KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — The Knoxville Track Club's EXPO 10k/5k are more than just runs, they're a part of history.
"A great thing about this race is that we have an internal competition for this race," said David Black, Executive Dir. of the Knoxville Track Club. "There are relatives that have done this race for 10, 20, 30, 40 years, they've been doing it together. It's really great to see that."
EXPO dates back to 1979 and is the track club's longest-running event. Generations of runners and walkers count it as one of their favorite events.
The Knox County Track Club announced this year's EXPO date will be Oct. 11, 2020, at a new location, Northwest Sports Complex in the Karns area.
"We're very very thankful to Mayor Jacobs and the Knox County Parks and Rec. Department," David Black said. "We've worked very closely with them to find a route, find a location where we can do this and what safety protocols we're going to be doing."
2020 has been an up and down year for running events in East Tennessee, with many events either canceled or going virtual.
This year's EXPO will include rolling starts.
"A rolling start that means they space everybody out, like a slinky, they are 6 feet apart so they can get everyone started faster," David Black said. "We've done it where they started every 30 minutes or a rolling start. Rolling start works better."
The Knoxville Track Club continues to host its 10k and 5k events while paying attention to safety guidelines.
"We won't do a normal post-race party. We do food pre-bagged. We don't do any gatherings after the race, awards are picked up later, not on race day," David Black said. "Our mission: Healthy living, healthy community one step at a time and part of that is to make sure everyone is out there being healthy in the safest way possible."
Registration for EXPO 10k/5k opens on the evening of September 17, 2020.
Upcoming KTC Race: The Townsend Challenge on September 20, 2020 at 7:00 a.m. Registration remains open for that race.