Category Archives: Races

August 19, 2014 · 12:07 pm

Kids Helping Kids Triathlon in Cary October 12th!

Kids2

This looks like a fun event for kids to be active and support a great cause.  Tell your kids to grab their running shoes, swim goggles, and bike helmets and join kids their age for a day of fun and fighting cancer. On October 12, 2014, Applebee’s and The V Foundation for Cancer Research are hosting the first ever “Kids Helping Kids Triathlon” at the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary. Proceeds from the event will go towards funding pediatric cancer research at the Duke Children’s Hospital.

details
Race Details
The race includes swimming, biking, and running. The children will participate in three different age groups: 7-8, 9-10, and 11-12 year olds. The distances for each stage by age group is provided above. Designed with fun first in mind, the triathlon is an achievable and challenging event for children of all experience levels. You can read more about the race details here.

Fundraising
By participating in the Kids Helping Kids Triathlon, you will be part of the fight against children’s cancers. Proceeds will benefit The V Foundation for Cancer Research to continue funding pediatric cancer research at Duke Children’s Hospital. Once you’ve registered for the event, you also have the option create your very own fundraising page.

Register
To learn more about the Kids Helping Kids Triathlon and register for the event visit the official website here: http://kidshelpingkidstri.racesonline.com

Kids Helping Kids Triathlon – Sunday, Oct. 12th 8:00 a.m.
Triangle Aquatic Center
275 Convention Drive
Cary, NC 27511

13 Comments

Filed under Events, Races

Tagged as , ,

July 14, 2014 · 2:56 pm

Sir Walter Miler – Friday August 1st!

SirWalterMilerFlyer

Sir Walter Miler ~ Friday August 1st

The inaugural Sir Walter Miler will take place on Friday, August 1, 2014 at the Meredith College Track. The event will start at 9pm. The event is building on the success of the 2013 “Sandman Mile” event that saw former multiple time NC High School State Champion and NCAA All American, Sandy Roberts, take aim at the 4 minute mile barrier.

Kicking off the night off is the Great Outdoor Provision Co. “Raleigh’s Finest” Mile, where many local celebrities will compete in an exciting, handicapped/head start race. Leading the field is former Mayor Charles Meeker. Meeker competed in 20 marathons, including the Boston Marathon 10 times. He has a personal best marathon time of 2:43:36.

Next up is the Capital RunWalk “Women’s Sub 4.5 Challenge,” where top female runners will take a crack at the 4:30 barrier. The talented field of women will be announced over the coming weeks at SirWalterMiler.com, and through the events official Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.

The races conclude with the Capital RunWalk “Men’s Sub 4 Challenge,” where the field will be set up for a sub 4:00 attempt. Sandy Roberts will look to improve on his personal best time of 4:01.24. He’ll be joined by a great field, that we’ll announce one by one over the coming weeks. The first challenger we’re excited to announce is last year’s surprise 4th place finished at the USATF Outdoor Championships, Matt Elliott. Elliot was recently dubbed the “Fastest Kindergarten Teacher in America” and was on the cover of the June 2014 issue ofRunning Times. The event will also be an official “Bring Back the Mile” Featured Event.

The event will have a few more exciting components that will engage the running and non-running community alike. First off, on Thursday night, July 31st, there will be a special “Eat with the Pros” dinner at the Busy Bee Cafe in downtown Raleigh. Food will be prepared by Chef Dave Mitchell and beverages will be served by Busy Bee owners Chris Powers and David Lockwood. This will give fans a chance to rub elbows with some top notch runners. More details are on the Kickstarter campaign page, which can be found at http://SirKickstarter.com

The Kickstarter campaign will help fill out the fields for the free to the public event and will help cover associated costs and expenses. In terms of Kickstarter rewards; in addition to the Busy Bee dinner, the Sir Walter Miler will offer a one month coaching plan and consultation from University of North Carolina assistant coach, Logan Roberts. This plan will include complimentary entree to the Magnificent Mile in downtown Raleigh on September 14, 2014. There is also an opportunity to fire the starters pistol at one of the races, as well as a coffee mug with Oak City Coffee Roasters Coffee, a pint glass, an event tank top, and a Brooks Technical running shirt.

On the day of the race, there will be a pre and post-race party at Raleigh Brewing Company (across the street from Meredith College). Starting at 7pm that night, there will be live music, giveaways, and multiple food trucks.

