By Jeff Merron
The North Carolina USATF-Endurance Magazine Championship Series will soon begin its third year. It ties nine of the top races in North Carolina, spanning the state from the beaches to the mountains and distances from the mile to the marathon, to ultimately crown the NC-USATF-Endurance Magazine Runners of the Year. This year’s series features more than $25,000 in prize money spread over the nine races.
The Runners of the Year, both male and female overall and male and female masters, are determined by totaling points earned in a system that gives the most points to race winners, and fewer points to second- and third-place finishers. Last year’s series resulted in close finishes in two of the four categories, and an impressive showing by Joe Moore, who dominated the men’s category with three victories, ranging from the mile to the half-marathon.
The series kicks off on March 17 in Durham with the Equinoxalizer 4 Miler. The second race follows on April 21, with the Wells Fargo Tar Heel 10 Miler in Chapel Hill. The fifth annual Capital City Classic, a 10k race featuring a stunning course in Raleigh, is on May 12. Durham’s Running of the Bulls 8k will be on June 2. The race highlight is the finishing lap around the historic Durham Athletic Park, home of the Bulls from 1926-1994 and also the filming location for many of the baseball scenes in “Bull Durham.”
Midsummer naturally brings the Beat the Heat 5k, held in the relative cool of the early evening in Winston-Salem on July 21. This race often features elite finishing times nearly as scorching as the July temperatures.
Those partial to off-road running should mark the Aug. 25 Continental Divide Trail Race on their calendar. The race, which takes place in Laurel Springs, also serves as the USATF National and North Carolina 10k Trail Championship.
The next race in the series is the shortest, The Magnificent Mile, in downtown Raleigh, to be held on Sept. 16. It is followed by the two longest races in the series. The Rex Healthcare Half Marathon, which is run in conjunction with the City of Oaks Marathon in Raleigh on Nov. 4, is a new addition to the series. Just a week later, the popular OBX Marathon, a point-to-point race that begins in Kitty Hawk and finishes in Manteo, closes out the year’s competition.
The races in the series are open to all comers, but to be eligible for the NC-USATF Endurance Magazine Runner of the Year title, NC-USATF individual championships, and NC-USATF division prize money, runners must be a registered 2012 member of the North Carolina division of the USATF, as well as a 12-month resident of North Carolina. For more information on membership, visit www.ncusatf.org.
North Carolina USATF – Endurance Magazine
2012 Long Distance Running Championship Series
4 Mile – The Equinoxalizer 4 Miler
Date: March 17, 8 a.m. – Durham, N.C.
www.sportoften.com/events/eventDetails.cfm?pEventId=7992
10 Mile – Wells Fargo Tar Heel 10 Miler
April 21, 7:30 a.m. – Chapel Hill, N.C.
www.tarheel10miler.com
10k – The 5th Annual Capital City Classic – Special Anniversary Edition
May 12 – Raleigh, N.C.
8k – Running of the Bulls 8k
June 2, 7:15 a.m. – Durham, N.C.
Durham Athletic Park
www.bullcityrunning.com/events/running-of-the-bulls-8k/
5k – Beat the Heat 5k
July 21, 7 p.m. – Winston-Salem, N.C.
WFU BB&T Field
10k Trail Championships – Continental Divide Trail Race
Aug. 25, Men 9 a.m. & Women 10:15 a.m. – Lauren Springs, N.C.
www.continentaldividetrailrace.com
Mile – The Magnificent Mile Race
Sept. 16, 2 p.m. – Raleigh, N.C.
Half-Marathon – Rex Healthcare Half Marathon
Nov. 4, 7 a.m. – Raleigh, N.C.
www.cityofoaksmarathon.com/race_info/
Marathon – OBX Marathon
Nov. 11, 7:20 a.m. – Kitty Hawk to Manteo, N.C.
Competitors in the series will accumulate points* toward the title of NC-USATF – Endurance Magazine Long Distance Runner of the Year.
To be eligible for USATF awards, athletes must be a current USATF member and a 12-month resident of North Carolina.
* Top three finishes score 3-2-1. Male and female. Open and masters.
