PHOTO: CHARLOTTE MARATHON AND CLTFIVE
Runners in Chapel Hill/Durham face a full slate of fall races—a mix of road, trail and distance events. There are about four dozen local races, about the same as last year, between now and the Christmas holidays.
There are large annual events like Bull City RaceFest, Historic Hillsborough HM, RDC M/HM as well as traditional student and community-run races. The calendar has a few new ones including a WUNC 50th Anniversary 5K (Oct. 3) and Run to the Polls 5K (Oct. 24) in Durham.
Thanksgiving Day (six races) remains the busiest day and October the busiest month.
Trail races are planned across the region–Briar Chapel, Eno River SP, Chestnut Ridge, Efland, Shakori Hills, Pittsboro, Cane Creek Mtn., Snow Camp.
High gas prices, increased entry fees and roasting high temps apparently combined to limit the number of local runners heading to the coast or mountains for weekend races this summer. In the spring it seemed like there were more local races than runners some weekends. The big races prospered, the small races not so much.
Registration for bigger fall races is off to a strong start (nearly 500 were signed up for Hillsborough, 433 for Carrboro 5K/10K, 436 for RDC M/HM) by Labor Day. Keep in mind if you’re not running a race, volunteers are always needed to help put it on.
Joel Bulkley