If you’re over 21 years old, we’ll have an exciting event at RBC called the “Sub 4 ABV Challenge” where Raleigh Brewing, Trophy Brewing, Fullsteam Brewing, New Belgium Brewing, Mystery Brewing, and Natty Greene’s Brewing will be providing a keg of their best low alcohol beer!

The action continues Saturday morning with 2012 USATF Cross Country Champion, Bobby Mack, leading the pros from the night before, and anyone else who wants to come on a trail run at Umstead Park. The event will start at 7:30am at the Harrison Road entrance (exit 287 off of I-40). It is free to attend.

Sir Walter Miler – Friday August 1st
Meredith College Track – Raleigh, NC
Pre-Party w/ Food Trucks & Music 7:30pm
Races at 9pm

For more information about the event or sponsorship, email sirwalterrunning@gmail.com or contact Pat Price at 919-260-8013.

Leave a comment

Filed under Races, Running

Tagged as , , ,

May 7, 2014 · 4:34 am

2015 Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh Marathon & 1/2 Marathon Registration Now OPEN!

Rock n Roll Raleigh Marathon

Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh 2015
Image Courtesy Competitor Group

The second annual Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh Marathon & 1/2 Marathon returns to the Triangle next year on Sunday, April 12, 2015. Online registration opens Wednesday, May 7th. Participants who register by MAY 8th will receive a special $20 savings. The 48 hour entry level promotional price will be $60 for the half marathon and $70 for the marathon. Visit the official race website to Register now.

Note:
At 11:59pm PST on March 8th, the price will go up to $80 for the half and $90 for the full. No online code is needed to receive the entry level discount.

To get an idea what the race is like here are my pictures from the Inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh Marathon & 1/2 Marathon held this past April. You can also read my full race recap here.

2 Comments

Filed under Races

Tagged as , , , , ,

April 16, 2014 · 12:30 pm

2014 Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh Race Recap

Rock n Roll Raleigh Marathon 1

Runners Ready to Go!

Have you ever run 13.1 miles with a camera? I did just that this past Sunday as I took the streets of downtown Raleigh with 12,500 other runners to race in Raleigh’s Inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon & Half Marathon. I was slightly under trained for the race and decided to just have fun with it. No worrying about personal records or stressing over finishing times. I was simply excited to be a part of it all and enjoy the rare opportunity to have my camera with me to capture scenes along the 13.1 mile course.

Rock n Roll Raleigh 15

Sunrise as the Race Begins

I started out in Corral #2 because I had optimistically predicted a 1:45 finish time. This of course was before the bleak winter and I  didn’t get nearly as many training runs in as I had hoped. Come race day I knew I would likely finish somewhere closer to the 2 hour mark, but wasn’t concerned about it. It was actually kind of refreshing to not worry about the finish time. It was a beautiful day for the race with morning temps in the low 60’s and expected to reach the low 80’s by the afternoon. We set out around 7:10 just in time to catch the sunrise as it basked downtown Raleigh in it’s warm orange glow.

Rock n Roll Raleigh Marathon 10

Ellis Dyson & the Shambles

The postcard race course winded us through Oakwood, Chavis Park, Cameron Village, Dorothea Dix, and several other picturesque portions of downtown. Along the way there were local bands  playing every few miles and pumping up the runners with their music. One of my favorites was the Shaw University Marching Band with brass players blasting from a bridge as runners ran below. Another favorite was a band out of Chapel Hill called Ellis Dyson & the Shambles. I loved their upright bass, fiddle, and horn section! I actually stopped to listen to them play for a minute while I snapped a few pictures. It was still early on in the race, but it was a welcome break!

Rock n Roll Raleigh 19

Half Marathon Selfie

As I made my way through the 13.1 miles I stopped a few times to take pictures of the bands, friends and fellow runners. It was great running into so many familiar faces out on the course. I also enjoyed seeing so many spectators and a few rouge musicians playing along the the route. My favorite was a little girl playing her violin for the runners.  While having my camera out I couldn’t resist trying to take a running “selfie” to capture the experience. The photo above was taken somewhere between mile 8 and 9 on Western Boulevard as we made our way back to downtown Raleigh.

Rock n Roll Raleigh Marathon 3

Tribute to Fallen Soldiers

As I mentioned earlier I wasn’t as prepared for this race as I had hoped. It was also a fairly hilly course (Raleigh is not as flat as some people think). I was definitely feeling fatigued as I entered the last 3 miles of the course. I got a huge boost of energy however as we ran through Dorothea Dix Park and saw Tribute to Fallen Soldiers lining the course. Everyone I have spoken to was very moved by this tribute. Seeing pictures honoring the fallen soldiers and the numerous American flags waving in the wind with the Raleigh Skyline in the background gave me goosebumps and the rush of power I needed to push through the final miles.

