Whitestone Weekend presented by BK Graphics

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: We have moved to a Saturday in March!  Race date is now March 2nd.  We have also added a 12k to the road races, and a 10k to the trail race.  The shorter distance is to accommodate those that might not want to run a 30k, yet don't have a relay team.  

Date, Time, & Place: Saturday March 2, 2024, TRAIL RACE STARTS AT 7:50 AM, ROAD RACE STARTS AT 8:00 am at the Whitestone Inn on Watts Bar Lake. Directions: From I-75 South take Exit 72 south of Lenoir City. Turn right off the exit and go west 9 miles Turn right on Paint Rock Rd. just after the Hwy 322 juncture. Entrance is 4 miles on the right. From I-40W, take exit 352 and go south on Hwy 58. Go 6 miles to Hwy. 72E and turn left. Go 5 miles to Paint Rock Road and turn left and proceed 4 miles to the Inn.

Course Description and Highlights (NO REFUNDS AND NO BIB TRANSFERS):

Road Course - USATF Road Certified TN16002MS. A lovely, rolling, scenic and rural course that runs through the countryside. Downhill start means uphill finish! This is a rural route and runners should be aware that there are some unleashed dogs along the course. This is NOT a walker-friendly course. The course time limit for the road race is 4.5 hours and will be strictly enforced. NO EXCEPTIONS. The road course is open to traffic. There will be 4 aid stations that runners will pass 7 times in total, each will have water, Gatorade, and Gu.Trail Course - The trail course is almost all off-road, with just a few brief touches on asphalt. It will be a three-loop course (or one if you're doing the 3 person relay or the one lap 10k) with plenty of ascending and descending, a few blown down trees to negotiate, and a gorgeous view of the Whitestone Inn and the lake from the high point of the course. It will be approximately 30k in total length with around 1000' of elevation gain per loop (so 3000' feet if you're doing the whole 30k). The course time limit for the trail race is 5¼ hours.

Lodging: For reservations at one of the Whitestone Inn's 20 beautiful rooms, call (888) 247-2464 or go to www.whitestoneinn.com (Book early!). Runners receive a 25% discount on the room rate if you mention you are running KTC's Whitestone races.

Registration & Entry Fee: Please note pricing structure: Only one coupon (in addition to the KTC Discount) may be used for this event. This pricing structure is in place to cover event costs. We appreciate your support of this decision as KTC Staff and Organizers want to continue this event in the future. Questions? Please contact KTC at info@ktc.org.

Registration fee is $55 through February 9 for the 30k and $30 PER RUNNER for the 30k Relay. Late registration is $60 from February 10 through March 1 and $35 PER RUNNER for the 30k Relay. No t-shirt – deduct $5 anytime. NO RACE DAY REGISTRATION. NO EXCEPTIONS.  Registration closes at 5:00pm on Friday March 1.  Relay registration closes at 11am on Friday March 1. No refunds and no bib transfers. Packet Pickup will be Sunday February 19 6:30 AM - 7:45 AM.

SPECIAL TRAIL SERIES REGISTRATION OFFERS: Sign up online for 12 for $199 Dirty Dozen, 9 for $109 Starter Pack, or Kids 9 for $29 Distance Pack bundle deals and SAVE BIG! https://runsignup.com/treadintroddentrails2024series Expires June 1.

Shirts: Runners will receive a running singlet. Singlets will be gender specific. Please note our shirt policy: Anyone registering after February 15 at 10:00 AM will receive shirts while supplies last. When the inventory runs out in the RunSignUp system then there will be no more shirts. No re-orders. 

Volunteering: We value volunteerism highly. Runners can take their participation in the KTC TTT series to the next level by volunteering! Not only does the success of each trail race depend on our great community of volunteers, but volunteerism is required for placement in the esteemed Grand Prix Rankings. In order to qualify for a Grand Prix award, runners must also volunteer for a minimum of 3 events.

