It time for a trek on the Tweetsie Trail.
After months of preparation, the walking and biking path from Johnson City to Elizabethton will officially be opened with the Tweetsie Trek, a run/walk/bike event, on Saturday, Aug. 30. Registration for that event is now under way.
Race organizer Ray Flynn said about 5,000 participants are expected to sign up for the family-friendly 4.3-mile run/walk and bike ride.
“Everything is going well and it is exciting as we get closer to the date,” Flynn said. “We expect that it will be a sizeable number that will register.”
Currently, about 500 people have signed up to take part in the Tweetsie Trek. Flynn said that is right on course for the 5,000 that are expected.
“That is consistent with the numbers that were seen for the Turkey Trot this far out,” he said.
He said he had heard from numerous people that they planned to take part in the race, and noted that many who had registered were from Elizabethton as well as the surrounding counties.
However, Flynn cautioned interested racers not to wait too long to register or they might miss out on some of the free goodies that come with signup. He said the commemorative T-shirts that come with the registration were only guaranteed for the first 3,000 who register. Participants will also receive a medallion commemorating the day.
“There will be people who sign up who do not get a shirt,” he said. ‘If you know you want to participate, don’t wait to register.”
The race for runners and walkers will be one-way from Lion’s Field in Elizabethton to the Memorial Park Community Center in Johnson City.
The bike run-ride, which is not a competitive race, will begin in Johnson City and will be a round trip to Elizabethton and back to the starting line.
Other non-Trek “traffic” will be allowed after 3 p.m.
Runners will start at 8:30 a.m.; walkers at 9 a.m. and the bike ride will begin at noon.
Participants are asked to carpool to one of the parking sites to help with parking congestion. From those parking areas, which are Elizabethton High School and the Cardinal Park area in Johnson City, racers will be shuttled to the starting line at Lions Field.
Shuttles will start at 6:30 a.m. and the last shuttle of the day will run at 1 p.m.
Early registration will continue through Aug. 22 online at www.TweetsieTrail.com/Trek. Registration is $20 for adults and $15 for students.
Registration after Aug. 22 will be $25 for adults and $20 for students.
After the participants complete the race, there will be refreshments, vendors and music at the Memorial Park Community Center. For more information, call Flynn at 747-1319 or Jenny Brock at 791-1262.