, to continue to execute the region’s premier road race event at the top quality that our participants and supporters expect from the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon.”

“In the meantime, we encourage you to keep moving – whether walking, jogging or running, now is the time to set goals for the fall race and work toward them. We can’t wait to gather together again in the fall and make the 17th annual Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon our best race weekend yet!”

Everyone who deferred registration from 2020 to the 2021 Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon will be able to participate in the fall event as planned. Once specific dates are confirmed, race participants will be contacted by the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon via email with all related registration options. New participants also can register at www.knoxvillemarathon.com. 

“Covenant Health remains committed to our mission of improving the quality of life through better health. We believe it’s in the best interest of our community to postpone the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon until the fall of 2021,” Covenant Health President and CEO Jim VanderSteeg said. “We extend best wishes for a safe and healthy year to everyone training for race weekend, and we look forward to seeing you at the finish line. As the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine gets underway, we encourage everyone to continue to practice social distancing, wear a mask and wash your hands to slow the spread of illness so that we can race and celebrate in person this fall.”

As additional details of the event are confirmed, updates will be posted to the race website at www.knoxvillemarathon.com. For more information, visit the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon website or call888-217-5635.

About Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon

The Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon is a premier event organized by the Knoxville Track Club, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the encouragement of physical well-being through running, jogging, competitive road racing, race-walking, fun runs, cross-country and track and field. Covenant Health is a community-owned health system providing comprehensive services in Tennessee. The health system includes 10 hospitals; outpatient services and clinics; behavioral, oncology and rehabilitation services; home care; physician practices and community programs. Covenant Health has more than 10,000 employees, physicians and volunteers, and has been named a “Best Employer” six times by Forbes magazine.