Race with us this fall!
As the weather breaks, it's easier to imagine yourself training for a race. We have a great list of local races this fall that we'd love to see you at!
*denotes part of Five Points Race Series race: Join Cleveland for the FIVE POINT RACE SERIES again in 2023! These fall 5k’s celebrate the best of our local parks. Register for and complete at least 3 out of the 6 races and you will earn an exclusive BOCO hat or a $20 Terra Running gift card! Sponsored by the City of Cleveland Parks and Recreation.
*August 1 through November 24: Explore Cleveland Virtual 5k: Help us raise money for the Terra Kids Run Camp in the summer of 2024, all while exploring a new route in Cleveland. This virtual 5k is inexpensive and fun; run a 5k on your own and send us a selfie! We will post all finisher picture's on the window of Terra Running Company to celebrate your accomplishment! All money is donated to the Terra Kids Run Camp, which hosted 50 kids in a running day camp this summer for free! (This is also part of the Five Points Race Series, so if you need a 3rd race finish to earn the hat or gift card, it's easy to do this one on your own!) https://www.terrarunning.com/explore-cleveland-5k
*August 26: Junior Achievement Race to Achieve 5k at Tinsley Park: Did you know this was the very first race Terra Running Company ever timed back in 2017? We have been with JA from the beginning of Terra Running race timing and it always feels nostalgic when we're back at Tinsley Park at sunrise in August for yet another JA 5k! I have had the opportunity to volunteer with Junior Achievement this past year. I taught a really thorough and fun lesson about the economics of our region of the country to 4th graders at Charleston Elementary. I got to see firsthand the impact of these awesome lessons that JA provides for area schools. The 5k is one of their biggest fundraisers and we are proud to be involved. Run this fast course that starts at the dog parks at Tinsley and runs south. https://register.chronotrack.com/r/72420
*September 9: Cowpea 5k + 1 mile in Calhoun/Charleston: Yippeea! This the first EVER Cowpea 5k and we are so excited to be partnering with the International Cowpea Festival on this race. We will be raising money for the Hiwassee River Heritage Center in Charleston. The race starts in Calhoun, runs on historic Highway 11 south over the Hiwassee River to Charleston. We make a beautiful loop through historic Charleston and back north over the river to Calhoun. All participants get a free entry to that day's Cowpea Festival in Charleston. This is a great new local race, and the only race in our neighboring town of Charleston! https://www.terrarunning.com/cowpea-5k-1-mile
September 16: Recovery Alive 5k at Greenway Park: This is the first year for Terra Running to be teaming up with the South Cleveland Church of God Recovery Alive program for the RA5k at Greenway Park. Recovery Alive at South Cleveland is a safe place for you to come and DO recovery. No matter what you struggle with, you are welcome. Recovery Alive meets every Thursday night at South Cleveland Church of God and this is a fundraiser for the program. Join us in spreading hope! https://register.chronotrack.com/r/74537
September 23: Ronald McDonald House Charities Run4Kids at Chattanooga State: We love working with the Ronald McDonald House on this great Run4Kids race! This is one of the Ronald McDonald house's big fundraisers and they do it big! The race brings together runners, walkers, RMHC alumni families and supporters for this fun, kid friendly event. The course runs through Chattanooga State to the Riverwalk and has great views! https://register.chronotrack.com/r/74481
*October 14: Willowbend Farms Run for Their Freedom 5k at Greenway Park: Willowbend Farms sure knows how to put on the 5k! This event is an important fundraiser for Willowbend Farms, whose mission is to fight human trafficking in our area. There is live music at the Greenway Stage, vendors, and a powerful service after the race. Another unique aspect of this event is the evening time, with the race starting at 6pm. https://register.chronotrack.com/r/68288
October 20: Nightmare on Nashville Street in Ringgold, GA: This is the first year for this new 5k, but we have worked with the race organizers on previous events and can assure you, it will be a SCREAM! The 5k will start at the Ringgold Market in downtown Ringgold and will wind its way down a spooky nature trail. All runners will receive a commemorative race shirt. Performance awards will be given to male and female racers with the fastest time in their age brackets. The 1 mile trick or treat run will be held on the block surrounding Ringgold City Hall. 1 mile participants will receive a shirt with their entry fee and can swing by the tie dye station to give their race shirt some splashes of color. Participants can also visit trick or treat tables to load up on candy! https://www.evittfoundation.org/nightmareonnashville
*October 21: Cleveland Half Marathon & 5k in downtown Cleveland: We are so excited for the 6th running of the Cleveland Half Marathon & 5k! We have even more sponsors, community organizations, and volunteers involved and are proud to bring you the only half marathon in our area. You know we LOVE our big finishers medals, and this year we are honoring our own Terra Running Company building! The medal is a hand-drawn rendition of the building, complete with runners, coffee drinkers, and even our shop dog, Rocky! http://www.clevelandhalf.com/
