Upper Cumberland runners will gather at Cummins Falls State Park this Saturday as the park hosts its annual marathon.
Park Ranger Ashley Woolbright said the marathon consists of four races which include a 5K, 10K, half marathon, and the marathon itself. Woolbright said the park has done the marathon for 13 years and has become very popular.
“It’s beautiful down the route,” Woolbright said. “You get to see just fields and farms and of course, the rivers along the way and especially, for people who may live in the city and travel in it’s just a nice stroll through some quiet roads.”
Woolbright said the park hosts a marathon each year to raise money for the Friends of Cummins Falls State Park. Woolbright said the group helps the park with daily needs but also purchases nearby property to protect the park.
“They are always looking for ways to raise money and helping us look for land and acquire that to help protect our boundaries here at the park,” Woolbright said. “The last thing we would want is a big subdivision to go in on the side of our river here and destruct that.”
Woolbright said her favorite part of the marathon is seeing people celebrate after completing the race. Woolbright said the marathon can be a challenge for even experienced runners.
“I’ve heard that people love it because it is so challenging,” Woolbright said. “The full marathon is full of hills. There’s a lot of flat land but the back half of that marathon is very challenging for our runners.”
Races begin with the marathon and half-marathon Saturday at 8am.
