Covenant Kids Run
With the wonderful support of Covenant Health, we are happy to offer the 1 mile Covenant Kids Run as part of the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon weekend.
The Covenant Kids Run is a program created to encourage our local children to lead healthy and active lifestyles while participating in an exciting, goal oriented, community event. Those participating will run a total of 25 miles in the time period leading up to the race on April 11, 2026. On race day, participants will run a 1 mile course, finally completing the marathon distance of 26.2 miles. They have an option to run or walk the 26.2 miles. Our goal is not only to address personal fitness, but to build self esteem and confidence through goal setting and teamwork. Parents and/or teachers are encouraged to help during the process.
Race Start
The 2026 Covenant Kids Run will begin on the Clinch Avenue Bridge in downtown Knoxville. It is scheduled for 5:30 pm on Saturday, April 11.
Children will use the same start line and finish line as the marathon participants!
Amenities
Amenities include a finisher medal, event shirt, goody bag, and finisher certificate.
Packet Pickup
Packet Pickup
Packet Pick-up will be at the Health & Fitness Expo on Saturday, April 11, during the hours of 9 am – 8 pm.
NOTE: There is NO Sunday Packet Pickup. All race participants must visit the Expo during scheduled hours to obtain their official race packet containing the race number bib, timing chip, race shirt, goody bag, and other instructions. The Health & Fitness Expo is the first major event of the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon weekend.
If you are a participant with a school, check with them to see if they will pick up for you.
Mileage Logs
Need to track your child’s miles as he or she prepares for the April 11 Covenant Kids Run? 2026 mileage logs will be available in January 2026.
Covenant Kids Run Kickoff
The Covenant Kids Run program will kickoff at Zoo Knoxville. Stay tuned for more info!
Fittest School Challenge
2025 Fittest School Challenge!
We were proud to award $5,600 to area schools through our 2025 Fittest School Challenge.
The Fittest School Challenge was a competition between area schools that awards winners based upon the percentage of participation. Each child that participated in the Covenant Kids Run on April 5 earned one point for their school. We tallied each school’s respective points and divided that number by the total enrollment of that school to determine their participation percentage. We awarded prize money to the top schools in a ten-county radius. More than one school in each county was eligible to win prize money.
TWO DIVISIONS FOR 2025! We offered two categories for the schools based upon their enrollment. The two categories were Small (300 or fewer students) and Large (301+ Students). The prize money breakdown for 2025 is listed below:
| School | Prize Money |
|---|---|
| 1st Large Division | $1,000 |
| 2nd Large Division | $750 |
| 3rd Large Division | $500 |
| 4th Large Division | $350 |
| 5th Large Division | $200 |
| 1st Small Division | $1000 |
| 2nd Small Division | $750 |
| 3rd Small Division | $500 |
| 4th Small Division | $350 |
| 5th Small Division | $200 |
We presented each school with a plaque and a check this spring before school let out for the summer.
