At 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 18th, between 650-800 runners are expected to take to the streets and greenways of Oak Ridge for the Secret City Half Marathon and Relay. With less than a month to the race, more than 400 runners from 15 states have already registered.

The Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau, in cooperation with the City of Oak Ridge, is organizing the event. The course for the event will start and end at the National Fitness Center on Briarcliff Avenue.

Residents should be alerted to the following traffic advisories:

· Emory Valley Road going west from the Marina to Briarcliff will be closed to traffic on Sunday morning from approximately 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

· Briarcliff (between Emory Valley and Laboratory Road) will be closed from 7:30 a.m. - 8:15 a.m. that morning.

· One lane of Oak Ridge Turnpike traveling east will be closed for the event.

· Delays could be encountered on Melton Lake Drive due to runners crossing the street to run on the greenway.

In conjunction with the event, The Secret City Half Marathon 4 Kids will be held. This 13.1 mile fun run is for children ages first through sixth grade. The free event encourages children to exercise by establishing a fun and exciting goal for them to strive toward. Participants will have run or walked a total of 12 miles leading up to race morning. On race day, children will run the last 1.1 miles. All participants get an official race number, race shirt, and goody bag. Medals will be given to those children who are pre-registered and cross the finish line. The children’s log can be downloaded at secretcityhalfmarathon.com/register/half-marathon-4-kids.

For more information, visit secretcityhalfmarathon.com/ or the city’s website www.oakridgetn.gov or contact Josh Collins at (865) 425-3540.

News media contact: Candice Brown (865) 425-3546 or cbrown@oakridgetn.gov.