Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon selects 2023 Community Partner to benefit from upcoming races

August 16, 2022

Organizers of the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon have selected Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley as the marathon’s 2023 Community Partner. A portion of proceeds from the event will be donated to the nonprofit.

Prior to and throughout the 2023 races, the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon and Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley will cross-promote the event and the organization’s mission to encourage active lifestyles among East Tennessee youth. Recipients are chosen through an application process.

“We look forward to working alongside Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley as the 2023 marathon races toward us,” said Jason Altman, executive director of the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon. “The nonprofit and its leaders hold many of the same values as the team behind the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon, including the well-being of young people in our area. With the partnership of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley, we intend to have more young people participating than ever before and encourage youth to be involved for years to come.”

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley provides an array of youth development services to more than 6,700 children in Knox, Blount, Loudon, Anderson and Claiborne counties. Young people of all backgrounds can access the nonprofit’s programs from Pre-K through high school.

The nonprofit currently facilitates a healthy lifestyle program that supports lifetime wellness activities, team sports, nutrition education and mental health services. Members of the clubs’ YouthForce, a workforce development program for teenagers, also will assist on-site at the marathon and cheer on participants.

“A partnership with the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon is an exciting opportunity to inspire East Tennessee youth to be active,” said Bart McFadden, president, and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley. “As the 2023 Community Partner, our goal is to help East Tennessee youth improve their overall health and develop good habits for the rest of their lives. This is a fun and accessible event that can inspire the children we serve to get on a healthy track.”

Since 2005, the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon and the Knoxville Track Club have donated more than $240,000 to local charities through the community contribution program. In 2021, Emerald Youth Foundation was named a community partner to benefit alongside Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center, which has an ongoing partnership with the marathon. Emerald Youth Foundation received $12,500 to fund its Emerald Force Track Program, and Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center received $6,250 for its Innovative Recreation Cooperative (IRC) program.

The Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon is a premier event organized by the Knoxville Track Club, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the encouragement of physical well-being through running and walking. The 2023 race weekend is set for Saturday, April 1, through Sunday, April 2, in World’s Fair Park. Activities include the full and half marathons, relay races for teams of two or four people, a 5K and the one-mile Covenant Kids Run. Race registration is open.

For additional information, visit knoxvillemarathon.com.

About Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon
The Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon is a premier event organized by the Knoxville Track Club, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the encouragement of physical well-being through running, jogging, competitive road racing, race-walking, fun runs, cross-country and track and field.