Winter Flight 8K Update

Breaking news regarding tomorrow's Winter Flight 8k:

"The 2010 Winter Flight RRCA State Championship 8K is being postponed till
Sunday afternoon, Feb. 21st at 2 PM. Saturday’s race is being postponed
based on the National Weather Service’s Hour by Hour forecast, the
conditions for Saturday, and to allow those who have to travel long
distances to still change their plans. We have had communications with many
of those who plan to attend, and hope this will be the best decision for
everyone who is planning on running or volunteering. All pre-registered
runners will get an e-mail with this announcement. The Salisbury Rowan
Runners Club, Rowan Helping Ministries, the RRCA, and all of our sponsors
thank you for your participation and support of the event.


Pre-registration will reopen. Active.com will accept registrations till
noon on Feb. 19th. Mail in registrations will be accepted when postmarked by February 17th.


Have a safe and warm weekend, and please join us on Sunday afternoon,
February 21st.  It will be a fun event!!


This will be only the second time in the history of Winter Flight that the
event will be postponed due to weather.


Thank you,
The 2010 Winter Flight committee and Salisbury Rowan Runners Club"

Disney - Dopey Challenge, by Mike MacIntyre

The Davidson Area Running Team is pleased to post Mike MacIntyre's recap of not one, not two, but three races he completed last week at Walt Disney World in Orlando.  You may have heard of the Disney marathon and half marathon, which if you run both qualifies you as a completer of the Goofy Challenge.  Well, Mike took it one more level and ran the 5k in addition to the half and full marathons, thereby making him part of the unofficial Dopey Challenge.  Way to go, Mike!

"The weekend started with a bus trip from the hotel to the Race Expo at Disney’s Wide World of Sports.  They do an amazingly great job organizing considering they had over 33,000 finishers for the half and the full.  I was doing the unofficial “Dopey” (5k on Friday, Half on Saturday, and Full on Sunday) but Disney does not yet recognize this feat of insanity, so I spent a lot of money on official “Goofy Challenge” (the full and the half in the same weekend) items.  There was everything at the Expo I could ever want, except for a 39.3 sticker.  Good news – My 5th Annual Goofy water bottle is BPA–Free.  We went to the Pasta Party at Epcot and had a blast with friends and met some great people from the Achilles group from NYC (contact me if you want to help a disabled athlete complete a marathon in NYC this fall)."

"I ran the 5k with my wife in cold, but manageable temps in low 30s.  This was only her third race since injuring her foot last year (her first half will be the Wine and Dine half marathon at Disney in October).  This run started outside Epcot at 7 (on bus at 5:15 with 5 hours sleep) and then went through Epcot to finish close to the start."

"After a day in Animal Kingdom and 4 hours sleep, I boarded the bus at 3:30 on Saturday for a most memorable half.  The sleet started before the race and lasted about 2 hours before a brief stoppage and then turning to rain.  The course started outside Epcot and then went in Epcot and then out to the Magic Kingdom then through the Castle (Smile for the cameras!) then back thru Epcot to finish just outside Epcot.  PR was not going to happen due to so many people and the fact I was running 42.4 miles in 3 days, so I just enjoyed my long run.  After a warm shower, I joined the wife for the rest of the day in Epcot."

"After 4 more hours sleep, I got on the bus at 3:00.  The Marathon started at 5:40 with wind chills in the low 20s (that’s when my wife checked after waking up several hours later), but that didn’t stop the high school bands and entertainers from trying their best to keep us motivated.  I got to see Epcot and Magic Kingdom much like the day before, but we also added Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios to the tour.  At the halfway point and realizing that I had just completed a marathon in a little over 26 hours, I added some walking to the mix to save my feet.  After finishing, I got what I had been planning for since January 2009 when I completed my first 3.5 mile run in over 20 years- the coveted Goofy Challenge Medal.  The weekend ended with a plane trip home with my temporary Goofy tattoo on my cheek, my Goofy medal around my neck over my Goofy Challenge sweatshirt that was hiding my Goofy 39.3 T-shirt.  What the heck, I’m only doing it once!"

"I would recommend this challenge once to anyone, but I will not do it again due to the natural tendency to try to pack in as much Disney as I can between races, and the fact that I am currently very sick of seeing Epcot (for those counting I got to be in Epcot once on Thursday, once on Friday, three times on Saturday, and twice on Sunday, and the start/finish for all three races is just outside of the park)."

"Due to logistics, park and traffic coordination, Disney gets you to the start line way before the race starts.  However, even after waking up way too early three days in a row, I will confess that I will be going back in 2013 to get the 20th Marathon commemorative medal.  The overall experience was great, as Disney really does make the experience great for the runners and their supporters.  The bling is also really cool, as you can see from the photo."

