The Old Runner

This is my fourth year in a row to run this great 8k in the mountain town of Hendersonville. It's always well managed, and while the course does feel a little hilly, the elevation map says it's really not all that bad. I've won my age group all four times I've run it, but keeping me humble is George Luke, who's now 79 years old and has beaten me 3 of those 4 years, this time by about a minute. He's a phenomenal runner and holds multiple South Carolina state records. It'll be interesting to see how he does next year at 80 years old. I'd love to see him demolish some of the 80+ records. I'm writing this on Thursday following the race and the site says photos will be coming soon so I'm counting on that in my race rating. They always have some great photos taken by the local camera club and I talked for several minutes to two of the photographers whom I'd met before, so I might come back and update this post with a photo or two after the pics...

With less than 100 feet of elevation gain in the entire race, this is one of Charlotte’s flattest road races, and also one of the fastest. It always brings out some of the area’s fastest runners and is also one of the largest 5k’s with over 1,000 finishers. I really wanted to finish in under 23 minutes but didn’t quite make it; however, I still managed to win the 65-69 age group with a chip time of 23:05, and even better for me, it was the first race of the year that I managed to run without stopping to walk. I should probably mention that I stayed away from this race for a number of years because the race website warned that parking is very limited in the area and they give some options for parking at other locations or recommend you carpool or take the light rail to the nearest stop. I’ve found over the past two or three years of running the race that parking is actually pretty easy to find nearby, especially if you arrive an hour before race time. I’ve been within around 200...

With 2,000 registered runners for the 10k and 5k races, this is one of Charlotte’s biggest race events. I ran the 10k, which is a tough course that seemed like there were a lot more hills than the 267 feet of elevation gain recorded by my Garmin would indicate. As usual, I walked early and often, and when my friend and main competition Bob Nelson passed me walking in the first mile, he asked me if everything was okay. I managed a “Fine… You know me,” as he scurried by, and for at least the first half of the race we followed our familiar pattern of him passing me as I walked up hills and me passing him back as we went down hills. I’m apparently better at running downhill than uphill. Four or five miles into the race Bob stopped passing me and when I looked back I didn’t see him. I managed to finish a minute or so ahead of him and he said afterwards he was in good shape for 4 miles but not so much for 6 (he beat me at the 4-miler on July 4th). After the race we went to check th...

This race is held as a part of the 7th Inning Stretch Festival, celebrating the American Legion World Series, which is held in Shelby every year. It’s well managed and has become one of my favorite summertime 5k’s over the last three years that I’ve run it. Race Name: 7th Inning Stretch 5k Location: Shelby, North Carolina Date: August 10, 2019 Race Rating: 87 Winners (Top 30 Overall): Overall winner Ben Kassel is a great runner with an incredible story. Three years ago he was overweight and out of shape. He dropped 110 pounds and won the first 5k he entered, and many more since then. He recently ran a 2:38 marathon as well! Read more about his amazing transformation in this  Runner’s World article . Course: Elevation per Mile: Weather at Start: Click Here for Race Results Click Here for Free Race Photos on Facebook (155 pics) Click Here for Race Website My Stats: Time: 23:40 Pace: 7:37 Age Group: 1 of 4 Overall: 17 of 153...

Nice 10k race over the dam and along the mountain roads beside Lake Lure. Lots of hills (683 feet of elevation gain) but great finish on the beach at Rumbling Bald Resort. This is the first of three races in three days in the Lake Lure Olympiad. Lots of great food after the race… plenty of homemade salads and pastries as well as ice cream sundaes! Race Name: Slam the Dam 10k Location: Lake Lure, North Carolina Date: August 9, 2019 Race Rating: 103 Winners (Top 10 Overall): Course: Elevation Per Mile: Weather at Start: Click Here for Race Results Click Here for Race Photos from Willie Lowe on Flickr Click Here for Race Website For me, one of the best perks of running races in the Rutherford Outdoor Coalition Race Series is the free professional quality photos for most races provided by Willie Lowe. My Stats: Time: 51:00 Pace: 8:12 Age Group: 1 of 4  Overall: 43 of 218 Average Heart Rate: 164 Maximum Heart Rate: 176 Age Grade Perce...

A lot of races are held at the beautiful Frank Liske Park in Concord, which is great if you don’t mind unpaved but smooth trails. I’m not a trail runner but this type of trail is not a lot different from running on roads as long as it’s not muddy. This was the 5th year of this race and they really should take a different approach for the awards. The top age group was 50-and-over and they only went 1-deep. Worse than that, the overall winners also won awards for their age groups… double dipping. Somebody please clue these people in. Race Name: NCCU Eagles Scholarship 5k Location: Concord, North Carolina Date: August 3, 2019 Race Rating: 66 Winners (Top 10 Overall): Course: Elevation: Weather at Start: Click Here for Race Results Click Here for Race Finish Video on YouTube My Stats: Time: 23:35 Pace: 7:35 Age Group (50-and-over): 2 of 14  Overall: 8 of 90 Average Heart Rate: 155 Maximum Heart Rate: 170 Age Grade Percentage: 72.44% R...