*November 23: Thanksgiving Day 5k & 1 mile at Tinsley Park: There are more race finishers on Thanksgiving Day in the United States than any other day of the year. Be one of those finishers by joining us. This race has become one of the biggest 5k's in Cleveland! Join us at Tinsley Park for a fast, flat, family friendly 5k, then go indulge in turkey and pies the rest of the day! https://www.terrarunning.com/thanksgiving-day-5k
December 2: Lafayette, GA Reindeer Run: This is the 2nd year Terra Running has partnered with the Lafayette, GA Women's Club for their annual Reindeer Run and we are big fans of the work they do! The race runs through historic Lafayette, GA and is super fun and festive! Last year, the LaFayette Woman’s Club donated $10,000 to the LaFayette Shop With A Cop program and $9,000 to fund three LaFayette High School Female Scholarships. Get in the Christmas spirit with this awesome 5k! https://register.chronotrack.com/r/74468
December 9: Relay for Life Cleveland Reindeer Run 5k: Help support Cleveland's American Cancer Society Relay for Life with the running of this local Reindeer Run at Greenway Park. Race t-shirts and goodie bags are guaranteed for pre-registered participants. Don't worry about the cold: there will be coffee, hot chocolate and donuts during the morning of the event! https://runsignup.com/Race/TN/Cleveland/ReindeerRunClevelandTN
What's the deal with sponsoring a race?
In 2023 there are many ways to advertise. You can go old school and purchase an ad in a local newspaper or magazine. You can go high tech and put some big money behind clicks on Google. You can leverage your social media and tell the world who you are. And you can… sponsor a race?
I know, I know. Sponsoring a race is probably not the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about your businesses’ advertising budget. But I’m here to tell you that it’s worth your while and gives some serious bang for the buck. Advertising via a race is providing a service for the community, outsourcing your advertising to someone else, and crafting a positive narrative around your business all wrapped up into one… and only for the price of a few traditional ads!
When sponsoring a race there are a variety of ways for businesses to participate — each a different tier that gets you different perks. For instance, at the lowest (and cheapest!) level of sponsorship, a business can pay to advertise via race packets (as well as have their logo on race tees and the website which comes with all the tiers). This means you get to give each runner something from your business: a coupon, promo item, free consultation — whatever you think will get them to respond to your ad! This is effective because runners are always excited to dig around in their race packet for all the freebies and goodies! Want to get your name out there even more? You can purchase the naming rights for the race (example: The Blackhorse 1st Street Beer Mile, sponsored by Blackhorse Brewery or the Visit Cleveland Half-Marathon and 5k sponsored by the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce) or purchase one of our social media packages, where we will shout your business’ name from the rooftops Instagram/Facebook/Internet/blog/everywhere. Want to meet your potential customers or offer them an onsite service? Choose a tier that includes finish line set up and meet runners as they cross the finish line — again, runners love samples, free consultations/massages/stretches/etc. Want something tailored to your business? Just let us know! We are happy to work with you.
Not convinced?
Here are my top 6 reasons for why you should think about advertising with us through a race:
Guaranteed Reach
People pay money to run in races; this is an engaged audience! Instead of just hoping that someone sees an ad or you can reach hundreds (even thousands!) of new, local leads guaranteed through race packets, finish line set up, and social engagement through Terra Running.
Positive Brand Association
We don’t mean to brag but we are very proud of the reputation that we have built over the years. Terra Running Company in known as a local business that cares about the community… because we do! We strive every day to provide the best customer service, support our neighbors and be approachable. And not only are we an award winning local business, we are also a nationally recognized business — winning A Best Running Store award in 2022 and 2019.
Relevant Leads
While we believe any business is going to benefit from attaching their name to a Terra Running race, this impact will be magnified if upper middle class individuals with an interest in health and wellness are some of your target customers. Get information about your business into our runners hands and convert leads!
Add Tangible Value
This is my favorite part about sponsoring a race. Your name isn’t just up on a billboard, your business is helping provide a service through this creative form of advertising. Having quality races improves the quality of life in a community and brings in people from out of town. Potential customers see your business’ name attached to a race and know that you care about keeping the community engaged and active. This further builds a positive brand name for your business!
Affordable and effective
We know that advertising isn’t cheap. But instead of paying hundreds of dollars for just one ad in a newspaper, or thousands of dollars for a billboard, your business can sponsor a race and add to the quality of life of our community, while still gaining the perks of both traditional and creative advertising! It’s a win, win, win.