Mike MacIntyre

Race Recap: Frosty 50k at Salem Lake

Winston-Salem, NC has a dirty little secret, and that secret is Salem Lake.  Although Salem Lake is about an hour's drive from Davidson, few runners I've talked to have ever heard of it.  Situated just south of Highway 421 and due east of Highway 311, it is encircled by a wide, hard-packed dirt trail.  Get it, dirty?

It's on this trail that the 11th Annual Salem Lakeshore Frosty Fifty 50k was held this past Saturday, January 9th, 2010 by the Twin City Track Club.  DART member Todd Hartung and I drove up to Salem Lake that morning under dark skies and downright cold temperatures.

My hopes were to better my last year's time of 4:34:44 and maybe even put in a 50k PR, since I was feeling good.  I had every intention of wearing my Vibram Fivefinger Treks but was honestly concerned that they wouldn't be warm enough to ward off frostbite, so I slipped on my trusty Inov-8 f-lite 230s.  Todd ran last year but since he was battling a lingering case of plantar fasciitis this year he felt he'd be happy to finish the race this time around.

Me thinking warm thoughts.

The course was a double out-and-back with each of the four legs right around 7.5 miles.  The good thing was that it would be easy to leave a drop bag at the halfway point.  The bad thing was that we'd be near the car, creating a temptation to call it an early day.

Todd and I took off at the tooting of the bugle (in lieu of a starter's gun) and quickly settled into some good conversation with some familiar runners such as Konrad Gannon and some folks we didn't know.  I became engrossed in a conversation with a guy doing his first 50k and the next thing I knew we were at the first turnaround - much too fast.  He stopped to take a bio break and I continued back to the start to complete my first full loop, realizing that I had broken Rule #1:  No going out too fast.  I finished the first half of the race in 2:06 and reached into my drop bag for a bottle of nutritional supplement, which I thought would give me a boost.  That broke Rule #2:  No trying new things during a race.  Within five minutes after getting back onto the trail I felt weak, lightheaded, dizzy, and confused.  Must have screwed up my blood sugar with that drink!

So with a glycogen-depleted body and wildly fluctuating blood sugar I did what I normally do when a race gets tough- break it down into manageable sections.  Instead of thinking about overall pace and miles-per-minute I concentrated on making it to the next aid station, not so much for the nutrition but for the sense of making it to the next milestone.

The final five miles were the toughest because I wasn't seeing any other runners, or anyone else for that matter, so there was no one in sight in front of me to try to chase down or anyone behind to push me.  Actually, that's not true.  Someone passed me like they were on rails at the aid station with 3.5 miles to go and left me in the dust.

Although I was the victim of unintentional self-sabotage which undermined my best intentions I managed to cross the finish line in 4:22:24 (20th overall), shaving 12 minutes off last year's time and bettering my 50k PR by one minute.  Todd followed up despite the plantar issue with a 4:42:48 (29th overall).  There was hot chicken broth at the outdoor picnic area but even that wasn't enough to keep warm so we left shortly after finishing.

A special thanks go to the Twin City Track Club members and volunteers who put up with the cold temperatures for many hours for us runners.

Todd enjoying some post-race chicken broth.




Chad Randolph
Davidson Area Running Team

Race Recap: Running of the Lights 2010, Tanglewood Park

DART member Mike MacIntyre (31:02) completed the New Year's Eve Running of the Lights 5k at Tanglewood Park in Clemmons and gave us his race recap.

"This is an exceptional way to welcome in the New Year.  The event takes place near the back entrance of Tanglewood Park near Winston-Salem.  Roughly 1,000 people start at a well-lit area then run through the park through thousands of Christmas lights (think McAdenville without the houses).  It is really pretty."

"Warnings: 1) It is very hilly so don’t expect to run your fastest time and it is actually a little longer than a 5k, 2) There are parts that are dark between the start and where the lights start, so it can be a little unnerving not being able to see where you are going to put your feet next, and 3) There are speed humps that are well-lit from one side, but on the return trip may not be so visible.  Lots of parking is available and the live feed of the ball dropping in NYC started the race.  Recommended for those wanting something different. "

Other DARTers of note include Bobby Aswell (2nd overall, 19:22), Allen Strickland (21st overall, 22:07). If I missed anyone, just send me a note.

Race Recap: Nashville Resolution 5K

This recap of the Nashville Resolution 5K is brought to you by fellow DARTer Wayne Eckert, who lives and runs in Davidson.

