The Metro Knoxville XC Coaches Association and Knoxville Track Club are hosting the East Tennessee Classic X Pace House race, the first night cross-country meet in the Knoxville area on Sept. 26.
The race will be held at Victor Ashe Park
, beginning with the girls at 8 p.m. and continuing with the boys at 8:45 p.m. The park will be illuminated with 45 light towers brought in through entry fees for the event."Memphis has been doing one for several years," program director and South-Doyle cross-country coach Don Madgett told Knox News. "I was able to take one of my athletes to the state meet in Memphis last year. I took them to preview the course, and we ran in one of their night races. That's when I got the idea that we could actually do this
here... It's kind of a big undertaking."
Over 50 schools have registered for the race, including several teams outside of the Knoxville area such as Bartlett, Spring Hill and Bourbon County (Kentucky).
Madgett hopes that a successful first year will lead to an expansion in 2027, involving two days of races with elementary, middle and high school teams with up to 75 schools participating.
"I'll quote Chris Kane, the director of youth athletics for the Knoxville Track Club. He said, 'This is a project that tickles his brain,'" Madgett said.
The TSSAA cross-country state championships will be held Nov. 5-6 at Shelby Farms Park in Memphis.
Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: First TSSAA cross-country night race coming to Knoxville area on Sept. 26
