The 2013 North Carolina Endurance Magazine Long Distance Series showed that while some things change, some things stay the same. Chad Newton was again the Men’s Masters winner with Caitlin Chrisman also defending her Women’s Open title from 2012. Brock Baker claimed the title of overall winner in the Men’s Open division and Jennifer Curtain took the Women’s Masters title. The 2014 series will kick off March 16 at the Quintiles Wrightsville Beach Half Marathon.
The USATF North Carolina Endurance Magazine Championship Series will soon begin its fifth year. It ties seven 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 USATF North Carolina – Endurance Magazine Long Distance Runners of the Year. This year’s series features more than $20,000 in prize money spread over the seven-race series.
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.
The series kicks off on March 16 in Wrightsville Beach with the Quintiles Wrightsville Beach Half Marathon. The second race follows on April 26, with the Tar Heel 10 Miler Presented by CEP in Chapel Hill. The 7th Annual Capital City Classic, a 10k race featuring a stunning course in Raleigh, is on May 10.
The Continental Divide Trail Race offers runners a break from the streets with plenty of vertical challenges on a varied mix of trails from rocky and root-filled trails to open grassy paths. The race, which also serves as the USA 10K Trail Championships and North Carolina 10K Trail Championships, takes place at Laurel Ridge Camp on Aug. 23.
Midsummer naturally brings the Beat the Heat 5K, held in the relative cool of the early evening in Winston-Salem on July 26. This race often features elite finishing times nearly as scorching as the July temperatures.
The next race in the series is the shortest, The Magnificent Mile, in downtown Raleigh, which will be held on Sept. 14. It is followed by the longest race in the series, the popular OBX Marathon, a point-to-point race that begins in Kitty Hawk and finishes in Manteo, and that closes out the year’s competition.
The races in the series are open to all comers, but to be eligible for the USATF North Carolina – Endurance Magazine Long Distance Runner of the Year title, NC-USATF Individual Championships, and NC-USATF Division Prize Money you must be a registered 2013 member of the North Carolina division of the USATF, and be a 12-month resident of North Carolina. For more information on membership, visit www.northcarolina.usatf.org.
WHO WE ARE
More than 4,200 members in North Carolina in 2013
Members range in age from 8-80 and up – youth to masters
Members are track-and-field athletes, race walkers, as well as cross-country, road and mountain, trail, and ultra runners
Members are coaches, certified officials (more than 320), meet and race directors, parents, and fans of the sport
100 member clubs (youth, open, masters, and event)
32 board members and officers from all walks of life – each a volunteer
WHAT WE DO
Educate and train officials
Educate and train coaches
Compete at a wide variety of levels, from beginning runner to Olympic medalist
Conduct and host championships in a wide variety of disciplines:
North Carolina Junior Olympics Track & Field Championships
North Carolina Youth Track & Field Championships
North Carolina Masters Track & Field Championships
Endurance Magazine Long Distance Running Championship Series
North Carolina Junior Olympics Cross Country Championships
North Carolina Junior Olympics Track & Field Championships
North Carolina Race Walking Championships
TO BECOME A MEMBER, PLEASE VISIT WWW.NORTHCAROLINA.USATF.ORG.
