15 Years of Endurance Sports

More people are participating in Endurance sports than ever! It wasn’t that long ago that you were a “hero” if you had run a marathon and now it’s becoming as common as a 5K. Given it’s our 15th Anniversary in the local Endurance community, we thought it would be fun to reflect on the changes since we started the magazine!

2003 was the beginning of the triathlon boom. The Ironman races were not as common around the US so it was still a really big deal to do one. Lake Placid & Canada were the go to races for the Ironman audience. Since then we’ve seen the Ironman full distance (140.6) events come, and some of them have gone. The half iron distance (70.3) was still developing but it was targeting people who were training for a full. The half was a means to an end… completing a full ironman. Now the “half distance” is no longer half of anything – branding their event as 70.3 distances allows people to embrace that for the challenge it is. It’s no longer “just a half”. Is that a good thing or not? Guess it depends on whom you talk to. 15 Years Ago I was…

Kim Chapman, Bull City Running Owner

There have been *so* many changes in 15 years, on a product development and service level. The science of running entered the mainstream but probably the biggest and most significant change driving the industry has been with footwear: proportion of neutral vs. stability shoes, zero-drop/barefoot/minimal running, upper, mid- and outsole materials and the technology/R&D investment to determine the optimal drop, energy return, efficiency, etc.

Thys Wind, First Race Director of the Tar Heel 10 Miler

Back in 2002 I was living in Richmond, Virginia. That fall I travelled to the Triangle area to compete in what was then one of the most popular races, the Duke Liver Center Half Ironman triathlon, held at Jordan Lake. It was my first long distance triathlon and I was thrilled to finish. It gave me the confidence to sign up and begin training for Ironman Lake Placid the following year. Since then I’ve been competing in triathlons of every distance and supporting triathlons and running events as a Race Director, Coach, and Athlete.

Kim Chapman, Bull
City Running Owner
There have been *so* many changes in 15 years, on a product development and service level. The science of running entered the mainstream but probably the biggest and most significant change driving the industry has been with footwear: proportion of neutral vs. stability shoes, zero-drop/barefoot/minimal running, upper, mid- and outsole materials and the technology/R&D investment to determine the optimal drop, energy return, efficiency, etc.

Thys Wind, First
Race Director of the
Tar Heel 10 Miler
Back in 2002 I was living in Richmond, Virginia. That fall I travelled to the Triangle area to compete in what was then one of the most popular races, the Duke Liver Center Half Ironman triathlon, held at Jordan Lake. It was my first long distance triathlon and I was thrilled to finish. It gave me the confidence to sign up and begin training for Ironman Lake Placid the following year. Since then I’ve been competing in triathlons of every distance and supporting triathlons and running events as a Race Director, Coach, and Athlete.

Beth Casey, YMCA Wellness Instructor

I ran my first 5 K in 2001 with the Finley YMCA in Raleigh, NC. I was a group fitness instructor and wanted to start getting a little more serious about running. After that first t-shirt, I was hooked! I ran several 5K and 10K runs (including the 2001 Old Reliable Run) and then moved onto half marathons and 3 full marathons. Being a part of the YMCA led me to triathlons and I completed the first Beach to Battleship half-iron in 2008. I have been very fortunate to work in the health and wellness industry helping get others involved with endurance events as well as finding a support group that keeps me inspired.

Rebecca Warriner, Smile Train Triathlon Founder

Back in 2002 I had just finished reading Becoming an Ironman and decided that I wanted to ramp up my triathlon training and take on the challenge of completing Ironman. There weren’t as many races to choose from back then so you really had to plan your training to line up with either Ironman Florida or Lake Placid. One week into training I found out I was pregnant! I put that plan on hold and finally in 2008 was able to complete my first Ironman Tri. Since then I’ve completed more runs, triathlons, and bike rides than I can keep track of.

Jason Biggs, FS Series Race Production Co-Owner

15 years ago I was a athletic director, teacher and football coach at East Wake High School in Wendell, NC! I did my first pool swim triathlon called the Riverwood Triathlon after a few weeks of training. Now I have 6 Ironman Triathlons, including the 2016 World Championship, under my belt and I am a co-owner of FS Series producing triathlons and running events across NC since 2006.

Derek Cernak, Endurance Magazine Reader

15 years ago I was 27 (yikes!) and was just about to be nominated for an Academy Award and just about to meet my wife… BUT, I was still 3 years away from my first steps into the running world. I might have played racquetball once a week, but that was the extent of my athletic endeavors after ruining my body playing football. So running? That was something crazy skinny people did… If I only knew then that three years later I would run a little 5k, and now 12 years into that journey I would direct 11 races a year, summit about 50 peaks a year, and track miles every week for an entire club!

Amy Charney, Ramblin’ Rose Race Director (2009-2017)

It wasn’t quite 15 years ago, but I ran the Boston Marathon in 2005 and got this Men’s XL 100% cotton long sleeve t-shirt. In 2018, I got this women’s fitted high quality technical t-shirt!