Chattanooga Track Club President Bill Moran is recruiting runners to sprint ahead to assist Ringgold High School athletes and band June 25.
"We are targeting to try to raise $25,000," he said. "All the money raised will go to the Ringgold Boosters Club."
Ringgold Run officials estimate enlisting 500 runners from adolescents to senior citizens to raise funds to replace Ringgold High School athletic and band equipment destroyed by the April 27 tornado.
Runners can sign up in advance or the day of the race at 6:30 a.m.
"The race will start at 8 a.m. at the intersection of Robin Road and Highway 151 between Walgreen's and Northwest Georgia Bank in Ringgold," said Moran, who is co-directing the race with Ringgold's Denny Marshall. "It will go left down Alabama Highway a quarter of a mile and turn left onto Lafayette Street and cross over Nashville Street onto Sparks Street and go on down to Tiger Trail by Ringgold High School. Runners will stop at the school for ice water and run back to Robin Road where it started."
He said volunteers will set up arrows outlining the course, as well as water barrels with sports drinks and the finish line.
"Running in the race would be an opportunity to join with people in Ringgold and the Chattanooga area to support the athletic and band boosters at Ringgold in getting re-established," said Moran. "They put on candy sales for years to buy the equipment that was wiped out. They had three athletic buildings hit by the tornado."
Chattanooga Track Club will present awards to the top three runners in each age category. Men and women will be split into age groups per every five years. Run for Ringgold commemorative bibs and race food will be at the finish line for runners.
In a Run for Ringgold release, RHS track coach and Run for Ringgold organizing committee member Dr. Lisa Logan wrote about feeling at home in Ringgold.
"There's nothing quite like the feeling when you run with your kids through the streets of Ringgold and in the air you can hear the Ringgold Tiger Band in the background," she wrote. "That's when I know I'm home. There's no place like it."