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| Josh Hite runs alone in first place at the Baxter Street Fair 5K, September 2011, a race he went on to win. |
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| Cookeville half-marathon runner Jan Lowe enjoys the rural scenery along Blackburn Fork. Photo by Monte Lowe. |
Cookeville
resident Josh Hite didn’t have time to run a marathon.
Even
though running marathons was his hobby, back in 2013 when the annual Cummins
Falls Marathon was inaugurated, he was busy. Busy teaching English at Vol State
Community College, working on a PhD degree at Middle Tennessee State University
and even teaching karate after school at his business, Karate for Kids.
So
he was busier than most people. But at the last minute he did decide to run
that first Cummins Falls Marathon. Good thing too. He ended up being the
overall winner of that race. Since then, Josh has returned to Cummins State
Park each year to run one of the four races offered in that event – marathon,
half-marathon, 10K and 5K.
The
Sixth Annual Cummins Falls Marathon will kick off next Saturday, February 24, at
the State Park, and once again Josh will toe the line.
Prior
to the start, The Tennessee Tech Golden Girls dance team and mascot Awesome
Eagle will be on hand to entertain and brighten the mood. The Golden Girls
finished third and Awesome Eagle earned first in recent national collegiate
competition.
The
Cummins event typically attracts over 300 runners. Some 40 percent of runners
are from Tennessee. Around two dozen states and a few foreign countries are usually
represented.
Winning
the first Cummins marathon was just another entry in Josh’s list of running
accomplishments. He was not known as a shabby runner. The year 2009 is
instructive. He ran 4,000 miles that year. That many miles comes to an average
of nearly 80 miles per week. He ran 22 marathons and won five of them outright,
appearing on the podium (top three) in 14 of them. The previous year he had
already qualified to run in the prestigious Boston Marathon. The following year
he would create Cookeville’s first marathon, the Blister in the Sun
Marathon—and win it.
Josh’s
professional achievements have kept pace with his running milestones. He
expects to finish his PhD degree this year. Recently he was named Director of
English and Humanities at Hagerstown Community College in Hagerstown, Maryland.
When he can, he returns to his Cookeville home, where his wife Martha and two
sons, Andrew and Jude, ages 13 and 8, respectively, still reside.
Saturday
Josh runs the Cummins Falls Marathon. The Marathon and the Half Marathon start
at 8:00 a.m. The 5K and 10K start at 9:00 a.m. On-line registration is available
at ultrasignup.com. In-person registration and packet pickup are at 2-7 p.m. at
TownePlace Suites and also at the State Park on Saturday morning up until 30
minutes before the race starts.
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Runners stream down Sliger Hill two miles from the start line during the 2016 Cummins Falls Marathon. Photo by Bob Melgar. |
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| Athletes who choose the Cummins Falls Half Marathon run across Blackburn Fork State Scenic River on a temporary pontoon bridge made from plywood placed atop kayaks anchored in the stream, a unique feature of that course. |
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| Josh Hite finds balance in Rock Creek during the Chattanooga Mountains Stage Races in 2010, where runners complete a trail marathon each day for three consecutive days. |