State of Franklin Track Club

The State of Franklin Track Club (SFTC) is dedicated to promoting distance running and fitness walking in the TriCities area of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. Throughout the year, SFTC organizes several road races for all abilities and ages from one-mile races to 26.2 mile marathon distance. The club is also "available for hire" through its Timing Services to time and tabulate results; we are regularly hired to manage finish lines for races in the TriCities. Upcoming events can be posted for free on the website's Event Calendar; after the event, race results can also be submitted by any race organization for (free) publication. 

The State of Franklin Track Club is a non-profit charitable 501(c)(3) organization administered by and for runners and walkers to promote running and walking for physical fitness, good health, and sport. Founded in 1977, the club draws members from northeast Tennessee, southwest Virginia, and western North Carolina.

SFTC serves a wide constituency. Casual to competitive runners and walkers are welcomed in the club. SFTC also serves families and encourages running and walking among children and youth.

Board meetings are held monthly. Check the Event Calendar for exact times and locations. Besides allowing the board to execute normal business, these meetings are open to anyone interested in meeting the board and learning about the operations of the club.

The club plays an active role in area road races, assisting area race directors, and renting specialized equipment. In addition to supporting area races, the club also holds its own races throughout the year, including the Virginia Creeper Marathon. The club organizes the King and Queen series, a season-long competition each year, with gender and age-based scoring. The Kids' Festival of Miles series is also offered, a low-key seasonal competition of 1-mile races designed to encourage all young runners up through age 14. For club members who are up to the challenge, there is a Long Distance Series (LDS) of races of 10 miles and over. The LDS is not a competition but rather a recognition of runners who participate in these longer events.

Split Times, the club's RRCA award-winning newsletter, is published periodically. The newsletter contains a schedule of area races, club meetings and functions. It also features entry forms, race results, updates on the King and Queen series, and articles written by club members.

In 1984, SFTC played an integral role as Johnson City TN was named the "Top Running City in America".