Congratulations to this year’s winners of the Sixth Annual Endurance Magazine BEST OF North Carolina Awards and Finalists! 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. We have some new faces among this year’s winners, like the Rabid Squirrel and Rocket Mile, proving our readers love new races, especially these two awesome events. We also saw some of the same great events retain their long-standing winner status once again. Events like the Thunder Road Marathon and Tar Heel 10 Miler still have not been unseated as the “best”. So, have fun reading this year’s other new faces and old standbys in our BEST OF awards. Don’t forget to congratulate the winners and finalists next time you see them.
We also take time to recognize our series champions in the NC-USATF Endurance Magazine Long Distance Series, in this issue. Winners of the last two events, the Eno River Run (6 Miles), and the City of Oaks Rex Healthcare Half Marathon made the final standings seem closer but, the titles were secured way back in September at the Oak City Mile. With the exception of Colin Jones, who repeated as the Masters Men division winner, there were new faces on the top of all other divisions. Check out this year’s final standings as well as results from the last two races in this edition.
Although the NC-USATF Endurance Magazine Long Distance Series is over there are still plenty of races on the SPORToften Calendar. Cyclocross is in full swing and despite the cold, trail running is hot this time of year. If your gear needs an overhaul from a long summer of racing, be sure to check our two gift guides in this issue. We have a gift guide just for runners and another just for cyclists. Author Diana Palka, in association with Run for Your Life in Charlotte provided this year’s runner’s gift guide and long-time columnist and safe cycling advocate Thomas Henson provided the cycling gift guide with the help of Cycling Spoken Here in Cary.
We have another great recipe for you this month — one that is perfect for eating before a late-morning trail race, like the Little River 10 Miler which starts at 9am, or after a chilly morning run. Brandon McDearis’ Sweet Potato Whole Wheat Pancakes are a great alternative to traditional high-glycemic breakfasts. We also share some interesting information on sweet potatoes not to mention how to tell them apart from yams — there is a difference!
Speaking of differences… do you have a crazy relative that drives you nuts over the holidays? Most of us do and ATI Physical Therapies’ Evan Adler provides some great insight into how to deal with that as well as other winter problems like Seasonal Affect Disorder, in his article “How to Stay Active and Sane Over the Holidays”. Be sure to read his article to prepare yourself for those typical winter and holiday challenges we all face this time of year.
While there are plenty of things we can do to stay healthy over the holidays, there’s things your employer can do, too. This month, we spotlight one business’ employee wellness plan. A leader in it’s industry, Quintiles is also a leader in employee wellness. Be sure to read our spotlight on this business not too mention our other articles and exercises from our host of awesome columnists. And remember, while it’s late in the year, it’s early bird time for those looking to get the best prices on 2016 race fees. Registration for all of Endurance Magazine’s events is open! Look for discount codes on our ads for the Tar Heel 10 Miler, all Ramblin’ Rose events, and the Quintiles Bull City Race Fest & Food Truck Rodeo!
