April 26, 2024
Thousands of participants crossed the finish line at the 2024 Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon, and now, some of those finishers can celebrate with the schools or companies they represented.
The Fittest School Challenge and Fittest Company Challenge are friendly competitions among East Tennessee students and businesses. A total of 688 students representing 38 schools and 2,414 employees representing 66 companies participated in the 2024 races.
“The Fittest School Challenge and Fittest Company Challenge drive engagement and encourage healthy lifestyles,” said Jason Altman, Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon race director. “We were thrilled to see so many participants at the 20th annual race weekend and appreciate local schools and businesses for being part of this time-honored community event.”
In the Fittest School Challenge, schools are awarded monetary prizes based on how many students participate in the Covenant Kids Run relative to each school’s size. Each child who participated in the April 6 race earned one point for his or her school. The winner of each category received $1,000, followed by $750 for second place, $500 for third place, $350 for fourth place and $200 for fifth place.
Small school winners:
- Nature’s Way Montessori School
- Episcopal School of Knoxville
- Knoxville Christian School
- Garden Montessori School
- First Baptist Academy
Large school winners:
- Shannondale Elementary
- Highland Park Elementary
- Ritta Elementary
- Sarah Moore Greene Magnet Academy
- Sequoyah Elementary
New for 2024, race organizers added more categories to the Fittest Company Challenge to motivate businesses of all sizes to participate. Employees and their immediate household members earned a point per mile completed and one point per volunteer. Then, companies were awarded based on size.
Extra-small company winners:
1. Fleet Feet Knoxville
2. Bertelkamp Automation, Inc.
3. Runners Market
Small company winners:
1. RbM Services, LLC.
2. Pattison Sign Group
3. Regal Corporate Office
Medium company winners:
1. ORNL Federal Credit Union
2. Axle Logistics
3. City of Knoxville Fire Department
Large company winners:
1. Radio Systems Corporation
2. Edfinancial Services
3. Bush Brothers & Company
Extra-large company winners:
1. Covenant Health
2. Pilot Travel Centers
3. Oak Ridge National Laboratory
The companies with the highest percentage of participating employees also were recognized.
Companies with highest participation percentage:
1. RbM Services, LLC. (87.3%)
2. Fleet Feet Knoxville (71.4%)
3. Runners Market (42.9%)
Learn more about the competitions and 2024 race results at knoxvillemarathon.com.
About Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon
The Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon is a premier event organized by the Knoxville Track Club, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the encouragement of physical well-being through running, jogging, competitive road racing, race-walking, fun runs, cross-country and track and field.
