Hot Donuts Now!

Registration is now open for the 2010 Krispy Kreme Challenge, which is easily one of the must-do running events in the Triangle. The 2010 race will be Febuary 6 at 8:30 a.m. Last year they broke through the 5,000 entrants mark -- at one point, when they were out of regular printed race bibs, they took old race bibs, turned them over and wrote new names and numbers on them. With plans to have 6,000 runners in 2010, the smart runner and donut-eater will register early. Like now!

I had a ball at the 2009 KKC and have run the ones in 2008 and 2007 as well.

2010 KKC registration.

RIP, Marathon Hat

Another farewell this week to my marathon hat, which didn't survive last weekend's trip to the Run to Victory half-marathon in Randleman.

When I ran my first marathon (Marine Corps in 2006), I realized that being out in the sun for five-plus hours on a sunny day would likely sunburn my fair skin, so I looked for a hat that could get sweaty and dirty without much loss and still have a brim big enough to shade most of my face. This old Lite All-Star Racing hat was the perfect solution, and it's been along for most sunny-day marathons I've done since then, in addition to a couple of rainy ones.

I've got plenty of old, destroyable hats that can vie to be the new Marathon Hat, so time to start looking for a successor. Godspeed, old friend.

RIP, Coach Bubba

Unfortunately, the Coach Bubba 4-miler and 20k run put on annually by Carolina Godiva running club in Durham will not return in 2010 because of problems getting the 20k course approved through the municipal process. Hopefully this great event will return in 2011. I really enjoyed running it in 2008.

That's a big setback for the local running scene and hopefully isn't a leading indicator for a more aggressive approach being taken by municipalities towards running events. And it's a shame that charitable beneficiaries like the Triangle Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers, both of which were helped out by the Coach Bubba race, won't see any benefits from the event. And with the great reputation of both Carolina Godiva and Coach Bubba, the race was probably pulling in some out-of-town runners that benefited the local economy more than it was impacted by a few street closures and slow intersections during the event.

Hopefully municipalities and running event organizers can find a middle ground where these events can go on, whether it takes some more creativity with race course design or proactive leadership from the city. Many local leaders talk about fighting the loss of activity and decrease in overall health because of obesity, but it doesn't help to shut down outdoor exercise opportunities. Come back soon, Coach Bubba!

Return of RITNY

A few years ago I got started running in the annual Run In The New Year (RITNY) 5k at Lake Crabtree. The race was an event organized by the Cary YMCA and was usually run the second Saturday in January. I really enjoyed the parts of the race that ran through the Lake Crabtree trails, plus the t-shirts were very nice. (I have one saved for my next t-shirt quilt.) Unfortunately, low turnout and trouble getting enough volunteers brought about the end of the 5k, and it hasn't been run the last two or three years, but from 2004 to 2006 I was a regular participant. I know Steve ran it with me at least once, and maybe Kip did as well.

However, I didn't know that it was the second incarnation of the RITNY 5k. The race originally -- 2001 through 2003 for sure -- had been a midnight-on-January-1 race, so that at the stroke of the New Year, you could start running. Great idea for a race, and one that I was used to from New Year's Eve / New Year's Day races growing up. In fact, it was around for ten or eleven years as a stroke-of-midnight race. Then in 2004 it moved to the first Saturday of January, and in 2005 it moved again to the race date that I was familiar with.

And now, after a hiatus of a few years, the RITNY 5k is back as a midnight-on-January-1 race, this time using the new Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary as a focal point and using two laps around Cary Towne Center for the majority of its distance. The Miracle League, which gives kids with special needs the opportunity to play baseball, will be the primary beneficiary of the race, and the runners will go by the Triangle Miracle League field during the run. It's good to have one of these races return from the "RIP" stack, and the Cary mall should be a good venue since it will be well-lit at midnight and familiar to the runners. In fact, if you really want to get your 2010 off to a good running start, you could do the RITNY 5k at midnight, get a few hours of sleep, and then hit the NCRC's Resolution Run 5k later in the morning! That's a pretty good 10k worth of running for the first day of the year!

