Crews, Nunn and Kelly Overall Winners in North Carolina USATF – Endurance Magazine 2010 Long Distance Running Championship Series
By Jeff Merron
John Crews edged Bobby Mack for NC-USATF – Endurance Magazine Men’s Long Distance Runner of the Year honors in the to cap the inaugural North Carolina USATF – Endurance Magazine 2010 Long Distance Running Championship Series, while Molly Nunn and Amy Kelly shared the women’s honor.
John Hinton and Bill Shires shared the honor of being named NC-USATF – Endurance Magazine Master’s Men’s Long Distance Runner of the Year, while Jennifer Curtin, a long-distance specialist, squeezed by Kim Certain by just one point to take the master’s women’s crown.
The series consists of eight races, ranging in length from a mile to a marathon, taking place throughout the year in North Carolina. From shortest to longest, the events in the 2010 series were The Magnificent Mile in Raleigh, the Beat the Heat 5K in Winston-Salem, the Running of the Bulls 8K in Durham, the Capital City Classic 10K in Raleigh, the Continental Divide 10K in Laurel Springs, the Wachovia Tar Heel 10 Miler in Chapel Hill, the Flying Pirate Half Marathon in Nags Head, and the OBX Marathon in Kitty Hawk.
Despite Bobby Mack’s perfect record – he won all four of the races he entered – long-distance specialist John Crews earned the championship by scoring 14 points to Mack’s 12. Crews won the Tar Heel 10-Miler, the Flying Pirate Half Marathon, and the OBX Marathon, with Mack taking the Magnificent Mile, the Beat the Heat 5K, and the Continental Divide and Capital City Classic 10K races. Devin Swann, who finished third in the overall men’s scoring, was the only other race winner in the series, placing first in the Running of the Bulls 8K in Durham.
On the women’s side, Amy Kelly, the winner of the Tar Heel 10-miler and the Flying Pirate Half Marathon, ended in a tie with Molly Nunn, who won the Continental Divide 10K. Just one point back was Ellie Pishny, the winner of the Capital City Classic 10K.
The masters titles were closely contested as well, with short-distance specialist John Hinton and longer-distance specialist Bill Shires each finishing with 11 points, with each having won the master’s championship in three series’ races while adding a second-place finish in another. Hinton’s wins came in the Magnificent Mile, the Beat the Heat 5K, and the Capital City Classic 10K, while Shires won the Tar Heel 10 Miler, the Flying Pirate Half Marathon, and the OBX Marathon.
Despite placing first in the women’s master’s division in three series races, Kim Certain came up a point shy of Jennifer Curtin for the overall series. Curtin was the master’s winner in the Tar Heel 10 Miler and the Flying Pig Half Marathon, while Certain won the shorter Magnificent Mile, Running of the Bulls 8K, and Capital City Classic 10K races.
The ties and close finishes for the overall championship are an indication of the series’ strength, says NC-USATF LDR Chair Andrew Allden, who helps organize the competition. “The races are varied and interesting because they cover almost every standard road distance from the mile to the marathon, and some of the courses are flat while others are hilly and more challenging. Add to that rural trail race and a mile run downtown in our state’s capital. That’s why the races, both on their own and as a group, attract not only our best runners, but also thousands of participants from North Carolina and neighboring states.”
The 2011 series will include the same eight races, offer more than $12,000 total in prize money. It kicks off with the Wachovia Tar Heel 10 Miler on April 9 and the Flying Pig Half Marathon on April 10, and concludes with the OBX Marathon, which starts in Kitty Hawk and finishes in Manteo, on Nov. 13.
