In Tellico Plains, a family's mission to celebrate the life and legacy of their daughter is making strides, with focus on constructing a track at her former high school. Darrah Wiseman, a triumph in the local track community, had her life tragically cut short in a November 2024 car crash on I-75. Despite the lack of a track facility at Tellico Plains High School, she captured six state championship titles. In her memory, the Wiseman family has set out to raise $577,000 to build a track that they hope will inspire future generations of athletes.
Through crowdfunding efforts, the Wiseman family has already managed to gather around $15,000, indicating the community's support for the cause. The family hopes, that the track will serve as a fitting tribute to Darrah's outstanding athletic achievements and her remarkable character, as reported by WBIR. Her dedication to the sport saw her traveling great distances just to train, but her parents believe that this new facility will ensure that no other young athlete in the area will face the same challenges.
"Darrah's parents said she was a great daughter who was self-driven in everything she did," tells WVLT in their coverage of the family's initiative. According to Darrah's mom, Melissa Wiseman, the track will keep her daughter's name and spirit alive, offering the same opportunity to young athletes that Darrah had to work so hard for.
On a practical level, the proposed track would revolutionize the training facilities for the school's athletic program. Tellico Plains track coach, Mitchell Whitt explained the significance of the project to WATE: "Oh my goodness gracious, we would actually have a place to run that would be like a track that we would go to for a meet. I could have a kid run a 400, a true 400, instead of having something marked out on the football field. I could have them have a starting line and a finish line, that would be what they would see in a race."
The fundraising efforts are in partnership with East Coast Adventures, a non-profit organization aiding the Wiseman family in collecting resources for the track's construction. Community members and local athletes have also stepped in to offer assistance, showing strong regional support for the initiative. Chris Wiseman, the late athlete’s father, is hopeful for what the track would embody, telling WATE, “She lived track, she lived running, she lived to make herself better everyday, and I’m hoping with the inspiration that she was living, that she can inspire people to live their dreams, and to make themselves better.”
