Robeson County - Rumba on the Lumber 5k - March 7, 2009

The Rumba on the Lumber 5k in Lumberton, NC of Robeson County advertises in a lot of local publications, so when there was an opportunity to go take part and collect another county, it was easy to take the 90-minute hop down to the NC/SC border. In contrast to some of the first-thing-in-the-morning races, the Robeson Road Runners start the Rumba at 11:00 a.m., plenty of time to arrive, check out the event, run, and have a good time post-race.

The 5k and the huge Family Fun Mile are the central morning events of the Rumba on the Lumber Festival, which includes a chili cook-off, craft fair, kids' area, local food vendors, live music and a whole lot of fun. This helps the 5k, in the words of RRR president Wendell Staton, "mushroom" over the last few years. And the Family Fun Mile really is huge, numbering near 1,000 folks in all -- there were walkers still going off in waves from the starting line even as the speedy folks were coming to the finish line.

Large numbers of entrants and spectators also blessed the 5k, which benefited from a beautiful March morning, with temperatures pushing into the high 70s and low 80s. The course was wonderfully flat, started in downtown Lumberton (right in front of the county courthouse), wound out through some of the adjacent neighborhoods, and turned onto a mile-long straightaway that finished back downtown on the opposite side of the courthouse. The course was packed with interested spectators, many of which were greeting the runners by name as they passed by -- it was like most of Lumberton were either watching the race or running in it. And we were also blessed with some very exuberant volunteers and course monitors, all of whom brought their own boom boxes or opened their car doors to blast tunes for the runners, from Jimmy Buffet to blues to praise music. It was a hot run late in the morning, but overall a lot of fun to run.

Post-race, the festival was really in full swing. UNC-Pembroke, which provided some of the course volunteers, had a nice display for finisher pictures, including the UNC-P mascot. The chili cook-off opened during the 5k, and all the 5k runners were allowed in free. Probably twenty or more groups were giving out samples of their chili recipes, with all kinds of creative themes and get-ups. A really good cover band was entertaining the crowd, and the adults in the chili cook-off received free beers, too. Hard to complain about a race that features all that!

I can see why the Rumba on the Lumber 5k has such a good reputation and why it turns out a great crowd each year. Plus, it was nice to see fellow NCRCers there, including Tim Karnatz, Val Price and Gary Moss. Hopefully I'll be back for another Rumba in the future!

Swain County - Tsali Frosty Foot Fest 8k - January 3, 2009

Hello, Tsali! Well, helloooooo -- Tsali! Yep, we're only a few days into a New Year, and we're already knocking off a new county by traveling up to Swain County, to the Tsali Recreation Area of the Nantahala National Forest for the Tsali Frosty Foot Fest 8k/25k/50k Trail Runs.

This is an inaugural race sponsored by VO2 Sports North Carolina and benefitting the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation -- the mother of race director Dave Forkner is a breast-cancer survivor herself. Dave, the owner of VO2, said that the Tsali Recreation Area had hosted bike rides and adventure races, but never a trail race. That's a shame, because this is very pretty area up in the mountains, with lots of spectacular views of Fontana Lake. (Unfortunately, the lake has really suffered in the western North Carolina drought; you can tell from the shoreline how far down the water has receded.)

Fortunately, the tour bus was able to navigate all the twisty mountain roads to the start area, where lots of volunteers were checking in "Pre-Registered Folks" and "Race-Day Folks". They announced that registrations had passed the 230-person mark across all three race distances, which made for a much bigger turnout than had been expected. Dave also was able to land some elite long-distance runners to the race, including Mark and Anne Lundblad of Swannanoa, North Carolina. The organizers made good use of the area around the start/finish line and started all the runners off down the road to the trail entrance about a quarter-mile away. That presented the only problem with the expanded field, as all the runners had to negotiate a one-at-a-time entrance onto the single-track portion of the trail. There was some good-natured joking, but no real problems as all the runners eventually merged into a single-file line going down the trail.

Dave and his group of enthusiastic volunteers may have been hoping for a real "frosty" experience, but unfortunately the precipitation the day before was all rain, so we were in for more of a "muddy buddy" experience. Lots of the course was sloppy with mud, with large puddles you had to go straight through and slipperly slopes both uphill and downhill. But given the 36-degree temperatures and the overcast sky, you really couldn't ask for better running conditions otherwise.

The trail delivered on all the promises that had been made about challenges and scenery. We had to duck under one fallen tree and negotiate through some big fallen branches in another spot. There were very severe uphills and downhills in the third and fourth miles, with just enough mud on them to make you slide back a couple of inches for every stride forward. A few runners took spills on the slopes, but most of the experienced trail runners chalked that up to the nature of the race. The single-track was less rooty and rocky than the single-track we've run locally, but the mud and the much more severe hills kept you focused on where you were going. Occasionally, though, we were rewarded with some very pretty vistas, both of the lake below and the line of runners hugging the side of the slope above or below us. And the race crew did a great job of hauling supplies for aid stations into the woods so that we could thankfully have some water on occasion.

Fortunately, we were done after the 8k distance, but the 25k and 50k runners continued on all through the day as the various Tsali trail loops snaked their way along the lakeshore and up to the "infamous Fontana Lake overlook" where the longer-distance runners were blessed with additional panoramas. At the finish, though, we were welcomed with plenty of water and sports drink, organic veggie chili, hot chocolate, cookies and all the mud we wanted. There was plenty of good music on someone's MP3 player, and they made very nice t-shirts for the race.

We had not been on the Tsali trails before, but they were lots of fun in this inaugural race. Dave's team put on a wonderful event, and this should continue to be a successful set of races for many years to come. Tsali, please don't go away again!

2008 Year in Review

Well, it's been a pretty good year since Chad drew me into this quest to run a race in all 100 of North Carolina's counties. We've seen some new parts of the state, run in some really good races, had some good (and not so good) performances, and generally had a lot of fun. We'll be hitting some new counties early in 2009, so hopefully we'll be closer to that ultimate goal when we do our year in review next December.

Chad's new (or extended) counties in 2008 (6): Durham, Orange, Cabarrus, Rutherford, Alamance, Chatham
Brad's new (or extended) counties in 2008 (8): Durham, Orange, Cabarrus, Rutherford, Chowan, Chatham, Lincoln, Iredell

Chad's total counties: 25
Brad's total counties: 15
Combined total counties: 31

Highlights? I think we both would agree that the Lake Lure "Best Dam 5-Mile Run" in Rutherford County was a heck of a fun race. As a Friday evening race, it's a different atmosphere; it's well organized and supported; the mountain course is challenging; and, as the opening event of the Hickory Nut Gorge Olympiad, the finish celebration and the party that follows is excellent. (That we both placed in our age groups also helps.)

We both also enjoyed the Young Life 5k at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Cabarrus County a lot. That was a fun trip, we both enjoyed supporting the Young Life organization, and it was really fun running around Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Brad's side trip to Chowan County for the Edenton Peanut Run 5k was very enjoyable; it was a nice atmosphere right down by the sound, and although it wasn't a big race, it was well organized and a pretty course. Chad also enjoyed a trip to Chatham County for the Reindeer Run 5k where they put on a great race with good support and a running notable made an appearance.

Thanks to all the folks who helped out with the new counties in 2008; without our support crew, sponsors and entourage, tour bus staff and friends and family, this cross-state expedition wouldn't be possible. Here's to seeing more of our beautiful state, meeting more of you, and knocking out some more counties in 2009!

Iredell County - Mount Mourne VFD Elf 5k - December 27, 2008

Flat. Fast. Fire engines. That sums up the Mount Mourne Volunteer Fire Department Elf 5k. The race is a fundraiser for the Mount Mourne VFD south of Statesville in Iredell County, and they've been putting on the Elf 5k each holiday season for a few years now.

