■ Winston-Salem's spring road-race season had a strong start last weekend when a record number of runners turned out for the 14th St. Leo 5-K and one-mile fun run through the Buena Vista neighborhood.
The 5-K had nearly 700 entrants and the fun run had about 150. That more than doubled last year's 5-K total of 340.
"It was definitely the highest number of runners we've ever had," said Pam Seach, who is in her fourth year as race director. "We knew our numbers were going to be high because the Wednesday before the race, we already had more than 500 pre-registered runners."
Seach said that the biggest problem in preparing was making sure there were enough volunteers for race day and enough food for after the race.
Nate Ayers of Winston-Salem won the 5-K in 16 minutes, 22 seconds, and Ben Coffman of Winston-Salem was second (16:59). Caitlin Chrisman of Charlotte was the fastest woman with a time of 18:18, and Winston-Salem's Betsy Armentrout was second (19:28).
Seach said that the relatively flat course is a big attraction for experienced runners and for those running their first 5-K. "We had a lot of first-time runners," she said.
Several local businesses were faithful with their donations, Seach said, and football coach Jim Grobe of Wake Forest spoke Friday at the pre-race pasta dinner. The 5-K is one of the biggest fund-raisers for St. Leo school.
"We've consistently grown, and I think it's word of mouth about our race," Seach said.
"It does kick off the running season around here, so we were really happy with the turnout."
■ The Twin City Track Club wouldn't be as successful as it is without dedicated volunteers.
The TCTC, which helps stage many of the local races, annually presents a volunteer-of-the-year award.
The latest winner is Bill Gibbs, an avid runner who helped out at several races in 2008, according to TCTC president John Anderson.
"Bill was at a lot of the races but he also helped out with other things like our track-club breakfasts," Anderson said. "Bill really did a lot, and we thought he was deserving of the award."
■ Spring always brings an increase in the number of area road races, and the Web sites of the Twin City Track Club and the Journal have calendars with race information.
Interested runners can visit www.twincitytc.org or www.journalnow.com. The Journal listings are posted in the sports calendar, which also runs periodically in the sports section of the print edition.
■ Fleet Feet Sports on Reynolda Road is offering an eight-week triathlon program for beginners. The program, called Triathlon 101, will start April 14 and run until June 7.
Fleet Feet is also offering a 10K program for beginners starting April 25. Anyone interested in more information can contact Stacie Battjes at 727-8477 or at coach@fleetfeetwinston-salem.com.
■ Road notes: The North Carolina Marathon in High Point will be at 7 a.m. May 2, and a half-marathon and 5-K are also scheduled. Visit www.ncmarathon.org.... The Heart and Sole 5-K will be April 18 at Fourth of July Park in Kernersville. Call 713-8172…. The Reagan High booster club is sponsoring the Reagan Spring Fling 5-K on April 25. E-mail belindamariewilson@yahoo.com.
■ Race directors and readers can submit suggestions for notes on running, triathlon and cycling to sports@wsjournal.com or to jdell@wsjournal.com.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement