Johnston Woods Trail Festival

Event overview

The Johnston Woods Trail Festival takes place on May 23, 2026, at 298 Brymer Creek Road, Cleveland, TN. The festival offers timed trail formats: 3-hour, 6-hour, 12-hour, and 24-hour races, a 12-hour night race, and a 6-hour rucking option. The event raises funds for kids' summer camp and community programming. Packet pickup is available on the day before and on race day.

Course

The course uses two marked loops (blue and white) with the parking lot between them. A single lap measures 4.35 miles through forested, rolling hills that cross small creeks. The trail includes roots and rocks, is described as runnable, and has about 300 ft of elevation gain per lap. The start and finish are set in the field behind the Woodland Center. The Woodland Center is the first building on the left after the entrance gate. Parking is available at the center and on the nearby pipeline area.

Rucking and awards

Rucking requires a weighted pack: male - 30 lb dry, female - 15 lb dry. Each ruck finisher receives a patch. All finishers receive a slate coaster. Runners registered before the event deadline are guaranteed a t-shirt. Overall male and female winners receive gift cards from a local running store and custom slate awards; second and third places also receive custom slate awards. A buckle is awarded to 100-mile finishers. Current distance records are listed for the 6-hour, 12-hour, and 24-hour events. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.