Stand out
Event sponsorship means less advertising competition. With only a few businesses per event, you are guaranteed to be seen. You can stand out even more if you purchase naming rights!
If you are curious to learn more about sponsoring a race or event with us, don’t hesitate to contact us! We always have something on the calendar and are eager to work with other businesses in our area to put on quality events for our community and beyond.
So you want to put on a race...
So your church / school / nonprofit / community organization wants to put on a fundraiser 5k? Where do you start? How do you know if it will make money?
In addition to our retail store, Terra Running Company is in the race timing and event management business. We love how it gives runners and walkers quality events to train for and helps drive traffic to our website and retail store. We put on the Cleveland Half Marathon & 5k, the Thanksgiving Day 5k, the Summer SIzzler Race series, and the First Street Beer Mile each year. In addition, we are hired by 20+ local organizations to help time and manage their races.
From permits to t-shirt, insurance to timing, we have done it all! Races are a great way to spread the word about your organization, bring the community together, and celebrate health and fitness. But where do you start?
First, check the race calendar for the local area before choosing a date. 20 years ago, the 65 Roses 5k was the only local road race in the area and drew runners from all over the southeast. Today, there is a 5k every weekend on the Cleveland Greenway to the Chattanooga Riverwalk and every community in between! Be sure to avoid the weekend of large races in the area that will compete for participants, like the Chattanooga Marathon, 65 Roses 5k, the Cleveland Half Marathon & 5k, and other large scale, established events.
Once you've chosen a date, you need a road closure permit or a pavilion rental depending on the location. Most often, this also required proof of event insurance. Before publishing the date, be sure to have the permits and insurance in hand.
After the date, location, and insurance are secured, you can start to market the event. Choose a name, giveaway, and something that will make your event unique. Runners and walkers have lots of events to choose from these days; what about your event will make them choose you? Have all these details ironed out before opening registration or advertising the race. You want to be prepared to answer participant questions.
The success or failure of a fundraiser depends most on the integration of sponsors into your event. Participants generally pay for their own race experience, between the cost of shirts, food, race timing, event insurance, and permits. To make an event a successful fundraiser, don't overlook the importance of sponsors. Sponsors can be given perks for their involvement, like a chance to set up at the finish line area, free entries for their employees to the race, or naming rights for the event. Think beyond just giving them a logo on a t-shirt.
If you're interested in learning more about putting on a race, reach out to Terra Running Company. We have years of successful race timing and management experience and would love to help you put on a successful fundraising race.
6 Years of Timing with Junior Achievement's Race to Achieve!
Most people know Terra isn’t simply a retail store but also a race timing company; this past Saturday we celebrated our 6th anniversary of successful timing with our very first race partner, Junior Achievement! We are so grateful for the work that JA does in our community and are proud to get to work with them year after year.
We interviewed race director Melissa Gunnell about the Race to Achieve, the work that Junior Achievement does with students in the Ocoee region and how people can get involved.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and the work you do at Junior Achievement?
My name is Melissa Gunnell and I have been with Junior Achievement (JA) for 7 years. I’m the Junior Achievement of the Ocoee Region Event Planner/ Coordinator and Administrative Assistant to the chapter President. I plan our fundraising events such as our Bowl for Education, 5K Race to Achieve, JA Dress for Success fashion show and others. These events help raise funds that allow us to provide local schools with JA programs.
Can you tell us about what Junior Achievement does as well as what that specifically looks like in our area?
Junior Achievement teaches students the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future and make smart economic choices. These JA programs are provided to schools at no cost so the funds that we raise from the events mentioned above as well as our Annual Campaign. JA of the Ocoee Region provides programs to five counties: Bradley, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe & Polk.
Junior Achievement is a volunteer driven organization. Employees from local businesses, retired professionals and others volunteers to teach JA programs in the local schools. Junior Achievement is “INSPIRING TOMORROWS”!
What about the Race to Achieve 5k? How did it come about and how does it benefit the work you all do?
This year was the 9th annual 5K Race to Achieve. Terra Running has been partnering with us by
timing for our race for the past 6 years. The 5K Race to Achieve is a great way for JA to make our
community aware of what JA does in our schools and is a fun time for the serious or the just for fun
runners and families to help support JA in a small way by participating in the race.
How did you feel like this year’s race went? It’s impressive that you all have been putting it on for 9 years!
This year was our 9th Annual 5K Race to Achieve and went very well thanks to Terra Running doing our timing once again. Each year we are increasing our number of participants and making the public more aware of Junior Achievement of the Ocoee Region and our mission to Inspire our students for Tomorrow with better financial knowledge. We also give prizes to the school teams with the top average time in College/High school, Middle school and Elementary school divisions; Cleveland Middle School was the top school this year.
How can people support the work of Junior Achievement?
