"Dirty Bird Events to host “Xterra Knoxville” Saturday and Sunday June 6-7, 2015 at Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness
May 8, 2015
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| Image Courtesy of: Dirty Bird Events |
XTERRA Knoxville Trail Race – June 6 @ 9:00 am
XTERRA Knoxville Triathlon – June 7 @ 8:00 am
Ijams Nature Center (Mead's Quarry)
2915 Island Home Way
Knoxville, TN 37920
Event Description
The XTERRA Tennessee Trail Running Series and the XTERRA Off-Road Triathlon are coming to Knoxville, TN in early June for a fun filled race weekend. Ijams Nature Center and River Sports Outfitters will be guiding various activities throughout the weekend that will feature the 300 acres of urban green space and trail network just two miles from downtown.
Knoxville's Urban Wilderness presents a unique urban playground for mountain bikers, trail runners, rock climbers, and paddling enthusiasts alike. The stunningly beautiful Ijams Nature Center and Mead's Quarry provide the perfect backdrop for XTERRA Knoxville with many miles of natural surface trails connecting five parks along with public and private lands.
Proceeds from the XTERRA Knoxville weekend will help Ijams Nature Center in keeping the trails beautiful, our waterways clean, and nature untouched.
The trail race will explore some of the best single track trails that Knoxville has to offer. Winding through the Urban Wilderness, runners will encounter plenty of rocks, roots, and climbing to test their grit. The half marathon, a single loop course, will take participants through all five parks, featuring the old quarries and hills of East Tennessee with a perfect balance of neighborhood backyard feel. The 4 mile trail run highlights the wooded forests of South Knoxville and ends with a challenging climb around Mead's Quarry.
The triathlon will be a mass start from Mead's Quarry. Swimmers will navigate a one lap swim course inside the bluffs of the quarry before exiting for transition.
Swim – .75 miles
The bike course starts from the gravel parking lot at Mead’s Quarry and heads down a paved bike trail for nearly a half mile before funneling down into single track trails. The trails vary from technical single track to moderate jeep roads and contain a little bit of everything. There are plenty of opportunities to pass other bikers throughout the bike leg. There is a brief segment of neighborhood road riding after the bike aid station, which will allow spectators to line the course and cheer on the athletes.
Bike – 16.6 miles
The run course heads in the opposite direction from the bike course, and will lead runners past the bike finish. A moderate run for the first half of the course yields to a much tougher finish. Runners will start an out and back loop before heading back past transition for the final stretch. A punishing climb around Mead’s Quarry will then bring runners back down towards the finish line.
Run – 4.2 miles
We look forward to seeing you at the starting line this June for XTERRA Knoxville!
About Dirty BirdEvents, LLC
Headquartered in Knoxville, TN, Dirty Bird Events offers a full spectrum of comprehensive race management and consulting services, catering to the running and multi-sport communities. Dirty Bird Events is dedicated to providing memorable race experiences for everyone from the recreational to elite athlete, with a commitment to safety as a foundation for exceptional events.
Dirty Bird Events is committed to giving back to the community. Every Dirty Bird event generates proceeds and awareness for local charities and non-profits.
Contact
To learn more about Dirty Bird Events or if you would like to do a story about Xterra Knoxville, please contact:
Ryan Roma
865.356.6984
ryan@dirtybirdevents.com
Ani Roma
865.356.6908
ani@dirtybirdevents.com
Timothy Bird
865.405.5860
tim@dirtybirdevents.com"
I don't know about y'all but I'll be running the Half Marathon on Saturday. Hope to see you there.
Happy Trails,
Tim and Robin
