Congratulations to the winners and finalists in the third annual Endurance Magazine BEST OF Awards! And thank you to all of our readers who voted in our online poll! It’s amazing how passionate we are about our favorite places to shop, eat, buy gear, race, train, and repair ourselves from all our hard work living an endurance lifestyle. There are some new faces in this year’s results, such as the FS Series Half Iron, which replaced White Lake as the best half-Iron triathlon for the Triangle edition, and the Ramblin’ Rose Women’s Half Marathon and 5 Mile Run, replacing the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure as the best women’s running event for the Charlotte edition. Have fun perusing this year’s other new faces as well as the standbys in our BEST OF Awards. And don’t forget to congratulate the winners and finalists next time you see them.
We also take time in this issue to recognize our series champions in the NC-USATF Endurance Magazine Long Distance Series. Joan Mabe and Chad Newton dominated the masters division nearly from start to finish this year to earn their series titles. The men’s open division was also dominated, by Bobby Mack, but it took one of the last few events for Caitlin Chrisman to wrap up the women’s open division. Check out this year’s final standings as well as results from the last two races.
While the OBX Marathon marks the end of the NC-USATF Endurance Magazine Long Distance Series, you still have time to get another marathon in before the cold really sets in. Don’t forget that this year’s Thunder Road Marathon moved up to Nov. 17 from its typical December race date. There’s still time to sign up, so don’t miss out on one of North Carolina’s biggest and best marathons.
After Thunder Road, it seems that the event season will cool off with the weather. For many of us, that means easing up on the intensity that comes with our summer and fall racing schedules, and the holidays ahead make it easy to slack off on good eating habits. But it is possible to keep our waistlines intact and the seasonal blues at bay. Angelina Steven’s article “The Zen of Winter: Making Fitness a Piece of Cake” is a must-read for anyone hoping to relax their training intensity without completely letting go of their fitness this winter.
Brandon McDearis presents another great recipe this month, one for a delicious vegan cake. Going vegan can be quite challenging and dessert, for better or worse, may never be the same, says Brandon. This month’s recipe gives those who are animal-free a bit of hope for those special occasions when dessert is practically mandatory. This recipe also includes a berry couli, which is the perfect accompaniment, especially with a scoop of one of the very decent vegan ice creams on the market today. For those concerned about getting fresh fruit in the winter, we provide some great advice on which is healthier: fresh or frozen fruit.
Inside-Out Sports owner Cid Cardoso, Jr., got in on the food action too this month, with a review of Honey Stinger waffles. Other regular contributors include Brian Diaz on strength training for triathletes, Brian Schiff on functional movement, Elizabeth Towe’s “Core Corner” exercises, and another great “Ask the Doc” column by Shefali Christopher.
Finally, we wrap up our last issue of 2012 with a nod to those who make all of our racing possible: volunteers. I’m sure that at some point this year, you approached an aid station filled with cheering volunteers like those described in Melissa Mincic’s “Ode to the Truly Crazy, aka Race Volunteers.” Don’t forget to say a word of thanks this holiday season to all those who woke up early one morning to cheer, encourage, and help you on your big day of racing.
