Johnsonville Charge

Group of people in forest

Portrait of team members

Portrait of group of people

A group of people are talking

JOHNSONVILLE CHARGE

Directions

From I-40 at Tennessee River take Hwy 13 to Waverly. Turn left on Hwy 70 to turn right on Old Johnsonville Road to Pebble Isle Marina. Turn left on Nell Beard Road, then immediately right into the park.

GPS 36.06094 -87.96447

Course

Start and finish at the one-table shelter at New Johnsonville Historic Area, Waverly. After starting on the main access road, the course goes to a turnaround before the railroad crossing by Hwy 70. Same way back. Flat, fast, and deemed to be the easiest of all courses on the Running Tour, despite the unpaved, gravel road.It was finally paved in 2023.

Course History

The race was originally started and designed by Paul Haase in 1992 and called Nathan Bedford Forrest Charge. The name was changed in 1995 in order to not be confused with Nathan Bedford State Park across the river. The race was organized by Waverly Rotary Club. The race is famous for its lack of a real shelter and fabulous post-race beef stew. Used to be known for having the oldest race workers on tour, with an average age of approx. 70+. After Paul’s 2005 fatal bicycle crash while warming up for the National Senior Olympic Triathlon Championship in Pittsburgh, the race was managed by Clarksville Running Club. In 2008 the race was managed by Mike Bell and Jackson Road Runners. The race was taken over in 2009 by Tennessee Valley Road Runners, Waverley, and moved to February 2010. The flood of May 2010 washed out the road, but it was restored in time for the 2011 event. In 2012, Amy Wimmer’s (Cox) course record (31 26) from 1996 was broken. In 2013 Kirsten bettered her own record by another 13 seconds. In 2014 Angela Redden became the new race director. Her husband, Bill, is the director for 2019. The route was changed slightly in 2017 when a new park entrance was built on Nell Beard Rd. The new course was certified in 2021, with the start, finish, and turnaround moved back closer to the parking areas.