Knoxville Marathon 2013

Knoxville Marathon Start, April 2013

Knoxville Marathon Start, April 2013

It’s hard to know at the end of this week whether I should continue recounting last weekend or move the focus to the upcoming weekend. I’ll go with last weekend, but I must mention that this weekend is likely the biggest of the Dogwood Arts Festival, with the Arts and Crafts Festival on Market Square and throughout Krutch Park. The artisan works are phenomenal and the food tent, in which chefs prepare dishes with wine pairings, is one of my favorite single events of the year.

Mayor Rogero, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

Mayor Rogero, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

American Flag on Clinch Avenue, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

American Flag on Clinch Avenue, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

Arm Cyclists, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

Arm Cyclists, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

Still, I must give a nod to last weekend’s Knoxville Marathon which drew several thousand people. The race has grown to include a 5K, Half-Marathon, Marathon and Marathon Relay. Urban Son-in-Law backed off to the half-marathon this year and many Urban Friends ran various other races. I think one reason for the massive crowds last weekend was the marathon, as a number of people came in from out of town or simply stayed downtown to enjoy the other events going on.

Health and Fitness Expo, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

Health and Fitness Expo, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

Health and Fitness Expo, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

Health and Fitness Expo, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

Arm Cyclists2, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

Arm Cyclists, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

Arm Cyclists3, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

Arm Cyclists, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

I love the fact that a fitness-based event has become so big in the city. It also works beautifully to have so many great activities downtown to greet any out-of-town visitors. There is no way someone visited the city last weekend, encountered the beautiful weather, pianos on the square, Chalk Walk, First Friday, Rhythm and Blooms and came away with anything other than a very positive impression of what is happening here. They also spent time and money in the Health and Fitness Expo on Saturday.

Knoxville Marathon Start, April 2013

Knoxville Marathon Start, April 2013

Knoxville Marathon Start, April 2013

Knoxville Marathon Start, April 2013

Knoxville Marathon Runner, April 2013

Knoxville Marathon Runner, April 2013

Knoxville Marathon Start, April 2013

Knoxville Marathon Start, April 2013

The starting line and staging area always attract me. Nerves jangle about at every turn, runners giddy with excitement warm up maybe a bit too much. Proud families wish their loved ones well. The mayor spoke at this year’s opening and the national anthem makes any sporting fan’s blood reach a quick boil of anticipation. Some are there to win, others to have fun and others simply to finish. Music pounds from a PA system as it will throughout the race as live bands play for the runners.

Entertainment on Market Square, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

Entertainment on Market Square, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

John D. Cable and the Empty Bottle Band, Clinch and Locust, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

John D. Cable and the Empty Bottle Band, Clinch and Locust, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

I photographed eventual winner Wojciech Kopec (2:22:15) as he left the start line (red jersey above, number 2), but missed him at the twenty-five mile mark. I did catch Edward Tabut passing the UT Conference Center, heading into the final stretch. He was about three minutes behind first place. He also nearly left the course by not turning onto Locust, but a policeman yelled, pointed and Edward corrected his course.

Second Place Runner (No. 4), Mile Tweny-five, Knoxville Marathon 2013

Second Place Runner (No. 4), Edward Tabut, Mile Tweny-five, Knoxville Marathon 2013

Third Place Runner, Mile Twenty-four, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

Third Place Runner, Bryan Morseman, Mile Twenty-four, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

Fourth Place Runner, Mile Twenty-Three, Knoxville Marathon 2013

Fourth Place Runner, Stewart Ellington, Mile Twenty-Three, Knoxville Marathon 2013

Fifth Place Runner, Mile Twenty-four, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

Fifth Place Runner, Abraham Kogo, Mile Twenty-four, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

About four minutes behind him was Bryan Moresman in third and I really felt for the next two guys as I photographed them leaving Market Square. They ran within steps of each other around the twenty-four mile mark and clearly, they would battle to the finish line. In the end, while Stewart Ellington (No. 6) lead by a few yards at that point, Abraham Kogo (No. 3) would pass him in the end to win fourth place. Two seconds separated them at the finish line. You can find complete results here.

Half-Marathon Medal, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

Half-Marathon Medal, Knoxville Marathon, April 2013

Others would pass through downtown on into the afternoon. In fact, Urban Son-in-Law spotted a couple going through around 4:00, well after the official times have stopped. It reminds me of Cake’s awesome song, “The Distance.” All that matters at that point is finishing. And whether anyone else knows or acknowledges the fact, you know. It has to feel good. I never made it to the complete marathon and I admire those who do.

Mayors, Mayors, We Got Mayors, Yes We Do

Faith Coalition Event for AIDS education, Market Square, Knoxville, March 2011
Market Square for most of its history has served as a forum for many different and widely divergent groups desiring to express a message of one sort or another. In the short time I’ve written this blog I’ve chronicled gatherings of members of the healing arts, LGBT advocates, anti-abortion proponents and so on. Sometimes the crowds are large, sometimes only a small circle of supporters appear and often no one pays any particular attention to the people making proclamations or speeches.

