Running with Sasquatch

Running with Sasquatch 5K

Running with Sasquatch is Ivy Academy’s annual trail race and community fundraiser held on the Ivy Academy campus in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee, along the North Chickamauga Creek. The event centers on a 5K out-and-back trail that follows the creek and turns at a point called Pride Rock. The trail is approximately 4 to 5 feet wide and supports two-way traffic.

Participants should expect a true trail experience, with possible creek crossings, standing water, fallen trees, and generally rugged, uneven terrain. Ivy Academy staff are positioned along the route to guide and supervise runners. Participants are advised to bring their own water supply. Those who beat Sasquatch receive an “I Whooped Sas’” trucker hat.

Multiple participation options are available: running the 5K, a Wildflower Walk, a rucking challenge called Ruck-The-Rock, or registering as a Sleepy Sasquatch to support the school without completing the course. Ruck-The-Rock asks participants to carry a rucksack of canned goods to Pride Rock, have the pack weighed afterward, donate the canned goods, and make a monetary donation equal to the pack weight. All canned goods and 50 percent of monetary donations from Ruck-The-Rock go to the Soddy Daisy Food Bank.

Proceeds from the event support Ivy Academy athletics and an athletic scholarship fund. Ivy Academy is a tuition-free public charter school serving grades 6 through 12 and operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. An Ivy Academy plant sale runs the day before and the day of the event, featuring student-grown vegetables herbs and native plants. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.