The USATF North Carolina Endurance Magazine Championship Series began its fifth year last month with the Quintiles Wrightsville Beach Half Marathon. Thirty-six-year-old Laurie Knowles dominated the open women’s race with a first-place finish in 1:15:14, more than 4 minutes ahead of second-place finisher Heidi Bratscher, 27, of Durham. Durham resident Rachel Kraish, 28, came in third with a 1:25:53. Laure Frey, 40, of Raleigh took home top honors in the masters women’s division with a 1:27:27. Betsy Armentrout, 41, of Winston-Salem came in second with a 1:28:50 and Caren Mangarelli, 43, of Durham rounded out the division with a 1:33:05 third-place finish.
In men’s racing, Anthony Marois, 23, of Winston-Salem took home the open men’s title with a 1:12:31 finish, followed by Jason Page of Durham, who was just under a minute behind, in second place. Forty-three-year-old Colin Jones of Raleigh came in third with a 1:16:32, which also placed him in the top spot for the masters men’s division. Raleigh resident Tim Pierce, 43, was exactly 1 minute behind, in second place. Forty-nine-year-old Bill Shires of Charlotte continues his regular presence in the USATF NC Championship Series with another top finish, coming in third with a 1:18:03, only half a minute out of second place.
Next up in the series is the Tar Heel 10 Miler Presented by CEP, the 10-mile championship race. The Tar Heel 10 Miler takes place in Chapel Hill on April 26. Sign up at http://tarheel10miler.com.