Junior Achievement is always looking for volunteers. We provide training to the volunteers and all of the materials they need to teach JA programs. If anyone is interested in volunteering, they should contact our office (423-614-8777) or email liz.mathurin@ja.org for more information.
My Favorite Things About Race Timing
Thinking about a fundraiser for your organization or club? Love running races and always dreamed of putting on your own? In addition to our retail store, Terra Running Company has been hired by organizations to time races for over 5 years now. We have timed 5k’s to marathon’s, trail races, kids fun runs, mountain bike races, and cross country races. We use state of the art race timing hardware and software to make sure race results are quick, accurate, and easily accessible to participants. Race timing is a unique part of our business and here are some of my favorite things about race timing:
All the people we’ve met! The opportunity to work with people I would never have been able to otherwise is always a great experience. We work with nonprofits, schools, churches, golf clubs, women’s groups, and small businesses.
The places that race timing has taken us! I have been able to time races on pumpkin farms, in the mountains, in towns in Alabama I have previously never heard of, and in every Cleveland park. I loved sneaking away during the 50 mile mountain bike race at Lula Lake to find the famous waterfall, and meeting the barn carts at the pumpkin farm in Athens. Actually spending a day at the race site is always an adventure.
Seeing runners accomplish their goals! It is a unique perspective to be at the finish line of a running race. It is an experience to see the supporters anxiously waiting for their runner to finish, the families who cross the line together, and seeing the emotion on the face of runners at the end.
If you are interested in learning more about putting on a race or having Terra Running Company time your race, email me at Brittany@TerraRunning.com. Over the past 5 years, we have found that having your race professionally chip timed shows potential sponsors that you are serious about putting on a quality event. Using Terra Running Company as your timer gives potential participants the confidence that their efforts will be taken seriously with reliable and timely results.
Train for one of these great fall races
Racing is back! We are so excited to be able to share such a packed fall race schedule! Check out these great Terra Timed races in our area this fall.
August 28: Junior Achievement Race to Achieve 5k + 1 mile
Tinsley Park, Cleveland, 8am
Fun fact: the JA Race to Achieve 5k was the first Terra Timed race ever 5 years ago! Our timing business has grown so much since then, but the JA Race to Achieve will always hold a special place in our hearts! The race supports Junior Achievement of the Ocoee Region, whose mission is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed through financial literacy, work and career readiness, and entrepreneurship. This is a fast, flat course starting and ending at Tinsley Park across from the dog parks.
October 1: Funky Monkey Glow Run 5k + 1 mile
Rhea County Community Center, Dayton, TN: 4pm
If you love glow runs, this event is for you! RC3 puts on a phenomenal glow run each year through the streets of Dayton. Dress in your lights and glow sticks and enjoy running in the dark for this fun fall evening race. The race supports the programs of the Rhea County Community Center.
October 2: Autumn Rocks 5k
Lafayette, GA, 4pm
Lafayette, Georgia puts on the Autumn Rocks festivities each year, and we are so glad to be coming back for the 2nd time! The 5k course is around the beautiful LaFayette Golf Course, providing shade for this afternoon race. The race is accompanied by a Golf Tournament, so check out Catoosa County, GA for lots of fall weekend fun!
October 16: North River YMCA Ghosts and Goals 5k + 1 mile
Chattanooga Riverpark, 8am
The North River YMCA puts on a stellar 5k at the Chattanooga Riverwalk, and we love helping them raise money for the great YMCA programs. This is a well organized, fast, flat event right along the river! Costumes are encouraged and there is a Monster Mile for kids and walkers.
October 16: Willowbend Farms Run For Their Freedom 5k + 1 mile
Greenway Park, Cleveland, 4pm
Back in person for 2021, the Run For Their Freedom 5k + 1 mile is held at Greenway Park in Cleveland. This is a main fundraiser for Willowbend Farms, which is a non-profit organization with a mission to restore survivors of human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and sexual violence. Finisher’s get a t-shirt and finisher’s medal for their participation!
October 23: Cleveland Half Marathon & 5k
Downtown Cleveland, 8am
The Cleveland Half Marathon and 5k is back for its 4th year in 2021! Runners have come to love the huge finisher’s medal, great fan support, and fun post-race bash! There will be a new course for both 13.1 and 5k distance in 2021.
November 25: Thanksgiving Day 5k
Tinsley Park, Cleveland, 8am
Our Cleveland Thanksgiving Day 5k is a hometown favorite! Run with your friends or family on Thanksgiving and earn that turkey dinner. This race has sold out every year, so be sure to sign up early! We will be giving away the 2021 version of everyone’s favorite beanie hat. Donate canned goods at packet pick up and race morning for the United Way of the Ocoee Region.