Cross Country, Track & Field Facilities
M Training Loop
Home to one of the most successful programs in the nation, the M Training Loop serves as one of the facilities for Milligan cross country and track & field. With the entrance near the parking lot behind Hopwood Memorial Christian Church, the 600-meter loop of all grass follows the banks of Buffalo Creek. Stone columns mark the loop every 100 meters. The loop features dedicated landscaping and signage highlighting the famous quote by Tanzanian marathoner Juma Ikangaa:
"The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare."
Milligan hosted its inaugural "Dual at Buffalo Creek" on the M Training Loop on a historic day in the 2019 season, as both cross country teams raced on campus for the first time in the program's 20-year history. Track & field national champion Nathan Baker led the men while soon-to-be track & field national runner-up Gabrielle Mardis led the women with a Milligan two-mile record. The event featured a large crowd of Milligan students, faculty, and staff who witnessed the historic race.
One of two throws pits on Milligan's campus sits near the back end of the M loop and is used for shorter throws such as shot put. Another throws pit, located behind Steve Lacy Fieldhouse, is used for longer throws such as discus and javelin.
Other locations for Milligan cross-country/track & field training include the scenic Tweetsie Trail and Kermit Tipton Stadium. The Tweetsie Trail follows the former ET&WNC railroad line from Johnson City to Elizabethton, providing runners and bikers a soft-surface trail which cuts through the wooded foothills of east Tennessee. Kermit Tipton Stadium and Sydney Smallwood Track & Field Complex is situated on the campus of Science Hill High School and has also served as the home for the Appalachian Athletic Conference Championships for a number of years.
Off-Campus Facilities
Kermit Tipton Stadium and Sydney Smallwood Track & Field Complex
Primarily serving as one of the practice facilities for Milligan's track & field programs, Kermit Tipton Stadium and Sydney Smallwood Track & Field Complex also previously served as the venue for the Appalachian Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which Milligan hosted from 2005 to 2015. The stadium includes a regulation track along with jumps and throws areas.
Tweetsie Trail
The Tweetsie Trail, a rails-to-trails project that saw the construction of section 1 between Johnson City and Sycamore Shoals completed in summer 2014, serves as another training location for the Milligan cross-country and track & field programs. Pictured above is the Milligan Depot, a resting point for walkers, hikers and riders. The Tweetsie Trail currently stretches 9.5 miles through Johnson City and Elizabethton and is used regularly by Milligan's distance runners as a soft-surface alternative to running on roads.