By Joe Nuss
January weather in many states can force the hardiest of all runners inside and put a damper on their enthusiasm to achieve a personal best in 2012. But we’ve been blessed with amazing weather in North Carolina and left with few reasons to not be outside running and biking. Many of us will set our sights on a PR in 2012, while many will plan to run their first race ever. In this edition of our annual event guide powered by SPORToften we feature the inspirational story of Tony Swartz, who last year joined The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training program to finish his first half-marathon and raise funds in honor of his mother and others who recently lost their battle with acute myelogenous leukemia, and for those who are still fighting.
Still a hot distance in 2012, the half-marathon boasts many great races throughout the year here in North Carolina, including our own Duke Medicine Ramblin’ Rose Half Marathon in October. As in 2011, we will be partnering with local running shops New Balance in Raleigh and Durham, InsideOut Sports, Bull City Running and TrySports Raleigh to help you achieve your goal of finishing our second annual women’s half-marathon.
In addition to our Ramblin’ Rose Half Marathon and Triathlon series, we’re also proud to bring you the third annual North Carolina USATF-Endurance Magazine Championship Series, which kicks off on March 17 with the Equinoxalizer 4 Mile in Durham, a new event and distance for this year’s series. From the beaches to the mountains and featuring distances from the mile to the marathon, our series ties together nine of the top races in North Carolina to ultimately crown the NC-USATF-Endurance Magazine Runners of the Year. So don’t forget to check out our NC-USATF Endurance Magazine Championship Series race guide and series roundup in this issue. Last year’s pursuit of Runner of the Year honors was our most competitive ever and this year is sure to be no different with more than $25,000 in prize money.
As a state so close to the mountains (the tallest east of the Mississippi) and so close to the sea with such amazing weather, North Carolina has nevertheless been missed in all of the top running and triathlon magazines as a “best place to live and train.” I can only guess at the reason cities in Alaska and Connecticut (how is the cycling up there in January?) beat us out. Well, I can tell you now that it won’t be because we are without a multisport expo. On March 10 at Duke University’s Wilson Center, JoAnna Younts, who serves on the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council for USA Triathlon (USAT), is helping to bring North Carolina its first ever multisport expo. With one of the largest concentrations of USAT members in the U.S., and at least one triathlon (usually three or four), every weekend from March through October, North Carolina IS a best place to live and train!
Inspire. Perform. Endure.
PS – North Carolina is also a great place for awesome food! Don’t forget to check out our latest recipe for an amazing Roasted Vegetable Black Bean Quesadilla.