Ainsley's Angels to speak at Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon Health & Fitness Expo
March 30, 2023

Retired U.S. Marine and athletics inclusion advocate to
deliver inspiring message

KNOXVILLE -- Retired Maj. Kim “Rooster” Rossiter, founder and president of Ainsley’s Angels of America, a nonprofit that enables adaptive endurance activities, will be the featured speaker for the Clayton Health & Fitness Expo, part of the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon weekend April 1-2.

His appearance is set for 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 1, during the Clayton Health & Fitness Expo at the World’s Fair Exhibition Hall. The expo, which takes place from 9 a.m.-8 p.m., is a community pre-race celebration featuring fitness, sports, wellness and nutrition exhibitors. The event is free and open to both race participants and the public.

Rossiter will share the inspiring story of Ainsley’s Angels, named in honor of his late daughter, and his experience as a now-retired U.S. Marine with more than two decades of enlisted and officer service and combat veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“Ainsley’s Angels is a beloved partner of the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon and other Knoxville Track Club races,” Race Director Jason Altman said. “We’re honored to have Rooster speak at the expo to motivate participants and move spectators ahead of East Tennessee’s largest running event.”

During his deployment in 2005, Rossiter’s wife, Lori, voiced concerns about their daughter Ainsley’s development. Ainsley was diagnosed with Infantile Neuroaxonal Dystrophy (INAD), an extremely rare terminal illness that causes paralysis. In 2008, Ainsley rode with her father in a local road race. Her wind-induced smile inspired the family to continue running to fight the devastation associated with Ainsley’s diagnosis.

Ainsley’s Angels now has groups in 30 states and districts with more than 35,000 participants. The organization aims to ensure everyone can experience endurance events, builds awareness about the special needs community through inclusion in all aspects of life and advocates to provide education across the country.

The Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon weekend takes place at World’s Fair Park and will include the Pilot Post-Race Party. In addition to the full marathon, the event also features a half-marathon, two- and four-person relays, 5K and Covenant Kids Run.

The Clayton Health & Fitness Expo on Saturday, April 1, also is the location for mandatory packet pickup for all race participants. Each participant must bring a photo ID in order to receive bib, timing chip, T-shirt, goody bag and other instructions. There is no Sunday packet pickup.

For more information and to register for the 2023 Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon races, visit knoxvillemarathon.com.

The Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon is a premier event organized by the Knoxville Track Club, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with the mission of encouraging lifelong physical well-being through running and walking.

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