Ever the outdoorsy couple, Lindsay and Nathan Runne moved to South Knoxville seven years ago to be as close to the Urban Wilderness as possible. Little did they know, however, that volunteering at an Appalachian Mountain Bike Club trail day would lead to a new route in life.
When the climbing gym that at that point was only rumored to be slated for Baker Creek Bottoms came up in conversation, Lindsay was asked if she would want to manage it. The Runnes had been climbers for nearly 20 years, having met in Argentina, traveled all around the great outdoors, landing first in California and now Knoxville. Lindsay didn’t hesitate in answering, “Of course!”
A month passed with no word, so Lindsay followed up. A combination of events had changed the plans of the business originally set to open in the space. This time, she was asked, “Do you want to own a climbing gym?”
A yoga teacher and stay-at-home mom whose children were now in school, the opportunity was a lightning strike of inspiration. It would be her first business – and a big one, once you’ve seen the location. But she wouldn’t let imposter syndrome get in her way. She answered, “Yes, I do, actually.”
Three years later, those conversations have become three floors of bouldering walls, cross-training areas, a yoga room and a community gathering spot in South Knoxville. Climbing Roots opens Oct. 24, and it’s designed to be more than a gym; it’s a third space for climbers, yes, but also for families and anyone looking for a place to belong.
Bouldering is rock climbing stripped to its essentials: no ropes or anchors, lower-height topouts, just you and the wall solving “problems” created by route setters or, when outside, nature herself. “Our goal with this is not only to facilitate people climbing here, but also to teach crag etiquette and train to be able to have confidence climbing outside,” Lindsay explains.
At Climbing Roots, the main floor features two topout areas, including an “island” boulder in the middle and a wall where climbers can summit and cross over to the upstairs training room. There’s a spray wall for creating custom routes, a kids’ parkour and gymnastics area downstairs with foam wedges and boxes and equipment for full-body workouts.
The lobby is intentionally designed with couches and benches to feel like a coffee bar, this one featuring an honor system taking QR-code payments, and there are plans for SoKno Sourdough to supply bagels and breakfast burritos for early morning climbers. Programs manager Claudia Penaya is lining up yoga, fitness and dance classes, as well as art classes for kids, in the party rooms downstairs. “It is a gym, but it’s also a community,” she says.
Steeple People, the building owners, believed in the vision enough to back the first-time entrepreneurs when traditional paths proved improbable. For three years, the challenging work has been constant: conferences, market research, hunting for used furniture on Facebook Marketplace and telling every person they meet about the gym. Though the original dream was for it to be a 24-hour gym, insurance required a compromise, so the business is starting with extended hours (Tuesday and Thursday 5:30-10 p.m., other weekdays 9 a.m.-10 p.m., weekends 9 a.m.-7 p.m.) with plans to expand as demand grows.
“We’re parents, and we know how it is,” Lindsay says of the opportunities Climbing Roots will provide. “When it’s raining and you want to do something with your kids … we want it to be a space that you can hang out in.”
Check out the two-day grand opening celebration on Friday, Oct. 24, and Saturday, Oct. 25, which will include a black-light climbing party; climbing classes for both kids and adults; local food and vendors; live music; and much more! Check out the Climbing Roots Instagram account (@climbing.roots) for all the details.