The firemen treated the runners very well, moving the fire engines out of their garage so that we could use the building for registration, warmup and post-race festivities, out of the wind and the 40-degree temperatures. For both the 5k and the kids' quarter-mile fun run, the start of the race was heralded by all the engines running their sirens and horns -- so anyone in the area would have known that something was going on. Support staff from the Iredell County sheriff's office also monitored the race course and led the way.

The course itself was very flat, leading to some excellent times from the overall winners; the women's overall winner was an 11-year-old girl from a local school who should be on a running scholarship in a few years. On the out-and-back course we got to see all the other runners, both the serious racers who were pushing the pace and the more relaxed plodders like me who were just out having a good time. I did spot a couple of race shirts from the Triangle area: one Tarheel 10-miler shirt and one 2007 City of Oaks marathon shirt.

Post-race, the overall and age-group winners received very nice Elf 5k trophies, and about 30 runners won door prizes ranging from nice picture frames to cell phone cases to gift cards at local fast-food restaurants. The Elf 5k t-shirts were long-sleeved and red, with a cute cartoon of elves with one of the station's fire trucks. (From the number of left-over t-shirts, they may have been expecting a bigger crowd than turned out.) One of the race organizers apologized for not having a sports drink other than water for the runners and for the lower number of door prizes, explaining that the economy had depressed the number of sponsors and the amount of the sponsor donations. I didn't hear anyone complain about it, though.

The guys at the Mount Mourne VFD put on a great race, nicely timed to get people out and running between the holidays. I had a great time at their race and wish them lots of success with the Elf 5k in the future.

Lincoln County - Lincoln County Family YMCA Jingle Bell 5k - December 20, 2008

One of the things we love about North Carolina is that the weather is good for running year-round, plus you occasionally get blessed with a 60-degree day in the middle of December! That was the case for the Lincoln County Family YMCA Jingle Bell 5k in Lincolnton, where the mercury pushed up into the 60s on December 20, plenty warm enough to just need a t-shirt and shorts for the race.

This race is a fundraiser for the Lincoln County YMCA and some of the programs they offer. Lincoln County, one of the smaller counties in the middle of the state, is considered an "exurb" of Charlotte, and their YMCA put on a really good race. I figured Lincoln County was a good "get" because there aren't many races in the county that I have found so far.

In addition to the balmy weather, the runners were rewarded with a well-organized and pleasant 5k through the neighborhoods around the Gaston College Senior Center. There was plenty of music, food, Christmas costumes -- and a very good Santa and Mrs. Claus for the entertainment of the runners. The overall winners in the 5k and the mile fun-run all received Christmas wreaths, and the age group winners received ceramic Christmas ornaments shaped like bells with the race name and date on the front (very nice). And the race t-shirts were very nice, a charcoal heather with contrasting colors for the race info and sponsor logos. Well done for a small race.

The first mile of the race zigzagged through the neighborhoods around the campus, where we saw lots of Christmas decorations and bemused homeowners wondering what was going on. The middle of the race included a very enjoyable mile-plus along Lincolnton's rail-to-trail greenway, a nice flat stretch with a former rail tunnel along the way. Once we left the greenway, we returned to the campus through some other neighborhoods and a back road to the college. There were lots of very encouraging volunteers directing the way, plus helpful officers making sure we could cross the biggest street a couple of times. The "downtown" Lincolnton area was also decorated to the hilt for the holidays, with lots of lights and greenery on the main street and around the county courthouse; it was a shame we couldn't run down the decorated street, but the course as they designed it was pretty nice. (The non-greenway miles were surprisingly hilly; you wouldn't guess from the downtown Lincolnton area that were that many hills.)

My goal was just to have a good time with the run and jog along easily; I hadn't done the training to go after a PR (and with the hills it's a good thing I didn't try) and my right Achilles tendon was still nagging me for some reason. So I focused on jogging along, enjoying the Christmas decorations and the atmosphere and stumbled my way in with a very relaxed 34-minute 5k. My ears perked up at the awards ceremony when they mentioned an award for the runner who had come the longest way to participate, but unfortunately for me there was a woman from Canada running.

