Since the early 1980’s, the Chattanooga Track Club has sponsored an annual road race to benefit programs at Volunteer Behavioral Health’s Chattanooga Campus. The Moccasin Bend Fall Classic has been on hold for a few years, but it will return to Chattanooga on Oct. 1 for its 39th year. In addition to being a fun, family-friendly event, the timed race is an official qualifying run for the July 4th AJC Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta. There will be both a 10K and a 5K event.
This year’s run benefits Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) at Volunteer, a program to assist individuals experiencing homelessness who have mental illness or co-occurring disorders (mental illness and substance use). PATH offers community-based outreach and case management to connect individuals with mental health and substance use treatment, medical care, employment, education and housing services. According to local agencies, over 4,000 adults and children in the Chattanooga area experience homelessness each year. It is estimated that at least 30 percent of individuals experiencing homelessness have a severe mental illness.
The 10K begins at 8 a.m. and the 5K follows at 8:10 a.m. Day-of-race registration and bib pick-up begin at 6:30 a.m. at 100 Moccasin Bend Road, near the guard shack at Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute. The run is limited to 200 participants due to traffic patterns in the area. The registration fee is $18 for the 10K and $15 for the 5K. A coffee cup with the race logo will be given to all participants. The first 150 registrants and volunteers will also receive a surprise gift.
For more information and event registration, visit https://eventregistration.chattanoogatrackclub.org/.