Joint statement from the Knoxville Track Club and Covenant Health

March 13, 2020

In keeping with our shared missions to promote healthy communities, Covenant Health and the Knoxville Track Club have made the difficult decision to postpone the 2020 Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon. All races and supporting events are cancelled for the weekend of March 28‐29, 2020.

We love the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon, what it represents, what it means for Knoxville and how it has helped inspire, motivate and transform lives. Given the constantly evolving public health situation and recommended precautions to limit potential spread of

COVID‐19, we must postpone the events at this time. We are saddened that we won’t be able to join 8,000‐plus of our neighbors, colleagues, friends, family, fellow runners and visitors in our beautiful city in a couple of weeks for our favorite event of the year. But, we must put the health and well‐being of our community first, especially high‐risk populations and our health care workers.

Please know this decision was not made lightly, and we consulted with the Knox County Health Department, physician experts at Covenant Health and other officials in doing so. We aim to reschedule the 2020 race, but we do not yet know if that is possible. All registered participants will be emailed details on plans as they develop, which may include instructions on how to defer registration to a rescheduled or future race event. We still are working through that process, and we appreciate your patience and understanding in advance.

We understand how hard many of you have trained, the investments you’ve made and your anticipation of crossing the finish line. Don’t stop now! Every step – whether walking, jogging or running – should be a source of pride, and we encourage you to keep it up for all the benefits physical activity yields.

Thank you for your continued support. The Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon believes in perseverance when the path gets tough, taking steps toward better health and the power of all of us coming together. Now is the time to embrace those truths as we take care of ourselves, our families and community and move forward with the greater good in mind.