Rock n Roll Raleigh Marathon 2

Approaching the Finish Line!

Soon after the course entered back into the core of downtown for the home stretch to the finish line. I was nice to see so many spectators cheering runners on along Fayetteville Street. I took my camera out for one last shot as I approached the finish line. I crossed the finish at 2 hours and 5 seconds. Not a PR but I was very pleased with the time considering the hilly course and the fact I had stopped so many times to take pictures.

Me & My Friends RnR Raleigh

River Run Club Friends Post Race

As I crossed the finish I grabbed my medal and ran into Anj and Jill, two of my running friends from the River Run Club, an awesome run club filled with runners of all levels that meets each Thursday to run at 7pm in North Raleigh.  They both had a great race and Jill even pulled off a PR finishing in under two hours on what was definitely a challenging and hilly course. Way to go Jill!

Rock n Roll Raleigh Marathon 9

A Race Relaxes Below Sir Walter Raleigh

As I made my way from the finish line I grabbed some water, chocolate milk and a banana to recharge and headed over to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh post race concert. Raleigh his well suited for this with the Red Hat Amphitheater situated just one block west of the finish line. I liked the idea of a post race event like a concert because it gives runners a chance to chill out, drink a beer and catch up with friends to share about the race while it is all still fresh in your mind. It was also simply just a beautiful day to be downtown.

Rock n Roll Raleigh Marathon 8

Finisher’s Medal in front of NC Capitol Building

I was very impressed with the inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh race. I thought it was well organized and I loved the route through the downtown street. If you missed the race this year because it sold out, don’t fret. The race is scheduled to return next year on April 12, 2015 and will be held in Raleigh for at least the next three years. Online Registration for the 2015 race in Raleigh will open up in May. You can get additional information on the official race website here.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh – April 13, 2014
Finish Time for Half Marathon: 2 hours 0 minutes 5 seconds
You can view all of my pictures from the Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh Race in my flickr photo album. Happy racing!

4 Comments

Filed under Races

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

March 24, 2014 · 6:22 am

Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh Half Marathon Training Update #2

Untitled

Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh Medal
(photo courtesy competitor.com)

Update – March 24, 2014 (21 days to Race Day)
As I sit here writing my this training update fresh off an early five mile run, I am coming to grips with the fact that I am not yet ready for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh half marathon that is just three weeks away. Fortunately I am only doing the half marathon and not the full 26.2, but I am not as prepared as I would like to be by this point. I am not discouraged however. This is not my first half marathon and it will not be my last. I know I will be able to finish in under two hours and run injury free, but I need to let go the notion that a personal record (PR) is not within reach at this race. I’m ok with that. This is my first race of 2014 and I am going to have fun with it and use it to propel me into what I plan to make a great spring and summer of running.

Neuse Greenway

Neuse Greenway

Recent Training
The Triangle weather has been all over the map this winter. One day it is a mild 50 degrees and sunny, the next it is 29 and spewing freezing rain. I am a fair weather runner and I let this affect my training sometimes skipping days when it was just “too cold” to run. I’d get a few miles in on the treadmill, but usually no more than 3 miles at a time.  Now that I am in the home stretch I am committed to running four times a week no matter what the weather and making the regular runs 4 to 6 miles. My most recent long run was 9 miles and I am confident I can build up to 11 miles a week before the race and be able to taper into race day with rested legs. I am excited to race in the inaugeral Rock-n-Roll Raleigh race and think this race is just what I needed to kickstart my weekly running regime, albeit a bit later than I planned in the new year.

Bridge on Neuse Greenway

Bridge on Neuse Greenway

Looking Ahead
It is actually a bit of a relief to  know a PR is out of reach. It provides me the luxury the opportunity to take in the full race day experience. I will be relaxed and can take in the sights and sounds of race day. If there was ever a race to enjoy it is this one with the many cool bands that will be set up along the course. I am also planning to carry a small camera with me as I run and will snap some shots during the race to share in a post race recap here on the blog. I may not be as prepared as I had hoped, but I am still very excited to be participating in this race and am looking forward to warmer weather and a great year of running!

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh Marathon & Half Marathon is Sunday April 13, 2014. Even if you aren’t planning to race it is sure to be a great event to watch and cheer on the racers. For more information about the race and race day entertainment visit the official website here.

5 Comments

Filed under Races

Tagged as , , ,