Run Across Tennessee Relay
This event is built around family, friendship, and teamwork, all in an effort to raise money for Callie Gibson, who has an ultra-rare NGLY1 deficiency. All proceeds from this event go towards research and treatment for Callie.
The Run Across Tennessee Relay course begins just north of Harrogate, TN at the TN/VA State Line before heading south, through Knoxville, finishing at the TN/GA line just south of Cleveland, TN.
Relay teams will have a virtual meeting at 11:00 AM on Friday, June 5, 2026. Afterwards, teams are welcome to start anytime between Friday and Sunday, with the goal of finishing as close to 3:00 PM as possible on Sunday (June 7).
The "winning" team is the team that has the least amount of time elapsed between when they start and when they end, with a 1-hour penalty for each minute outside of 2:55 PM - 3:00 PM grace range on Sunday. This methodology is to give "tortoise" teams an equal opportunity to win as "hare" teams if they stay consistent, and to allow the end of the ultra-event to have an exciting environment, as all runners can finish together and walk across the state line with Callie.
This is not a formal event. Runners and teams will be responsible for all of their own transportation, food, water, lodging, and most importantly safety. The course roads will not be closed. This is less of a race than an adventure through Eastern Tennessee. Runners are responsible for ensuring their own safety at all times. If runners feel unsafe at any portion, they should abandon the race course until they feel safe and then make the decision to continue or not to continue on their own accord.
There are two sections of the course that must be skipped (not ran) due to lack of shoulder and high commercial traffic. Runners must ensure they are wearing their high visibility vests at all times and their light-up vests at night.