Knox Hills and Marble City Challenges

New in 2026, we are offering two separate challenges; the “Knox Hills Challenge” and the “Marble City Challenge”!

Knox Hills Challenge
When registering for the “Knox Hills Challenge”, participants will be entered in BOTH the Saturday 5K and the Sunday Marathon. In addition to the individual event medals and swag, registrants in the “Knox Hills Challenge” will receive a special Challenge Medal and extra swag item! The “Knox Hills Challenge” is limited to 150 registrants!

Marble City Challenge
When registering for the “Marble City Challenge”, participants will be entered in BOTH the Saturday 5K and the Sunday Half Marathon. In addition to the individual event medals and swag, registrants in the “Marble City Challenge” will receive a special Challenge Medal and extra swag item! The “Marble City Challenge” is limited to 300 registrants!

The Saturday 5K will start at 7 pm on the Clinch Avenue Bridge.

The Sunday Marathon and Half Marathon will start at 7:30 am on the Clinch Ave Bridge.

Timing
All races (except the Covenant Kids Run) will be timed using a chip timing system. The timing chips will be attached to the bibs for marathon, half marathon, relay, and 5K participants.

Photos
FinisherPix is proud to be the Official Photographer of the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon. They will post 2026 race photos a couple of days after the race. BACK FOR 2026! Race photos will be provided to the participants FREE OF CHARGE!

Shirts
All participants in every race will receive a top-quality t-shirt.

Goody Bags
All participants in every race will receive a goody bag at the Health and Fitness Expo.

Music
Party Boys DJ Show will be at the start, finish, and at several on-course locations providing the musical motivation to keep you moving. For every year of the CHKM, Party Boys has provided much-needed energy to the runners and spectators and helped make this feel like a celebration as much as a race. Look forward to them being out there for you again this year!

We will have 28 great musical acts lined up all over the course! Dante Music Entertainment has recruited and coordinated live musical acts that will give you a feel for locally grown music and they’ll keep you moving. Click here to view the lineup from 2025 to get an idea what to expect for 2026!

Course maps, elevation profiles, and course descriptions are in the race information for each specific race.

We will provide English Mountain Water, Gatorade Endurance Formula, and GU on the 2026 CHKM Course.

Participants in the “Knox Hills Challenge” must be 18 or older.

Participants in the “Marble City Challenge” must be 12 or older.

We are still working on plans for the 2026 Post-Race Party. Please check back!

We will have port-a-johns available at the start line, the finish area, and at several places along the route.

Experts from Covenant Therapy Centers and the Knoxville Fire Department will coordinate medical support for the 2026 CHKM.

The Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon uses an Event Alert System for race day. Click here for more information about the EAS.