On a recent evening the response to those gathered on the stage at Market Square was, to say the very least, minimal. I think I may have been the only person watching as facts were read by famous and semi-famous local notables. Startling to my ears was the relatively straight-forward manner in which they read facts related to the AIDS epidemic.

Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, Market Square, Knoxville, March 2011

Current Knoxville mayor Daniel Brown, Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett and prospective Mayor Madeline Rogero each read from prepared texts to no one in general or, more accurately, to me as I took their pictures. It was somewhat jarring to hear Madeline Rogero say the words “vaginal intercourse” in public – not that I’ve ever heard her say them in private. Mayor Burchett’s text seemed much more conservative and I suspected that was by design.

The event included drummers from Austin East High School (who I unfortunately missed), signs placed throughout the square giving information about the AIDS epidemic and booths offering further information regarding testing and related issues. The organization behind the effort was the Faith Coalition working out of the Knox County Health Department.

Mayoral Candidate Madeline Rogero, Market Square, Knoxville, March 2011

I’m not ready to give the UrbanGuy endorsement to Madeline Rogero, but I’ll say that I run into her often at the various downtown events I attend and that makes me view her more favorably. Maybe our common interests mean she sees the world in similar terms. Or maybe it means I’m often where the crowds appear and she is campaigning, still I haven’t see Marylin Roddy around town. I’ve seen Madeline at the R.B. Morris/Marshall Chapman concert at the Laurel Theater, Waynestock at the Relix, Pecha Kucha at the West Jackson Workshops and now talking about sex on Market Square. I’m just saying she may be the one for me.

It was interesting to see such an event coming on the heels of Knox County expelling Planned Parenthood from the classroom because a parent group complained that they mentioned their website which had links to definitions of sexual acts of which the parents did not approve. The group is also wanting to be sure that this organization does not provide any training for teachers who will  now be charged with providing sex education in the schools.

Knoxville Mayor Brown, Market Square, Knoxville, March 2011

So, we’re concerned about AIDS, but more concerned about who talks about it and which links may be on their website. Still, on this evening when no children were present, we acknowledged that we have a problem that encouraging abstinence does not seem to be successfully addressing.

Mayoral Trifecta, Burchett, Rogero, Brown, Knoxville, March 2011

Knox Heritage Distributes Awards

John Craig opens the Knox Heritage Annual Meeting, November 2010.

The annual awards ceremony was held at the Bijou in which Knox Heritage recognizes those who have distinguished themselves in the local world of preservation. The meeting also served as the annual meeting and new members were added to the board as old members moved on.

Jim Samples, President of HGTV, speaks to Knox Heritage members, November 2010.

After an interesting lesson in the physics of preservation and energy (it really was interesting) by John Craig, president of the Knox Heritage Board, Jim Samples, president of HGTV, gave the featured address. He talked eloquently of the soul of a city and how he found it downtown when he came for his interview at HGTV.

Tim Burchett, Knox County Mayor takes the microphone for a spontaneous comment (imagine that) while Kim Trent looks on.

Kim Trent then took center stage to distribute the fantastic fifteen awards as well as others. Here are the winners with connections to downtown:

Preservationist of the Year: Pete Debusk (for the renovation of the Old City Hall/LMU Law School

Mary Holbrook (shot not taken at the meeting!) got one of the largest ovations of the night! (Yea, Mary!)

Volunteer of the Year: Mary Holbrook

Bill Lyons gives the Mayor’s Award, Knox Heritage, November 2010.

Mayor of Knoxville Award (presented by Bill Lyons): Minvilla Manor, LP/Allan Associates Architects for Minvilla, 447 N. Broadway

Knox County Mayor Award (presented by Tim Burchett): Kevin Murphy/C. Randall De Ford Architecture for Murphy House, 4508 Murphy Rd.

Greystone Award: Johnson Bible College/Brewer Ingram Fuller Architects for the White House, River Court Road

Media Award: WBIR, Erin Donovan and Jake Resler for If These Walls Could Talk

The Fantastic Fifteen went to the developers, organizations, architects and regular folks for the following buildings which have been lovingly preserved. Here are the winners in and near downtown Knoxville:

The Ziegler Building, 9 Market Square

Daylight Building after dark.

The Daylight Building, 505 Union Avenue
PSCC Magnolia Ave. Campus, 1610 E. Magnolia Aven.
West Jackson Workshop, 514 W. Jackson Ave.
3,5, 7, 13, 15-17, 23 Emory Place
Condominiums: The Lucerne, 201 W. Fifth Ave., The Sterchi Oaks, 209 W. Fifth Ave. and Patterson Cottage, 605 King Street
2921 N. Broadway
2743 Wimple Avenue
726 Burgess Avenue
1126 Luttrell Street
2019 Washington Avenue
Fourth United Presbyterian Church, 1323 N. Broadway
2701 Woodson Dr.

I’m assuming that  a complete list of the winners, along with photographs should soon be posted on the Knox Heritage website. It was a good night for a great organization that anyone with a love of history and a respect for those who’ve gone before us should support. Go to the website and join. It’s simple and it helps save the soul of Knoxville. Who could oppose salvation?

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