10 10-milers in 2010

OK, so my friend Chad, who's pretty good at coming up with unusual goals, mentioned this new idea he had for next year: running 10 10-mile races in 2010. "10 10s in '10," you might say. This was after we did the Raven Rock Rumble 10-mile trail run, and he pointed out that we already have access to some pretty good local 10-mile races that we've already done, like the Tarheel 10-miler, the American Tobacco Trail 10-miler, and the Rumble. So it's definitely something that's do-able, although we might have to get on the road and travel some to find a full slate of really good 10-milers. In fact, Runner's World did a story on six big 10-milers they recommended. Going through some of my race databases and calendars, this should be a good set of 2010 10-mile races to choose from (some 2010 race dates guessed):

01/09 - Little River Trail Run 10-miler (Hillsborough)
03/28 - Presidio 10-miler (San Francisco)
04/10 - Tarheel 10-miler (Chapel Hill)
04/11 - Cherry Blossom 10-mile run (DC)
04/24 - Mainstay Mountain Medley 10-miler (Henderson County, NC)
05/02 - Blue Cross Broad Street Run (Philly)
05/29 - Soldier Field 10 (Chicago)
05/29 - Sunset Stampede (Asheville)
06/10 - Army Birthday 10-mile run (Fort Bragg)
06/13 - Garden of the Gods 10-miler (Colorado)
06/19 - RC Cola / Moon Pie Festival 10-miler (Bell Buckle, TN)
06/19 - Baltimore 10-mile Run (Baltimore, MD)
08/28 - Crim 10-mile Festival Race (Flint, Michigan)
08/29 - Annapolis Ten-Mile Run (Annapolis, MD)
10/03 - Twin Cities 10-miler (Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN)
10/16 - Medoc Trail 10-miler (Hollister, NC)
10/23 - American Tobacco Trail 10-miler (Apex, NC)
10/24 - Army Ten-Miler (DC)
11/13 - Spencer Mountain 10-miler (Gastonia, NC)
11/20 - Raven Rock Rumble 10-mile trail race (outside Lillington, NC)
12/05 - Reindeer Dash for Cash 10-miler (Greenville, NC)

And there are even more all over the country. Oh, this is definitely do-able.

Fundraising running weekend

This past weekend included two of the bigger running-related fundraising events in the area, two that I enjoy very, very much.

Triangle Run/Walk for Autism 5k

The Triangle Run/Walk for Autism 5k has been around for eleven years, usually under the name Autism Ribbon Run 5k. I missed the first few years of the event but ever since I got involved about five years ago, it's become one of my favorites because of the downtown location, excellent crowds, and post-run party atmosphere. A few of my friends' families have been touched by autism, so it's also nice to know that we're helping to raise funds for an eventual cure.

This year I had the added bonus of being part of a team from church that was raising funds and running together. We ran in honor of Willie, a friend from church that struggles with some challenges but likes everyone and is liked by everyone. The running twins, Caitlin and Daphne, organized the team and did a great job getting folks to sign up. By race morning, there were 15 runners on the team -- plus Willie and our friend Ronnie, who would watch the race from his wheelchair -- and $1,025 had been raised. In addition, they made "Team Willie" placards for all of us to wear.

Saturday morning started out surprisingly warm and humid, so my two-mile warmup from Cameron Village to Moore Square downtown may not have been a good idea, although I ran into the Akerses out doing their Saturday morning run. I was already sweaty (and gnat-bait) by the time I got downtown, but I had plenty of time to check in and hang out with Bobby, Ronnie and Jeremy, plus I saw lots of folks from the NCRC arriving to run in the 5k. The rest of "Team Willie" trickled in over the rest of the morning, and we were all race-ready and excited by the time the 5k kicked off.

I probably used up some of my energy running from Cameron Village to Moore Square, but I felt good starting out although I was quickly passed by Caitlin, Wimberly, Todd and Erin before even getting past the governor's mansion. I was already zonked by the time we reached the hill at the halfway point, where Daphne and Annette powered by me. (Also Sheila, wearing butterfly wings as part of her team.) Fortunately, the last mile was a nice, relaxed jog down Person Street, and Stephanie and I encouraged each other on to the finish line, where all the folks who had finished ahead of us (Bobby, Danielle, etc.) cheered us in. Caitlin went back to accompany Willie in and the rest of us cheered for Laura as she arrived. Finally, the whole team, plus a couple of hangers-on, welcomed Willie to the finish line with lots of cheers and yelling, and I believe he enjoyed his first 5k and his first team event very, very much.

More than 2,600 folks took part across the morning's three events -- the 5k, the one-mile fun run and the kids' dash. Some of the Carolina Hurricanes and their mascot and cheerleaders took part, too. And there were 166 teams of all sizes from all over the area! At last report, gross proceeds from the event had passed $230,000, so we knew we were really helping raise good funds for the research. And my friends Kimberlie and Laura won their age groups.

