The Chamber of Commerce conducted its second annual McMinnville Mountain Crawl last Saturday, Aug. 6.
Participants enjoyed running through Cumberland Caverns to search for their elusive item, then bike over nine miles to Pepper Branch Park, and finish the race in a kayak trip to Smooth Rapids on the Barren Fork River.
The event nearly doubled in participants in its second year over last year with 40 participants. Over half of the participants were from out of town with two from out of state, including Kentucky and Georgia. The ages ranged from 10-61 years old.
The winners took home Orion and YETI coolers, Bluegrass Underground tickets, lower-level Titans tickets, walking and adventure tours from Cumberland Caverns, along with camping and kayaking packages from Smooth Rapids.
All winners received three months of Carbide Crossfit visits and all participants, volunteers, and staff received one month.
Chamber of Commerce president Mandy Eller had this to say about the event, “We wanted to give them a taste of what is so great about our community, and I believe we accomplished that goal. The general consensus from the participants was they had a great time and seemed to truly enjoy the race. The participant from Kentucky purchased a kayak at Smooth Rapids before heading back home and said he’ll be back next year and bring some friends.
“The timing company from East Tennessee
commented on how the participants and volunteers seemed genuinely engaged and happy to be part of the race. One of those gentlemen plans on bringing his wife back on their anniversary to float the river and explore more of McMinnville. He says he always jumps in line to time the races here because he likes the people and environment so much.”
Eller concluded, “We intend to continue growing the race in the future to introduce more folks from around our region to our beautiful landscapes in a truly unique way. Our first priority is safety with a close second being fun.”

WINNERS

Individuals
Logan Miller
McMinnville
1:15:17

James Hines
McMinnville
1:19:13

Robert Newton
Hixson
1:20:05

Teams
BirdHopCurty
Captain Jennifer Clark
Estill Springs
1:17:30

Public Works
Captain John Austin
McMinnville
1:18:16

Misfits
Captain Steve Garner
Estill Springs
1:28:56