NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — In just a few hours, it'll be marathon madness!
The Rock N' Roll St. Jude marathon is a much-anticipated event in Nashville, drawing people from around the world. This year, the city expects 25,000 runners to hit the streets.
But if you've lived in Nashville, you know the marathon can also bring mayhem in the form of road closures and traffic.
Starting as early as 3 a.m. Saturday, major roads like Broadway, Demonbreun, James Robertson Parkway, and Belmont Boulevard will be closed.
Race director Adam Zocks says with this in mind, if you need to be in Downtown Nashville, Music Row, 12th South or Metro Center this weekend, you need to plan ahead. But that doesn't mean organizers don't have your back.
"As the runners clear, we open roads," he explained. "It's not a situation when it's til the last runner's clear, and we don't open anything. But as we're moving forward, roads are being opened."
Runners aren't the only ones showing up in droves. Zocks says around 500 police and security officials will also be keeping you safe and directing traffic.
"There's access lanes also," Zocks went on. "Even on the course, there's a lane to use to get to the next intersection that can get you across. So we haven't shut down everything where you can't move at all."
At the end of the day, it's all about the community — looking out for the ones enjoying the run and the ones avoiding the madness.
"It's a Nashville institution. 25 years is a long time," Zocks concluded.
The roads should be cleared up by 2 p.m. The race ends near Shelby Park, so the road closures in that area will last the longest.
If you use a bus anywhere near downtown, you'll most likely be impacted by all this, too. WeGo has announced several detours because of the marathon, with many starting as early as 4 a.m. and lasting through noon.
Check out the full list of bus routes impacted and road closures. You can also find more information about the marathon on their website.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at nikki.hauser@newschannel5.com.
My friend and colleague Carrie Sharp had a lot of fun last week, on an adventure to a country more than three thousand miles away! She’s back now – sharing her Adventures in Iceland through stories, and incredible images of this remarkably beautiful and unique island nation (kudos to Chief Photographer Catherine Steward)! But did you know Nashville has something very important in common with Iceland? Tourism! Here, Carrie explains how a volcanic eruption decades ago helped save the country’s economy from collapse!
-Rhori Johnston
