Knoxville Asian Festival Year of Pig 5K & 1 Mile

The race starts and ends in Tyson Park.  To view course click here

The race is part of the Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month takes place in the United States every May. It celebrates the culture, traditions, and history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders throughout United States.

The mission of the Asian Culture Center of TN is to invest in the Greater Knoxville Community and East Tennessee and promote cultural diversity by bringing families together to experience the richness and beauty of a diverse culture. Thus, this 5K race strives to bring together people from various cultural backgrounds to promote peace, harmony, unity and a healthy lifestyle. 

The Asian Culture Center of TN has many programs including its most well-known: The Knox Asian Festival.  This year, the 6th Annual Knox Asian Festival will take place on Aug 25, 2019, at World's Fair Park.  This year we will be assisting in teaching language and culture at public schools, providing lessons on how to cook Asian food, and helping local businesses grow by connecting them with more diverse cultures.  Also, we partner with other non-profit organizations to help immigrants in their path to citizenship and much more! 

The proceeds from this race will go toward creating an educationally themed festival where we will be providing educational services to public schools in Knoxville and surrounding areas. We want to thank you so much for your support in our drive towards diversity awareness and bringing programs that benefit local education.

Costume Contest! We encourage you to proudly show off your culture by wearing a costume to run. We will be giving a best costume award.

5k Race Awards: Top 3 Male Overall (Ceremonial Samurai Swords), Top 3 Female Overall (Japanese Summer Kimono), First Male and Female Masters, Grandmasters, and Senior Grandmasters.  Awards three deep to Male / Female finishers in the following Age Groups:  10 and under, 11-14, 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, and 80+. 

Note:  Overall and Masters Division Winners not eligible for age group awards.  Virtual runners are excluded from awards.

Custom participation medals with be distributed at the finish line to all 5k finishers.

Post-Race Festivities:  Japanese Rice balls, Miso soup, and fruit (bananas and oranges).  We will also host a Japanese Mochi pounding event. 

Virtual 5k: We understand everyone has a busy schedule and may not make it on race day and for that we offer a virtual 5k option.  This means you can run/walk a 5k anywhere, anytime between April 27 and May 11.  You will need to send a screenshot or a picture of your run/walk log to [email protected].  Be sure to include your name which you registered with as well as your shipping address. Once completed, we will mail the finishers medal to you. Please note that it may take up to 14 business days to receive your medal. And don’t forget to share your log and your picture with us on Facebook and invite your friends!