14th Annual 7 Bridges Marathon
October 20, 2024
Downtown Chattanooga
If you are picking up your packets race day, please arrive at least 45 minutes before your race start. Packet pick up will close 20 minutes before each distance. Do not wait until the last minute.
Here's what you'll find in this email:
• Course maps/course details
• Start and finish line details
• Shuttle Information and Parking
• Preferred Parking details (sold out)
If arriving after 6:45 am, please enter park by Starbucks (20 Cherokee Avenue, Chattanooga, TN)
• Bag Drop
• Bike Share Information
• Schedule of Events
• Pacers
• Switching your distance
• Aid Station info
• Portojohns/Restroom facilities
• Post Race Nutrition
• Massage Info
• Live Streaming on Facebook
• Race Day Recovery from NiteOwl
• VegFest
• Between the Bridges Art Festival
NEW VENUE MAP AND COURSE MAP: Click Here for 2024 Maps
Please review the maps to see important race locations. The 5K is the same as last year. The Full, Half, and 10K have one small modification on Barton Avenue turning onto Veteran’s Bridge.
ATTENTION: Full Marathon includes several miles of boardwalk which can be slippery in wet conditions.
Start / Finish Line
The Start AND Finish Line are near the Blue Rhino sculpture - adjacent to Coolidge Park in the roundabout at the end of Tremont Street.
PLEASE USE CAUTION. The roads will NOT be closed but we have alerted the community of the race and we will have police stationed at the largest intersections bordering the course.
We discourage the use of headphones, but if you choose to wear headphones, please listen responsibly so that you can hear traffic, course marshals, and other runners.
Bag Drop
Bag drop available near packet pick on race day.
Bike Share
Bike Share Available for Transport to and from Event
Chattanooga's new bicycle transit system will be the go-to method of transportation for runners, families and support teams this weekend at the 7 Bridges Marathon.With parking in short supply, bicycles will be available through Bike Chattanooga's bicycle transit system. Stop at one of the Bike Chattanooga 28 kiosks and purchase a day pass. This will enable easy transportation around the marathon course to cheer on your runner and get to and from the start/finish line.
For more information on bike share: https://bikechattanooga.com/
Parking - Preferred Parking IS SOLD OUT!
DO NOT PARK AT
2 Northshore near WholeFoods and Rock Creek!
You will be towed.
Parking spaces with meters in Chattanooga are free on Sundays but fill up quickly. Parking lots with numbered spaces are NOT free.
Renaissance RiverPark lot is $7 for the day. Garage spaces available for $10 all day near movie theater (351 Broad St, Chattanooga).
Free parking available just across the Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge at the UNUM lots at 5th Avenue and Lookout Street.
VIP Parking/Preferred Parking
(SOLD OUT for 2024)
Parking staff will have a list of all those who purchased parking.
To check the list:
Preferred Parking List ( updated for 2024)
Please plan your morning so that you have time to park and get to the event by 6 am. We will start promptly at 7:03 am. Roads Begin Closing at 5 am.
Schedule for 7 Bridges Weekend:
Click Here for Venue Map
Packet Pick Up
We encourage friends and family to pick up others packets!
Friday Oct. 18; 3 - 6 pm
Coolidge Park
400 River St, Coolidge Park, Chattanooga, TN
Packet Pick Up and Expo
Saturday Oct. 19; 9 am - 6 pm -
Look for the “Run Rhino Run” Tents
400 River St., Coolidge Park
SUNDAY, OCT 20 - RACE DAY
Race Day Packet Pick Up
Please arrive 45 minutes before your race start.
5:30-6:45 am (Marathon, Half, 10K, and 5K) - Packet Pick Up
5:30 am - 9 am Registration for Kids K ONLY
5:30 am - Coffee and Water Served in front of Chattanooga Theatre
7:03 am - 7 Bridges Full Marathon Start
In front of the Chattanooga Theatre - Follow the Music
7:33 am - 4 Bridges Half Marathon Start and 10K Start
In front of the Chattanooga Theatre - Follow the Music
7:45 am - 2 Bridges 5K Start
In front of the Chattanooga Theatre - Follow the Music
10 am - Nite Owl Family Fun K
Near the start/finish line (behind the DJ).
Overall awards will be given out but age group prizes will be awarded at the results kiosk.
Awards will be given out at the instant results kiosk. No awards ceremony this year.
PACERS
Pacers and Tentative Pacing Speeds
Pacers will be wearing pacing shirts and carrying their pace on their pacing "flag".
Full
Pace Group
Pace Leader
3:30h Rob Youngren
3:45h. Jason Bookout
3:45h Kimberly Bookout
4:00h. Aaron Calvert
4:15h. David Dye
4:30h Daryl Smith
4:45h. Erin Smith
5:00h Brad Vaughan
5:30h Vee Richetti
5:30h Mollie Everitt
5:45h. Stephen Weitzel
Sweeper James E. Hurley
Half
Pace Group
Pace Leader
1:45h Jeff Hogeland
2:00h Ashley Dawson
2:00h Megan Bernard Webb
2:15h Beth Lyda
2:30h Kaki Jenkins
2:45h Kabeer Ahmed
3:00h Beth House
PREDICTIVE TRACKING FOR FULL AND HALF
(NEW for 2024)
Predictive tracking works by utilizing a participant’s split times to predict their pace, position on the course, and finish time. NOTE: If your runner is not consistent with their pace split to split, the tracking will not be accurate.