I had a great time at the Lincoln County Family YMCA Jingle Bell 5k, and I wouldn't mind coming back to do this race again. The organizers put on a great race, and with Santa, the elves, the jingling bells, and the homemade chocolate-chip cookies post-race, it was easy to get into the Christmas running spirit. :-)

Chatham County - Run for the Mariners 5k - November 8, 2008

Chatham County looks on the map like one of the biggest counties in the state, and by all accounts it's one of the wealthiest, especially around the border with Orange County, but it's hard to find a race there. The county seat, Pittsboro, is not a large town, and Siler City is a small town, too; with the predominant part of the county being rural in nature, there just doesn't seem to be a large population center to support a race.

(UPDATE: Of course, after I wrote this, I find out that Siler City had a festival back in the spring that included a 5k; hopefully it will be back next year. Oh, and they also have a Reindeer Run 5k. Sorry for the oversights.)

That's why it was nice to find out about the Run for the Mariners 5k, a fundraising race put on by the PTA at Perry Harrison Elementary School, which is north of Pittsboro. A skeleton race crew put on a good race, showing the ability to do a good amount with a low race budget. Don't want to spend for race bibs? Then just write everyone's number on their lower leg with a Sharpie! :-) Don't want a full-featured finish operation? Somebody's husband has got to have a chronograph on their wristwatch! :-)

A field of just 33 runners, mostly kids connected to the school, showed up to have numbers written on their legs this morning. Only 17 runners were above 18 years old. Fortunately the rain got through the area early and left a clean, crisp smell in the air and clearing skies above. The race director lined us up at a gate that was doubling as the start/finish line and sent us off around the parking lot and down the street, where we turned into a developing subdivision to traverse all the cul-de-sacs. Then we returned to circle the school property and the athletic fields, and that was it! There were a good number of hills on the course, and I could tell I hadn't fully recovered from whatever kind of cold has been bugging me this week. But I stumbled on through a few rough coughing fits and surprisingly finished 19th in 29:34. (Yep, saved by not having the course certified, either.)

Good, fun race put on by a hard-working crew. The t-shirts were better than average, and there was plenty of food and drink afterwards for the runners. Only a few awards were given -- overall men and women winners, both adults and kids -- but many door prizes were awarded to the rest of the field. Congrats to the Mariners for putting on Chatham County's only race, and doing a good job with it!

Chowan County - Edenton Peanut Run 5k - October 4, 2008

Now if you're a marketing whiz, if you've got a race that's part of the Edenton Peanut Festival, what do you put in the goodie bags, offer as prizes, and give out at the post-race refreshment tent? If you didn't say, "Peanuts!" then take a step back.

The Edenton Peanut Run 5k in Chowan County is a great little race. The race sets up and starts at Queen Anne Park, which is right on the Albemarle Sound waterfront alongside a row of old (circa 1770s) beautiful homes and a marina. Although the race isn't very large (44 finishers in 2007, 62 finishers in 2008), the volunteers and organizers have more than enough enthusiasm and excitement about the race. The Peanut Run 5k kicks off the Edenton Peanut Festival, which includes a parade, a craft fair and a high-school band competition.

Once the race kicks off at the waterfront, the runners make a right turn over a wooden bridge that leads to a gated community, where we did an out-and-back through farm fields, a plantation and neighborhoods, eventually returning to the wooden bridge and the waterfront finish. Enthusiastic volunteers manned two water stations. The out-and-back nature of the course allowed each runner to see the whole field and get a good idea of overall placement. Lots of spectators along the finish stretch cheered each finisher and made for a very pleasant atmosphere, as you'd expect for an event connected to a festival.

I was very pleased with my 5k finish time of 29:18 and with the Edenton Peanut Run 5k t-shirt. There was a nice post-race setup with some refreshments and age group winners got a tin of fancy shelled and salted peanuts. As I boarded the Chad and Brad tour bus for the return trip home, I made a mental note to come back to Chowan County for the Peanut Run again next year.