Countdown in Corinth: How a Small Mississippi Town is Preparing for a New Race

Corinth, Mississippi, has long been a destination for runners, and now it is gearing up for a spotlight moment this fall.

The town of just over 14,000 residents nestled against the Tennessee border will host its first half marathon, the Chick-fil-A Corinth Half Marathon, on November 7. This event adds to the city’s calendar of annual running events, along with the Corinth Coca-Cola Classic 10K Run that has been held for 45 years.

Event organizers hope the USA Track & Field-certified race and schedule of weekend community events will help grow Corinth’s footprint as a destination for sports-related travel.

“Running the half-marathon course gives you a good overview of what Corinth is about,” said Christy Burns, executive director of Visit Corinth. “I hope they enjoy their time here. I know they will enjoy it once they get here, so they need to come, run their race and enjoy our downtown.”

Expanded Footprint

Event organizer David Rogers moved his family to Corinth four and a half years ago, when he was selected to become the owner–operator of the Chick-fil-A in town.

As a runner himself, Rogers quickly noticed Corinth’s “runner-friendly community,” which he credited to the popularity of the city’s long-standing Coke 10K.

The Coke 10K has been hosted every spring in Corinth since 1982, with a route running through Corinth neighborhoods before stretching into downtown. On race day, 1,600 runners trot by homes where residents park golf carts, play music, wave signs and offer high-fives and popsicles.

Burns, who was born and raised in Corinth, lives on the Coke 10K route and looks forward to cheering on participants during the upcoming half marathon as well.

“We take all of our chairs (outside),” Burns said. “We have music. We let people use the restroom if they need to. It’s just like, ‘Come on in.’ I think this is going to be the same as it was Coke race weekend. I think you will feel very welcome and you will see people enjoy watching you come by.”

Rogers has even made the Coke path part of his normal routine. Every Saturday morning around 5:15 a.m., he and his friends convene in his neighborhood to run part of that route, and running in town is now a centerpiece of his community involvement.

“We either all meet at one person’s house, or we pick people up along the way,” Rogers said. “It’s like we’re a big group of kids.”

When Rogers was seeking new ideas to give back to Corinth, he saw an opportunity to build upon the Coke 10K tradition. He knew runners in town frequently traveled to nearby cities for races, including Tupelo, Mississippi; Florence, Alabama; and Memphis, Tennessee.

So, he reasoned, why not host a half marathon in Corinth?

Rogers said he began planning in November 2025 with an interest meeting, where he collaborated with Coke 10K planners and community organizers to outline initial plans for the city’s first half marathon.

He then connected with the Home of El Roi, a local Christian life recovery program that serves single mothers and their children. This organization will receive proceeds from the half marathon.

Rogers designed the half marathon route and presented his proposal at a City of Corinth aldermen meeting this spring. With support from city officials, the Corinth Police Department and the Mississippi Department of Transportation, planning for this year’s race got underway.

“Even one of the aldermen who has a house the race is going to run by was like, ‘Oh, I love a good race party,’ so he gave it a big thumbs up immediately,” Rogers said. “It just feels really cool that the whole community is like, ‘Hey, let’s do this. We’re totally behind this.’ And they’re totally behind the fact that it’s supporting Home of El Roi as well. It just feels like the wins keep stacking up.”

As of mid-August, 201 runners from 64 cities have registered for the Chick-fil-A Corinth Half Marathon, with 32% of registrants hailing from outside the city. Corinth will welcome visitors from as far as Lakewood, Colorado (966 miles away), Evington, Virginia (539 miles away), Tallahassee, Florida (401 miles away) and Jonesborough, Tennessee (350 miles away).

Planning a Busy Weekend

Rogers and Burns each noted the new half marathon will be held during one of the busiest weekends in Corinth: the annual Holiday Open House weekend.

Burns estimated 40,000 lights will illuminate downtown Corinth’s restaurants and trees, as local businesses unveil holiday decorations to kick off the shopping season. After Saturday’s race, Corinth’s downtown streets will open to horse-drawn carriage rides. That night, the city’s Crossroads Arena will host country music singer Brantley Gilbert in concert.

“I don’t know how we had all that culminate into one weekend, but that’s just kind of the cherry on top,” Burns said.

Burns said Corinth’s Holiday Open House weekend has been held for over a decade and frequently draws “droves” of visitors from nearby larger cities such as Memphis (97 miles northwest) and Nashville (170 miles northeast). She expects that the half marathon will add to the buzz around the city on a busy weekend, and she hopes that having the route running through downtown Corinth will encourage participants to visit the downtown area after they’ve reached the finish line.

“I think they will be impressed with what they see in Corinth,” Burns said. “I think they will be impressed by the decorations downtown, the lights downtown. I think they will be impressed by our restaurant scene. If I can just get them here, I think they will enjoy the time that they’re here.”

Preparing for More Opportunities

Corinth will welcome two new hotels in the coming months, including an 89-room TownePlace Suites by Marriott, which is set to open in September. Corinth’s new Comfort Inn & Suites is slated for completion by the end of 2026 and will bring the city’s total hotel count to six.

Burns, who has worked with Visit Corinth for 13 years, said she has witnessed the city’s need for more hotel space firsthand. For example, Burns said that when the city would host events in its Crossroads Arena, some attendees would have to travel as far as Memphis for lodging.

“We’ve kind of been locked out of bigger sports events because we didn’t have enough rooms,” Burns said. “We tried a state event one time; it was a gymnastics meet in our arena. Our arena has a large floor, and they loved the location. But we couldn’t service all of those people.”

Burns said the goal is for these new hotel rooms, along with the city’s installation of new pickleball courts at Crossroads Regional Park, to encourage more sports-related travel in the future.

“Now that we have more rooms, it opens us up to go back after more sporting events,” Burns said. “Big races, tournaments at the park — softball, baseball, soccer, all of that. We’re looking at all of that now that we have more rooms.”

Corinth has a large growth opportunity just around the corner, as it debuts a half marathon during an energetic weekend for the small community.

“It all comes down to experience,” Burns said. “Surely to goodness they’ll have a good race. I hope they feel welcome. … It’s just a perfect time to be here.”

Interested runners can register for the Chick-fil-A Corinth Half Marathon online. Through Aug. 23, there were more than 280 spots still open. The half marathon is open to ages 16-99 and costs $90. The price will increase to $100 on September 1, $110 on November 1 and $120 on the day of the race.

Runners can also register for a 5K run for $40. The price for the 5K will increase to $50 on November 7, the day of both races.