Congratulations to the Fourth Annual Endurance Magazine BEST OF Awards winners 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, such as the Carolina Half and Ironman 70.3 Raleigh, proving our readers love new races, especially these two awesome half-Iron triathlons. I’m already looking forward to seeing how our own Bull City Race Fest & Food Truck Rodeo fares in next year’s voting, not to mention Rock ’n’ Roll Raleigh. Have fun perusing this year’s list for other new faces as well as the standbys, 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 champions in the NC-USATF Endurance Magazine Long Distance Series. Chapel Hill’s Brock Baker dominated the men’s open division, unseating 2012 champion Bobby Mack. The series saw repeat performances in the men’s masters and women’s open divisions this year. Early season dominance earned Chad Newton and Caitlin Bullock enough points to outlast fields of tough competitors without even participating in the last two races of the year. Jennifer Curtain won the women’s masters division. Check out this year’s final standings as well as results from the last two races in this issue.
BEST OF category winners Beach2Battleship Iron-distance triathlon and Thunder Road Marathon were the last big events on the local race scene. For many of us, that means easing up on training and settling into our winter routines, which often includes running in the dark and cycling on an indoor trainer. If you find it difficult to get motivated for winter training, don’t worry! This is the perfect time of year to join a running club or group, like Raleigh’s Runnerpeeps, a group run training program that offers a lot more than just running. Like many clubs, Runnerpeeps provides a lively, fun and welcoming community of runners. It also offers one-on-one coaching sessions, weekly workouts and a variety of training plans.
If you are interested in joining a group of athletes who also want to give back, check out Team in Training. You can train for specific events with Team in Training while helping to work toward a world without cancer. Check out our inspirational article “Racing for Her Cure” to learn more about Team in Training through the story of one participant and survivor. And if you’re looking to stay fit on the bike this winter, check out the advice that TotalCyclist founder and indoor trainer extraordinaire Chad Andrews has regarding indoor cycling in his article “The Indoor Dilemma.”
We have another great recipe for you this month, too – one that is perfect for eating at home, or taking to a few of the many holiday parties you’ll likely attend. Brandon McDearis’ flatbread with goat cheese, butternut squash and roasted shallot turns out great in the oven, but you can also cook it briefly on the grill for a crispier consistency. It also works well as a dough for pizzas, and just in case you’re wondering, we share a little bit of our pizza knowledge, too!
As always, we feature great gear reviews and exercises from our awesome columnists. Be sure to check out these articles as you work your way through winter training. And remember, while it’s late in the year, it’s early bird time for those looking to get the best prices on 2014 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 super popular Bull City Race Fest & Food Truck Rodeo.