As usual, they had a great post-race setup with lots of food and drink and entertainment for the runners. I got to check in with some of the NCRC folks that had placed overall or in age groups and later saw the lovely handmade plates that the winners received. Then it was time for another two-mile "cooldown" run back to Cameron Village, where we got a great brunch at Flyin' Biscuit and got to relive all the notes from that morning's run. Running as part of a team was a lot of fun, and I hope we'll get to do that again very soon.

Garmin data from the morning. The three miles in the middle are the race miles.

Walk for Hope 10k

The Walk for Hope got started 21 years ago as an effort to raise funds for the research and treatment of mental illness, and it quickly became one of the biggest walk events in Raleigh. However, they've always welcomed runners who wanted to run the 10k course, so for many years there have been a hundred or so runners that lined up in front of all the walkers each year and had the course somewhat to ourselves before the mass of walking humanity arrived behind us. I started taking part in 1996 and 2009 would be my fourteenth consecutive Walk.

I can track the point where I changed from a 5k/10k runner to an endurance runner to the 2005 Walk for Hope. It was my best 10k run in a long time, thanks to my dad's suggestion to back off my running pace some so that I wouldn't burn myself out too quickly. That strategy worked like a charm, I felt great at the end of the 10k, and I thought to myself, "wow, I feel good enough to run that loop again." Wheels began turning in my mind, and two weeks later I ran my first half-marathon, the Inside Out Sports Classic, which was then an October race.

This year, however, was the first time I really did run the Walk for Hope twice. With all the interest from runners that signed up for the walk and then jogged the 10k loop from the Angus Barn through Umstead State Park, they certified the course and had the first official Run for Hope 10k race. It was very cool at race time and I couldn't wait to get started so that I could warm up. (Fortunately, the rain I drove through on the way to the Walk didn't stick around.)

Turns out that more than 200 runners showed up for the inaugural Run for Hope 10k, and it was a pretty excited group of people when we moved out to highway 70 and lined up for the start. The first hill as we head towards Umstead is always a tough hill to climb, but we got through it OK and then we had a long downhill almost all the way to the visitors' center inside the park. The trees inside the park sheltered us from a good bit of the wind, and I enjoyed the trail section down and around Big Lake. The hills got us a bit on the way back, and the cool wind picked up again once we got back out on the highway. But the hill that is tough on the way up is a breeze on the way down, and I actually picked up the pace as we got closer to the finish line arch. I had a bit of a battle at the end with a tall guy who fought hard but eventually couldn't keep up with me as we covered the last quarter-mile. I was very pleased with the 67:43 finish time on my Garmin.

Almost an hour's rest, an apple and a Gu pack later, I was back out there again for the regular Walk for Hope with almost 3,000 others -- the folks with the Angus Barn said the 2009 registration was bigger than any other year, and later announced that more than $400,000 was raised. The sun had come out by the time the main walk started, so we had a little bit warmer temperatures for my second lap. Since most of the runners had gone out earlier with the official race, there were much fewer runners to keep each other company than when we were part of the main walk in previous years. But the volunteers were still helpful and encouraging, and on the return trip from the visitors' center it was great to have other walkers around.

Needless to say, the second lap around the course was much more recreational, although I still had some good times on the easier miles. The main walk uses some more of the Angus Barn property than the certified 10k course, so I ended up covering more distance on the second loop. It was still great to have all the volunteers and cheerleaders welcoming us back to the Barn, and then we headed out back to their new Pavilion setup for an excellent post-walk buffet of burgers, hot dogs, BBQ and some excellent chocolate-chip cookies. The band was great as usual, and I'm deeply appreciative of the physical therapy company that was doing complimentary calf and foot massages.

It's not hard to see why the Walk for Hope is one of the best events in Raleigh, and with the addition of the Run for Hope 10k, it should continue to get better and better. With some more food and entertainment options ready when the runners finish, this event should get more and more support from the running community.

Sunday's Garmin data. The first loop was the race.

2010 Cooper River Bridge Run logo

The logo for next year's Cooper River Bridge Run in Charleston was unveiled last night. The artist used a collage of photographs from around Charleston that spell out the name of the race. Very appealing!

Running pickup lines

These were the most popular running pickup lines, as chosen by a contest at the Nog Run Club.

