Hot to Trot 5k/10k/Fun Run

On Thanksgiving Day

11.23.23

2023 has been a tremendous year for Fleet Feet Knoxville Running Club and its 4 races. We welcomed 2,904 runners and walkers early morning on Thanksgiving Day for our 15th annual Hot to Trot 5K, 10K, and Fun Run - the last and the biggest in the series. We saw an almost 20% increase in participation this year with 2,138 in the 5K, 366 in 10K, 388 in the Fun Run, and an additional 12 in the Virtual 5K run.

We thank all of our followers that joined us on Thanksgiving morning to make Hot to Trot 5K/10K & Fun Run one of the biggest and best races in Knoxville.  Many in attendance are visiting the Knoxville area to celebrate the holidays with their friends and families.  The weather was perfect with cool temperatures and a clear and sunny sky.

We appreciate all who donated to our causes both in monetary contributions, as well as non-perishable food items.  This is the perfect example of a community coming together to support our local neighbors. We made a donation of $10,000 to Hand Up For Women and another $1,000 to the Shepherd of Hope Food Pantry   We also collected many boxes of food donation for those in need.  So once again, by doing what we love to do, we are able to pay it forward.  

Race Stats - 

36 states were represented with 483 runners (16%) at our events with GA, VA, and NC leading the charge followed by FL, MI, and PA next.  We continue to see our race as the biggest family reunion in Knoxville. Many of our top runners are visiting family in TN, including the overall 10K male finisher, who is from Indiana.  I had the pleasure of meeting him and his family at the store on Friday and I am impressed with the caliber of our young runners and their family values.

We continue to better recognize our youngest and most senior runners in the 1-10 and 70+ range.  Last year we had introduced the 1-6 and 7-9 for our younger runners.  For our more senior runners, we had introduced the 70-74, 75-79, and 80+.  These categories alone saw a 50% increase in registration numbers showing that "you build it" and "they come". Who knew that participating in a run/walk on Thanksgiving Day could be a fun multi-generational family event!

Invocation & National Anthem - 

My friend Brad Hood gave the annual invocation to remind us of our blessings and the blessing we can bestow on others.  My favorite singer, Alex Koza, once again offered a beautiful rendering of the National Anthem energerzing the runners before taking to the start line.

5K/10K Starts - 

The most challenging part of my job is to make sure the starts go off promptly and smoothly before our leading runners are back.  Thanks to the many volunteers and the runners who followed our directions, we started our 7 heats comfortably on 1 minute intervals.  We still had  few walkers in the early heats and we continue to improve our race morning operations to insure better seeding at the start line.

Fun Run Start -

My absolute best job of the day is the start of the fun run.  Warming up our young runners with the Chicken Dance is the tradition. This year, we also had a special birthday for our 8 year old Anouk, and the crowd helped with the Happy Birthday song.  It could not have been any more memorable!

Results & Awards - 

• Thanks to Total Race Solutions for our race day results.  
• Overall Results are posted in RunSignUp as well as on Total Race Solutions website.  If you find an issue with your results, please notify us immediately so we can correct it.
• You can check your individual results by entering your bib Here. 
• Overall winners were emailed individually a $20 merchandise coupon to Fleet Feet Knoxville.
• Top 3 in each age group were awarded a hand-made pottery mug or tumbler by the Stony Clay Station, a locally owned pottery shop.  Any award not picked up at the race can be picked up at the store through the holidays.

• Commemorative ornaments were awarded to our younger finishers in the fun run.  They can still be picked up at the store through the holidays.

Training -

• This year we introduced a complimentary 4-week Begin to Run a 5K training program for our race; it was extremely well received.  It allowed us to reconnect with old friends who have been away for one reason or another; Our participants did fantastic!
• Now we set our sight towards 2024.  In January, we will kick off our winter/spring 2024 training with stops at Erlanger Chattanooga Races in March, Knoxville Marathon Races in April, and all the way to Cincinnati's Flying Pig Races in May.   Stay tuned!

Shirts - 

• We love the new color for our soft-touch long sleeve shirts and from what we saw on the race course, you agree with us.  Many raced in their race shirts.
• We have a few 2023 shirts left over.  If you are looking to get an additional shirt to wear or to gift, they can be obtained with a $15 donation (Cash or Venmo, preferred).  Just stop by the store.

Pictures - 

• Thanks to our photographers, we were able to get a lot of good pictures both at the start, on the course, and at the finish.
• We have combined all pictures on our Flickr account in the 2023 Hot To Trot 5K/10K/Fun Run album.
• Additionally, pictures were added to RunSignUp under HotToTrot so they can be searched by Bib# (if clearly visible).  If you are unfamiliar with RunSignUp Photos, here is how to access it from the race website.

Volunteers - 

• Special thanks to our volunteers who gave their time to make sure we put on a safe and memorable race!
• They start in the early hours to make sure you are checked in and ready to race.

• They work hard to make sure you had a great time!

• And they are on the course to make sure you have proper hydration and cheering when you may be feeling low.  Thank you CrossFit Knoxville for manning the water stop!

Donations -  

The support for our two charity partners continues with our monetary donations, as well as collected non-perishable food donations.

Hand Up For Women -  At Hand Up For Women, they offer a hand UP to women who want to live a self-sufficient, abundant life free of loneliness and fear. They understand you have been through things many of us can only imagine. They believe you were created for MORE and deserve to live the abundant life God has planned for you. They ’ve helped hundreds of women like you become self-sufficient, successful and full of hope. 

We are proud to have partnered with them since 2013 and with our $10,000 donation this year, we have donated $82,000 over the last 11 years.

The Shepherd of Hope Food Pantry - Shepherd of Hope Food Pantry strives to assist and serve those who are experiencing food instability. No person is turned away from receiving nourishing food from the food pantry.  Their mission is to Love God, Love Others and Serve. Shepherd of Hope Food pantry is a ministry of five faith-based organizations:  Concord United Methodist, Farragut Presbyterian Church, First Baptist Concord, Grassy Valley Baptist and Faith Lutheran Church.

Through the generosity of their pantry partners, local businesses, their church members and over 100 volunteers, the pantry served a total of 4,804 people in their  community during 2022. The need continues to increase as we have seen record numbers of pantry guests during 2023.

We partner with them twice during the year, first with our Veterans Salute Race, and now with our Hot to Trot 5K/10K/Fun Run.  We donated $1,000 in funds for their mission in addition to all the collected food donations at the races.

We want to hear from you - 

Tell us how we can make this event better.  We are constantly thinking of ways to improve and welcome your feedback.

Race Sponsors -

We thank our sponsors for their support in our vision of giving back to our community and making a difference. Mark your calendar for Thursday November 28, 2024 and start training!