Each race has opportunities for both folks running in the event and those preferring to provide support during the race. Volunteer positions can be found and selected on the respective race page on Runsignup.com. No experience is necessary and one might argue that volunteering is more fun than running. Come out, support the community and secure your place in the Grand Prix hierarchy.

Training: Looking for a structured training program? Check out KTC's RunKNOX program! The Winter Training Program is underway. Experience individualized programming in a group setting for only $10/week.  Participants receive a weekly RunDOWN with program information, Tuesday night runs, Thursday night core/yoga, and Saturday morning long runs. Click here for more information.

Awards: NEW FOR 2024 - All finishers will receive a finisher medal! Awards to the top 3 Overall, age groups, and specialty categories. Top Masters (As defined by fastest person age 40 and above, not limited to 40-49) Grandmasters (As defined by fastest person age 50 and above, not limited to 50-59), Senior Grandmasters (As defined by fastest person age 60 and above, not limited to 60-69) male and female. 

TTT SERIES AWARDS: This year we'll be awarding the top 3 in each division free race entries: 1st gets the full monty, all 12 races, 2nd gets the 9 race series, and 3rd gets entry into 6 races. Additionally we'll hold a drawing so that two lucky runners get a pair of shoes, thanks to the generous sponsorship of Runners Market. We'll once again be presenting the awards at the annual KTC Holiday Party in December.  Reminder, to qualify for series awards (and free shoes!), you'll need to be a member of KTC, and you will need to have volunteered two times during the course of the trail race season

Grand Prix Points Team Competition: The Whitestone 30k and 12k are on the 2024 Team Competition schedule. 2024 Grand Prix Points awarded winners in various categories and age groups. Points accumulate throughout the year. KTC recognizes the top 10 men and women in the Grand Prix series at the New Year’s Day 5K on January 1, 2025. Remember, to be eligible for Grand Prix Points, participants must be a member of KTC and must volunteer for at least 3 KTC races throughout the year. Treadin' Trodden Trails Grand Prix points (i.e., 100-90-80, etc.) will also be awarded for the 30k Trail Race.

Post Race Celebration: Awards for the road and trail races will be presented inside the Whitestone Lion and Lamb building, while runners are enjoying the traditional post-race buffet. Staff will be cleaning and monitoring food tables closely all morning.

Questions:  Email any questions to Tony Owens (trail race director) tonyyikes@gmail.com, or the KTC Events Manager at EventsManager@ktc.org.

Race Etiquette:  Due to insurance regulations, roller blades, strollers, bicycles, and dogs are not allowed on the course.  The road course closes in 4.5 hours, the trail course in 5¼ hours.

Results: Complete results will be available on RunSignUp shortly after the race and on the KTC Website at www.ktc.org within 48 hrs.   

SAFETY POLICY CLARIFICATION: Trail Our primary goal is to keep everybody safe. We've had some interest by younger folks in running the longer races, and we're all over that idea, but we are also concerned about their safety. If a runner is under 12 years old, he or she will need to be accompanied by an adult in order to run the adult race (i.e. not the kids mile). Also, and this is less of a safety concern and more of a concern for the welfare of our volunteers: We'll need to enforce the 18:00/mile minimum pace. This has been our policy all along but we've gotten a little lax and this keeps our volunteers in the woods far longer than they should have to be. Moving forward, each race will have a sweeper, and runners will need to be moving at greater than an 18:00/mile pace to stay in the race. Don't get caught by the sweep!

DON'T TAKE A BIB IF YOU'RE NOT RUNNING. This is safety-related - we want to make sure that everybody who starts the race stays safe. If you take a bib, we think you're running the race. Then when you don't show up at the finish, we have to try and track you down and make sure you're not lost in the woods or hurt. So please -- if you're not running the race, don't take a bib. Also, if you have to drop out of the race, please let one of the race officials know so you are accounted for.  Also, don't crunch or fold the bib, or tear off the bottom.  We need an unspoiled bib to record your time and finish place.

KTC Safety Policy:
The Knoxville Track Club Board of Directors has approved an Event Safety Policy, viewable here: Weather Policy. Please familiarize yourself with it.