10. "Why don't you come in and let me show you my race bib collection?"
9. "I always keep a cooler of Gatorade Endurance Formula right by the bed."
8. "My Polar S-410 shows that you already have me within 90% of my MHR."
7. "I have an idea what we can do with these extra Gu packets."
6. "I'm supposed to vary my aerobic activities during my taper."
5. "Want to help me remove my Nip-Guards?"
4. "I can see by your Garmin Forerunner 201 that you already know the route to my heart."
3. "I'm already covered in Body Glide!"
2. "That Nike Dri-Fit tech running outfit with the Most-Flex collar and Tru-Give, expandable side breathe-through gusset panels would look great tossed on my bedroom floor tomorrow morning."
(tie)
1. "Hi, I work at Fleet Feet Raleigh!"
1. "Hi, I'm the North Carolina Roadrunners Club president!"

*Thirty* years of racing

It's 1979. "Rocky II" is showing at the movie theater. Gas is 86 cents a gallon. "Happy Days" is on ABC and "I Will Survive" is on the jukebox. And I ran my first road race.

Yep, it's been thirty years since the 1979 Rock City Road Race 10k, my very first road race. I know that it was held in February, but I didn't write down the exact date, so I'll have to take the whole month as the anniversary. I remember it being pretty chilly and even having some precipitation on race morning, but my father, who was active in the Chattanooga Track Club and the race director for the Rock City Road Race, encouraged me to have fun and not to push myself to the point of getting hurt. I had been "training" through cross-county and track practices, so I knew I could do the distance, but running in a mass of people in a real, official timed race (with t-shirts!) was a new experience for me.

The Chattanooga Track Club's extensive records, which they have online, show that 335 runners finished the 10k (only 43 women) with another 115 finishing the 1.5-mile fun run. The field was heavily skewed towards the younger runners; my time of 49:51 -- which I'd gladly take these days, BTW -- was only good enough for 37th in the "19 and under" division. I do see a lot of other names from my high school's running teams in the finishers, so more than likely most of my team showed up to run along with the best from our rival high schools.

The Rock City Road Race t-shirts were also very prized because of all the color they used, usually in a depiction of a hot-air balloon, which was Rock City's usual advertising element at the time. I ran in this road race the following year as well, improving my time to 46:03, but I don't recall why they were my only two years in it, since Dad was race director at least a few more years.

Hard to believe it's been thirty years since I first pinned on a bib and took out onto the road. I hope that thirty years from now I'm still doing it.

Seventeen years of the Franklin 5k

I started running the Zeta Tau Alpha Franklin 5k in March, 1993 when I was a graduate student at Carolina. Back then, the race started near the bell tower and football stadium, worked its way down South Street, around the Ginghoul loop, on through campus and finally all the way down Franklin Street to finish at the Granville Towers apartment complex. I remember it having a very nice post-race party with lots of good food and music, and it was a nice t-shirt, so I decided to make sure and come back the next year.

That was seventeen years ago, and I've been back for the Franklin every year. Out of their twenty annual races, I only missed the first three. The course was reversed a few years ago to start at Granville and finish at the bell tower, and the last two years the course doesn't even hit Franklin Street, and we usually get colder weather now that the race is in February instead of March. Jason has run this race with me, Steve has run this race with me, Kip and Jessica have run this race with me, and I've run it alone. But the fun has stayed, and the women at Zeta Tau Alpha have always put on a good race.

For the last several years I've worn my 1995 Franklin shirt when running this race, but it's nearing the end of its life and I have to save it for this 5k. The '93 and '94 shirts got away from me, and the '96 and '97 shirts were worn to death, but I bet I still have all the others. Many times they're a bit nicer than your average race shirt, and that counts for something. Big kudos have to go to ZTA for being able to pull this breast cancer fundraiser together on what must be a shoestring budget and tons of volunteer hours.

I hope I'll be able to keep my Franklin streak going for many more years. It's always fun to be back on campus, even if my race shirt is older than some of the freshmen that are out running.

Krispy Kreme Challenge 2009 -- Glaze Your Own Trail!

Today's Krispy Kreme Challenge was one of the best running-related events in a while around here. Their exponential growth continued again, with 5,200+ folks signing up and $35,000+ raised for the UNC Children's Hospital this year. The weather forecast for a sunny, warm day in early February certainly contributed to the turnout and to the fun spirit in the air. Once again, they had both the "Challenger" category (run 2 miles, eat a dozen donuts and run 2 miles back in less than an hour) and my "Casual Runner" category (run 2 miles, receive a dozen and run back; eating the donuts is optional).