"While visiting my daughter, Andrea and her family in Nashville over the holidays I convinced her and my son-in-law, Rob to run the Nashville Resolution 5K on New Years Day.  Thankfully they put the start time at 10am which was good for the hangover as well as allowing the temperature to creep up a little.  When I got up that morning it was 23 degrees with a wind chill of 5 degrees! By start time it was a balmy 28 degrees with a wind chill of about 12.

This is a pretty good sized race.  This year there were about 750 finishers with about 900 registrants, so I guess the weather kept a lot of them home.  The race starts and ends at the Country Music Hall of Fame and is a relatively flat course except for two very big hills.  The first hill is on First Street leading up to the bridge over the Cumberland River.  It is quite steep and tests you in the first mile.  Then the race loops around the Titans Stadium going past the finish lines of both the Country Music Marathon and Half Marathon.  It finishes by going over the Pedestrian Bridge that takes you back over the river and to the finish.  This hill is a little longer and quite tough, especially at that time in the race.  I did OK finishing fifth in my age group with a time 23:43.  Rob, who is a good athlete, though out of shape right now due to his very busy schedule as a 3rd year resident at Vanderbilt Hospital, thought he might keep up with me but he faded and finished in 27:01.  I went back and ran in with Andrea who took it easy and finished in 33:03.  They had beans and cornbread, green bananas and water at the finish.  Why do so many races put out such green bananas?  Any way it was a great way to start the New Year and I felt invigorated the rest of the day."

Race results are at: http://www.nashvillestriders.com/storage/results/results-2010/RES%20RUN%202010%20RESULTS.txt
Race Pictures are at: http://www.nashvillestriders.com/gallery-2010/resolution-run/

Fleet Feet Sports Huntersville, NC to Open This Weekend

After an absence of 20 years, Fleet Feet Sports is back in the Charlotte area beginning this weekend.  Fleet Feet is a national franchise chain of running-oriented retail stores; the Huntersville store is owned by Lake Norman area residents Kristin and Mark Harris.  Like any running store worth its weight in sweaty socks, Fleet Feet employees will provide you with products and advice about shoes, clothing, and accessories.

Something that differentiates Fleet Feet from the others is their Personal Rewards program, which gives a $15 voucher for every $150 you spend with no minimum purchase, no sign up fee, and no card to carry.  Also, they'll be open on Sundays for your shopping convenience.

This from Jason Cook, Footwear Buyer, who originally hails from Gastonia, "Grand Opening is Thursday, January 7th" Stop by and see us!"

Editor's note:  The store opening has been postponed until Friday, Jan. 15th.  Thanks, Theoden, for the update!

Fleet Feet Huntersville, NC
16620 Cranlyn Road,
Huntersville, NC 28078
(Birkdale Village, movie theater side, next to Quizno's and Outman Knife & Cigars)
(704) 896-2202.
Hours: Mon-Fri: 10am - 7pm
Saturday: 10am - 6pm
Sunday: 1pm - 5pm

You can find out more about Fleet Feet Huntersville here.

The Race That Almost Wasn't: Mount Mourne Elf Run 5k

This morning marked the completion of the 2009 Mount Mourne Elf Run 5k and fun run, held to benefit the Mount Mourne Volunteer Fire Department.  But wait, today is Jan. 2nd, 2010 - what's the deal with the year?

The Elf Run was originally scheduled for Dec. 19, 2009, but along with a couple of other local races was postponed due to an ice storm.  So, under sunny skies and cold conditions the race took place two weeks later.  Oh yeah, windy too.

Despite the later date and possible post-hangover effects of New Year's Eve,  117 hardy souls toed the line and took off from the fire station across highway 115 and onto Langtree Rd.  A left turn onto Transco Rd. for 1/2-mile and then back made the course.

There were not only local runners in attendance but several folks who made the trek from Charlotte and beyond, which is a testament to the popularity of such a great small race.  Mercifully the fire department was heated, making the post-race events much more enjoyable.  There were doughnuts, fruit, coffee, and water aplenty, along with a plenitude of door prizes.

Some of the DARTers in attendance were Bobby Aswell (18:38), Jim Crotts (19:30), Allen Strickland (20:22), Todd Hartung (20:36), Theoden Janes (21:08), Chad Randolph (aka Yours Truly, 21:40), Tony Read (23:57), Michael MacIntyre (28:37), Laurie Randolph (28:40), and Beth Garren (30:51).

Race results can be found on the Queen City Timing's site.
Photos can be found here.
Theoden Janes put up a good recap of the race as well.  See it here.

Allen Strickland and Theoden Janes

Tony Read, Todd Hartung, and Jim Crotts

Chris Elkins and Dennis Joffe