Ballad Health Niswonger Children’s Network Crazy 8s 8K Run

Crazy 8s 8K Will Host USATF Women’s 8K Road Championship Presented By Gatorade

For the past two years the Ballad Health Niswonger Children’s Network Crazy 8s 8K Run has hosted the USATF Men’s 8K Road Championship in Kingsport, TN.  The Men’s Championship will once again return to Kingsport on July 20th, but this year the men will be joined by the women as they run for the USATF Women’s 8K Road Championship Presented By Gatorade.  Both championships will be run simultaneously during the 8K Run along the candle-lit streets during Kingsport’s Fun Fest Festival.

“We’ve been working on this a long time,” said co-director Hank Brown.  “Our plan all along was to host the national championship for both genders, but it took us a while to pull together the necessary resources to make it happen.  With the increase in popularity of women’s sports this is the perfect time to host the women’s championship, and we are very thankful to Gatorade for helping us make this happen. 

“Gatorade has been fueling athletes of all levels for nearly 60 years with products that are grounded in hydration and sports nutrition research,” said Noel Rodriguez, VP Retail Sales, PepsiCo Beverages North America, South Division. “We are delighted to support runners during this race with products like Gatorade Zero and Fast Twitch throughout the event.” 

Crazy 8s has seen thrilling finishes the past two years in the men’s championship.  In 2022, Shadrack Kipchirchir and Conner Mantz entered J. Fred Johnson side by side and sprinted the final 100 yards across the football field with Kipchirchir edging out Mantz in a literal photo finish.  Last year Clayton Young outkicked Andrew Colley and Isai Rodriguez to win by only four seconds. Brown expects the thrills and excitement to double with the top American women and men running their respective national championships.

“The Women's Long-Distance Running Committee of USATF is delighted that our elite women will be joining the men this year for our 2024 8K Road National Championships,” said Mickey Piscitelli, USATF Women’s LDR Chair. “It will be an electrifying evening of racing at the Crazy 8s in Kingsport, Tennessee. Their southern hospitality is palpable, and we hope to continue this partnership for many years!”

“It’s going to be crazy good,” said Brown.  “We’ll have two elite races going on at the same time, so we’ll be doing our best to keep up with each one.  It will be extra exciting for the spectators along the course, and we expect a lot of national attention to be on Crazy 8s due to the double championship.”

“We are thrilled to see the USATF Women’s Championship added to the Crazy 8s family,” said Emily Thompson, Director of Kingsport Fun Fest.  “We are honored to welcome a new group of elite athletes to Kingsport, and look forward to cheering them on during their visit here.”

The Regional Eye Center is offering a $10,008 American Record bonus for men who can break Alberto Salazar’s record of 22:04 (1981) or women who can break Deena Kastor’s record of 24:36 (2005). In addition to the bonus, the race is offering prize money to the top 10 in the USATF Men’s and Women’s Championships.

Sponsors are Ballad Health Niswonger Children’s Network, Gatorade, The Regional Eye Center, Eastman Credit Union, Kingsport Pediatric Dentistry, Food City, Martin Dentistry, Mycroft Signs, Culligan, Associated Orthopaedics of Kingsport, and JA Street.