Pigeon
Forge, TN – July 2015 / Newsmaker Alert / Running a flat course
in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains in the dark of night pushed
the Pigeon Forge Midnight 8K to national recognition in “The Runner’s Bucket
List: 200 Races To Run Before You Die.”
Author Denise Malan, an avid
runner from Kansas City, Mo., highlights a wide variety of races – some
serious, some quirky – in the new book.
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The
Pigeon Forge Midnight 8K is on the Parkway through the heart of Pigeon
Forge on the night of Aug. 1. The start is at 11:59 p.m. on Saturday,
meaning that everyone finishes the next day.
Some runners finish extremely
early the next day. The 2014 winner, Patrick Cheptoek from Bowling Green,
Ky., covered the course with a time of 24:21.
“This is one of our favorite
events of the year,” said Kristy Altman, executive director of the Knoxville
Track Club, which organizes the race. “Running on the Parkway is a thrill
for every participant. The route is flat and very fast, allowing participants
to do well.”
The Pigeon Forge event began
in 1991 as the Pigeon Forge Twilight Road Race and had an 8 p.m. start.
It later expanded to an 8K with a midnight start.
It was dormant for a few
years and was revived in 2009. Last year, it attracted more than 500 runners.
Most were from Tennessee and adjacent states, but some were from as far
away as Florida, Ohio and California.
Online registration remains
open for this year’s race through July 29 at KTC.org.
The fee is $30. On-site registration is $40.
Among the other races in
“The Runner’s Bucket List” are the Slacker Half Marathon (largely downhill)
in Georgetown, Colo., the Cincinnati Gorilla Run (yes, in costume), the
Elvis Presley 5K in Memphis (thank you very much) and the Great Kilted
Run (with kilts a-flapping) in Seattle.
Information about visiting
Pigeon Forge is at MyPigeonForge.com
and from 800-251-9100.
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Contact:
Tom
Adkinson, APR
for Pigeon Forge Department
of Tourism
615-341-8796 |