Sunday morning’s Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon is the biggest in its 12 years – boasting about 8,000 runners in six race events.

But to accommodate East Tennessee’s largest competitive road race, motorists should anticipate some temporary no-parking zones and rolling street closures along the 26.2-mile route.

Clinch Avenue between Henley and 11th streets will be closed, starting at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 2. The street will reopen at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 3. A temporary no-parking zone on Clinch Avenue will be start at 10 a.m. Saturday. A temporary no-parking zone along the northbound lane of Gay Street between Cumberland and Wall avenues will start at 5 a.m. Sunday.

Once the race kicks off at 7:30 a.m. Sunday on the Clinch Avenue Viaduct, there will be rolling closures along the route. Motorists should plan ahead and consider alternate routes.

The rolling closures will follow this route being taken by the runners:

  • West on Clinch Avenue to 16th Street;
  • Turn left on 16th Street, across Cumberland Avenue, which becomes Volunteer Boulevard;
  • Follow Volunteer Boulevard in the eastbound traffic lane past Circle Park to Pat Head Summit Street;
  • Turn left onto Pat Head Summit Street;
  • Turn left onto Chamique Holdsclaw Drive to Lake Loudon Bouelvard;
  • Turn right onto Lake Loudon Drive to Neyland Drive;
  • Turn right onto Neyland Drive to Kingston Pike;
  • Make a left turn onto Kingston Pike to Cherokee Boulevard;
  • Turn left onto Cherokee Boulevard and follow it until it becomes Blows Ferry Road; go straight on Blows Ferry Road to Alta Vista Way;
  • Turn right onto Alta Vista to Noelton Drive;
  • Take a left onto Noelton Drive and climb the hill to Kingston Pike;
  • Turn left onto Kingston Pike to Forest Park Boulevard;
  • Turn right onto Forest Park to Newcom Avenue;
  • Head right on Newcom to Lebanon Street;
  • Take a left on Lebanon a short distance toward Sutherland Avenue, and turn around at turnaround point;
  • Go straight on Lebanon to the greenway trail; head straight onto the greenway trail, cross Tobler Lane, cross Concord Street and go through Tyson Park; the runners will leave the trail after crossing under Alcoa Highway and taking the park entrance road to Cumberland Avenue;
  • Left on Cumberland Avenue to 22nd Street;
  • Left on 22nd Street to Forest Avenue;
  • Right on Forest Avenue; cross 17th Street, jog north (left) to continue with Forest Avenue to 13th Street;
  • Right on 13th Street to Highland Avenue;
  • Left on Highland to 11th Street;
  • Left on 11th to World’s Fair Park Drive;
  • Right on World’s Fair Park, past the Museum of Art to Clinch Avenue.

At this point, the Half Marathon breaks off:

 

  • Turn right onto Clinch to 11th Street;
  • Turn left onto 11th Street, cross Cumberland Avenue, head straight onto Estabrook Road toward the Gate 25 entrance of Neyland Stadium. The Half Marathon finish line is the 50 yard line inside the stadium.

 

Full marathon and marathon relay runners at the break-off point will proceed for another 13.1 miles on this course:

 

  • Go straight on World’s Fair Park Drive down to World’s Fair Park, around the fountain, and continue behind the Foundry;
  • World’s Fair Park Drive becomes Jackson Avenue, and runners continue straight on Jackson up to Broadway;
  • Left on Broadway, over a viaduct spanning the railroad tracks, crossing Fifth Avenue to Central Street;
  • Right on Central to Third Avenue;
  • Left on Third Avenue to Deery Street;
  • Left on Deery to Lovenia Avenue;
  • Right on Lovenia to Luttrell Street;
  • Left on Luttrell to Wells Avenue;
  • Right on Wells to Eleanor Street;
  • Right on Eleanor to 3rd Avenue;
  • Right on Third to Deery;
  • Left on Deery to East Fourth Ave;
  • Right on East Fourth to Central Street;
  • Left on Central to Fifth Avenue;
  • Left on Fifth, which becomes Magnolia Avenue;
  • Left on Winona Street to Caswell Park;
  • Enter Caswell Park parking lot, then back onto Winona to Washington Avenue;
  • Right on Washington to North Bertrand Street;
  • Right on North Bertrand, crossing Woodbine and jogging west (right) to continue on North Bertrand;
  • Straight on North Bertrand, crossing Magnolia Avenue to McCalla Avenue;
  • Right on McCalla to Willow Avenue;
  • Left on Willow to Patton Street;
  • Right on Patton to Jackson Avenue;
  • Left on Jackson to Central Street;
  • Left on Central across Summit Hill Drive to Cumberland Avenue;
  • Right on Cumberland to State Street;
  • Left on State to Hill Avenue;
  • Left on Hill Avenue to the James White Parkway Connector;
  • Right onto the ramp to the Connector, crossing the South Knoxville Bridge to the exit ramp at Sevier Avenue;
  • Right onto Sevier Avenue to Island Home Avenue;
  • Right onto Island Home Avenue to the entrance to the Island Home neighborhood and Maplewood Drive;
  • Straight on Maplewood Drive, then right on Maplewood to Island Home Boulevard;
  • Left on Island Home to Willis Place;
  • Left on Willis Place to Spence Place;
  • Right on Spence Place for a short distance to a turnaround point; head back on Spence Place, which becomes Maplewood Drive, to Island Home Avenue;
  • Go straight on Island Home to Sevier Avenue;
  • Straight on Sevier to Gay Street;
  • Right on Gay Street, crossing the bridge over the Tennessee River and continuing to Wall Avenue;
  • Left on Wall to Market Square;
  • Left on Market Square to Market Street;
  • Right on Church Avenue to Locust Street;
  • Right on Locust to Clinch Avenue;
  • Left on Clinch Avenue, across Henley Street and the viaduct over World’s Fair Park, to 11th Street;
  • Turn left onto 11th, crossing Cumberland Ave, which then becomes Estabrook Road;
  • Stay left on Estabrook toward the Gate 25 entrance of Neyland Stadium and the finish line on the 50 yard line.