Uma Krishnamoorthy takes a photograph of himself as he crosses the finish line during the first running of the Chattanooga Marathon on Sunday, Mar. 6, 2016, in Chattanooga, Tenn. City officials will use this weekend's Chattanooga Marathon to try to woo USA Track & Field representatives to the Scenic City.
Chattanooga is one of four cities bidding for the 2020 Olympic Team Trials marathon, and track and field representatives who have a say in the decision will be in the city for the event.
"There's many county departments, city departments, nonprofits, volunteers groups, private organizations who are on the same page producing a quality event together as one team," Chattanooga Sports Committee President Tim Morgan said. "That's the key that we're trying to demonstrate this weekend. They're going to see the environment that Chattanooga has created.They're going to see the engagement of our community."
The event would add to the city's growing number of major outdoor events, but city officials have other plans to bring in an Olympic event, even if USA Track & Field doesn't choose Chattanooga.
There are other Olympic trials events that haven't been placed such as boxing, weightlifting, wrestling and others. The sports committee has been in conversations with some of those bodies to see if Chattanooga could potentially host one of the events.
"We're still fine-tuning a direction we can go with that," Morgan said. "This weekend it's about running. It's about the USA Track and Field team trials in the marathon."
Sunday's marathon will take a new direction, literally.
Instead of its normal 26.2-mile course, runners will run two laps on a shorter course to minimize the impact on the community.
"I think that is going to help engage the supporters and the community because runners are passing the same place twice," Chattanooga Track Club President Jenni Berz said. "This will help hone resources."
The track club coordinates volunteer efforts for the event that features the marathon, a half marathon and more. It is expected to have nearly 4,000 participants.
It will also cut down on road closures and the traffic impact to address concerns from non-participants, Morgan said.
"We listened to our community and we listened to our partners," Morgan said. "The way it was laid out before was taxing to the community on multiple fronts. We adjusted to accommodate our community with what we hope is less impact on our locals who aren't engaged in event. We also think this will bring a higher level of engagement for those wanting to view the event."
Contact staff writer Mark Pace at mpace@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6361. Follow him on Twitter @themarkpace and on Facebook @ChattanoogaOutdoors.
ROAD CLOSURES
SATURDAY, MARCH 3CLASSIC 150 5K RACERace start: 9-10 a.m.Start/Finish location: Finley StadiumROAD CLOSURESClosure times: 8-10:30 a.m.› Main Street from Reggie White Boulevard to Market Street will be closed.› Eastbound Main Street will be closed from Market Street to Madison Street. There will be no parking on the north side of Main Street on Saturday from 1 a.m.-noon.› Cowart Street from Main Street to West 13th Street will be closed› West 13th Street from Cowart Street to Carter Street will be closed› Northbound Carter Street from Main Street to West 13th Street will be closedKID’S FUN RUNStart/Finish location: Finley StadiumROAD CLOSURESClosure times: 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.› Main Street from Reggie White Boulevard to Broad Street will be closed› Chestnut Street from West 20th Street to West 13th Street will be closed› West 13th Street from Chestnut Street to Carter Street will be closed› Northbound Carter Street from West Main Street to West 13th Street will be closedSUNDAY, MARCH 4CHATTANOOGA MARATHON AND HALF MARATHONRace Start: 7:30 a.m.Start/Finish location: Finley StadiumROAD CLOSURESClosure times: 3 a.m.-7 p.m. (roads and lanes will be re-opened as runners clear each area)› Reggie White Boulevard from West 19th to West Main streets will be closed through 9 p.m. Sunday.› Broad Street from Aquarium Way to East 3rd Street will be closed until noon Sunday.› No parking on 200 Broad Street or on West Aquarium Way from 12 a.m. Saturday until noon Sunday.› No parking on the south side of Vine Street from Lindsay Street to Douglas Street from 6 p.m. Saturday until 7 p.m. Sunday› No parking on the east side of Lindsay Street from Vine St.to McCallie Avenue from p.m. Saturday until 7 p.m. Sunday› No parking on the westbound side of Riverfront Parkway between Martin Luther King Boulevard and the Olgiati Bridge.› Aquarium Way from Chestnut Street to Market Street will be closed. (7:30-9 a.m.)› Broad St. from Aquarium Way to Martin Luther King Boulevard will be closed. (7:30-9 a.m.)› Martin Luther King Boulevard from Broad Street to Market Street will be closed. (7:30-9 a.m.)› Southbound Market Street from Martin Luther King Boulevard to King Street will be closed (7:30-9 a.m.)› Market Street from King Street to Main Street will be one lane in each direction.› Eastbound West 13th Street from Carter Street to Chestnut Street will be closed.› Northbound Carter Street from Main Street to West 13th Street will be closed› Access between River Street and Frazier Avenue will be closed (use Manufacturers Road for access)› The Barton Ave. ramp from Frazier Ave. will be closed.› The Battery Place exit ramp will be closed.In addition to the street closures listed above, there will be numerous lane closure along the routes of each event. Runner will also be on local roads without dedicated lanes. CPD will be directing traffic at many intersections to allow traffic to cross between runners.