The KKC organizers had to join up with Setup Events in order to manage an event this big, including timing chips and computerized results, but they managed to keep the fun, seat-of-your-pants spirit behind the race. When they ran out of the original, printed race bibs, they started making them by hand. It's great that an event this big can keep its ability to not take itself too seriously.

Costumes were back in force this year. I saw vikings, including six folks running together inside a big cardboard boat; Superman, Wonder Women, Flash and Wolverine; gals running in prom dresses and tiaras; guys running in prom dresses and tiaras; hobos; Homer Simpson; banana suits; folks with inner tubes decorated like donuts; guys running in business suits and ties; Santa Claus (Santa's girlfriend was hot); Richard Simmons; Red Running Hood; an Army guy running in full camo and a 60-pound backpack; an ROTC unit jogging and singing cadence; guys dressed as big coffee cups; three guys running in Speedos; Thing 1 and Thing 2; runners in long red flannel underwear; and one guy with his leg in a cast being pushed in a grocery cart. A guy carried a donut strung to a long pole as inspiration to keep going (there was a bite out of the donut on the way back). One group of runners had their chests painted to spell out "DO IT FOR THE KIDS" and another group, inspired by the presence of ESPN video teams, spelled out "SPORTSCENTER" and wore equipment from different NC State sports teams. (I also got a kick out of the woman asking "what time is it?" at the base of the NCSU bell tower, the biggest clock in Raleigh.)

Although a lot of my running friends were taking the morning off, I was lucky enough to see Chris, Amber, Rachel, Anne, Gary and Mark (I beat Mark on gun time but he beat me on chip time); another Chris was also there but I couldn't find him. Amber made a great picture of Chris and me pre-race that ended up on a radio station's blog about the race. I was wishing I had brought my own camera; the view looking down Hillsborough Street at 5,200+ runners was very cool.

Setup Events did a great job managing the Challenge; there was a tiny bottleneck at Krispy Kreme when we all got funneled across a timing mat, but otherwise no problems. It did eliminate some pushing at the start since the timing chips allowed for measuring individuals against the hour time limit. A great group of volunteers made the race possible, and it wasn't until I saw pictures afterward that I considered the clean-up job at Krispy Kreme after all the donuts and runners were gone. The entertainment at the turnaround, watching all the different people working on their own strategies for putting away a dozen original glazed, was great as usual. I did see one SportsCenter camera crew videotaping the eaters, but as of yet haven't seen any of it on ESPN.

It was a fun run, more for entertainment than speed. I certainly wasn't in shape to run for a course record, so I jogged along as best I could and took in all the sights and sounds and smells that I could. Carrying a box of a dozen donuts is quite a test since you can't swing your arms like you're used to! But it was a lot of fun and definitely shows quirky, fun races can still find a very willing field out there. And I did manage to beat the guy in the grocery cart. :-)

Here's a time-lapse video of Saturday morning around the bell tower. Very cool how all the people roll in, suddenly mass in the street and then take off! And another inspirational video with a lot of the costumes. The NC State student newspaper has a great slideshow of pictures and a great hi-def video (you can catch a glimpse of Gary in his NCRC shirt around the 2:43 mark).

2009 - A Look Ahead

Well, now that the Resolution Run 5k, the first race of the New Year, is in the books, I can look ahead a little bit to what 2009 holds in store. Hopefully it will be another good running year, and I can meet some goals.

First, of course, I want to stay healthy -- no new injuries -- and get healthier. That's the most important thing. I would like to finally make the 1,000-mile club this year after having come close in the past, even if I do it with many more short runs than marathons. That would be a good measure of consistency. I would like to be a more regular participant in the Second Empire Grand Prix series; I'm not going to win anything by speed, but I should be able to take part frequently enough to get "frequent participant" points. Same deal with the winter series with Carolina Godiva and the military series near Fort Bragg.

Another goal is to do well as the 2009 president of the North Carolina Roadrunners Club. It's a big responsibility, and with 2009 being the 30th anniversary of the club, there is a lot of opportunity for the club to get some good publicity and build on the good foundation that Mike and Aaron provided. And I'll be race director this year for the American Tobacco Trail 10-Miler, and it's important that the ATT-10 be a great race again this year. Hopefully I'll continue to make new running friends and get a chance to bring more runners into the NCRC.

Hopefully in 2009 Chad and I can get ten or more new counties into our 100-County Countdown as well. It's always fun seeing a new part of the state and running in some new quirky races.

So 2009 has a lot of potential and hopefully I can make something of it. Like an empty country road at sunrise, it's all out there in front of me and all I got to do is keep going.