Click here for Predictive Tracking
Switching Your Distance - VERY IMPORTANT FOR ACCURATE RESULTS
Before the race: If you need to change your distance before race day, please email jay@sceniccitymultisport.com, or let us know when you pick up your packet.
On Race Day: If you need to change your distance, PLEASE notify the head timer at the finish line.
Aid Stations
Aid stations (16 total for marathon, 9 total for half, 3 for 10K, 1 for 5k) are located at
• Renaissance Park (2.3 miles)
• Battery Place (3 Miles, 24.5 miles)
• Curtain Pole Road Riverpark (6 miles, 19.5 miles)
• Amnicola Marsh North Riverpark (7.3 miles, 22 miles)
• Lost Mound Road Riverpark (8, 21 miles) (Turnaround for half marathon)
• North Chick Greenway Trailhead at N. Hawthorne Rd (9, and 20 miles)
• Sterchi Farms Trailhead (10.5 and 18.5 miles)
• Faith Road Trailhead (12.5 and 16.5 miles)
• Caine Lane -Turnaround for Full Marathon)(14.5 miles)
Aid stations will be stocked with: • Lemon Lime Gatorade Endurance• Gu: Vanilla Bean (20mg of caffeine), Chocolate Outrage (20mg of caffeine), Tri Berry (20mg of caffeine), Strawberry Banana (no caffeine), Salted Caramel (20mg of caffeine), Lemon Lime
Fresh Fruit at Finish Line, Half Marathon turnaround, and Full Turnaround.
Portojohns/Restrooms
There will be a portojohn (or restroom) at every aid station and several at the finish line.
After the Finish Line Food
Oatmeal Experience will be back AND this year we will have Wiki-licious Donuts and Bagel Brothers. There will also be Gatorade and Pepsi products.
Live Streaming
Our emcees will be live streaming the start and finish line in addition to joining you on the course, live on Facebook.
Our Non-Profit Partner for 2024
We're excited to announce that The Samaritan Center is our official 2024 Beneficiary!
The Samaritan Center is dedicated to meeting the basic physical, spiritual, and social needs of people in our community, following the example of compassion set by the Good Samaritan. For over 33 years, they’ve been helping those in need with financial assistance and resources while preserving dignity.
By running with us, you’re helping provide hope for today and tomorrow. 🙌💙
#7BridgesMarathon #SupportLocal #RunForACause #CommunityCompassion
Schedule Your Recovery
Race day amenities thanks to our friends at NiteOwl Urgent Care!
Plan on enjoying some ultra hydration after this year's race. Their team will have several IV bag options that you can enjoy pre OR post race. Pre-booking is encouraged and there will be a limited supply available for those who don't book in advance.
IV Options will include:
•Saline Solution $100
•Get Up & Go (Energy) $150
•Quench (Hydrate) $150
•Recovery & Performance (Performance Recovery) $150
To book, call 423-605-8247!
Between the Bridges Artfest
Saturday and Sunday
Oct 15 - 10 am to 5 pm
We'll have live music and space for up to 50 local artists to display and sell their artwork in a fun, festival atmosphere on Tremont Avenue from 10 am to 5 pm.
VA is a nonprofit, membership-based organization focused on creating a thriving and diverse visual arts community in Chattanooga and surrounding areas. Our Main Gallery provides a venue to showcase visual artists and exhibitions. The Landis Education Gallery hosts student or other nonprofit art organizations exhibitions’. AVA’s programing is centered on the professional development of visual artists and art students, elevating art appreciation, and promoting visual arts as a means to creating a cohesive community. AVA created the 4 Bridges Arts Festival as a way to advance artists’ careers and expose Chattanooga to fine art from around the United States. This annual festival takes place in April, and provides funding for programming throughout the year. In order to achieve our vision of a healthy and thriving arts community, AVA strives to incorporate the values of inclusivity, diversity and equity-focused programming throughout our agency.
On Saturday, Coolidge Park will be a hive of activity, hosting not only the festival but a 25th Anniversary celebration of Coolidge Park itself, hosted by the city of Chattanooga, and featuring free carousel rides on the Coolidge Park carousel starting at 11 a.m., a ceremony featuring past and present city mayors and leaders at 11 a.m., and a host of activities and adventures supplied by Outdoor Chattanooga under the Walnut Street Bridge.
It’s also Clumpies 25th anniversary jubilee. Stop in at their nearby Frazier Avenue location for a sweet treat, and visit their back parking lot for special deals from other North Shore businesses and restaurants.
MESSAGE FROM OUR ADVOCACY PARTNER
We are excited about your participation in the Chattanooga 7 Bridges Marathon this month.
October is also Domestic Violence Awareness month, and we’ve decided to bring some awareness to an aspect of domestic violence that isn’t often talked about – post separation abuse. (PSA).
A grassroots group of survivors called Not Today PSA have put messaging in 2 places along the course about PSA and how to help survivors here in TN.
Post Separation Abuse holds survivors back from meeting their most basic human needs.
Post-separation abuse can continue long after the relationship ends, affecting emotional, mental, and physical health.
Post-Separation Abuse Includes:
Stalking and/or Harassment
Emotional Manipulation
Financial Control
Continued Frivolous Litigation
Using Children as Leverage
Continued attempts at Social Isolation
Just like training for a marathon, leaving an abusive relationship is a tough journey. But with PSA, the hardest part of the race comes after you cross the finish line.
To Support:
Visit: @NotTodayPSA on Instagram to learn more
Have you experienced PSA? Share your story with @NotTodayPSA.
Sign a Petition to support Hamilton County adopting a Domestic Violence Specific Court