David Freeze

By David Freeze

It was just two weeks ago when we ran the first story about my planned visit to all 100 N.C. county seats. I have been excited about it since and began the journey this past Tuesday by exploring the first four.

After my own run at home and a quick shower, I drove to Albemarle, county seat of Stanly County and did a 1.54-mile run down First Street and back up Second Street that ended at the YMCA. The park across the street was donated by Charles Cannon of Cannon Mills fame. More familiar with Albemarle than the other towns I would see later, I wasn’t surprised by much. Albemarle is coming alive with new and refurbished apartments and a bold new park in the works. There is a new wood bat baseball team starting this summer called the Wampus Cats plus a new business that encourages throwing axes and hatchets at targets.

My first breakfast on this series of adventures was paid for by Stanly County Commissioner Peter Asciutto. He arranged for me to eat at the Goody Shop Café, in business since 1919. I met Hugh Wainwright and Lynn Russell, and we talked while they made my egg and cheese sandwich and waited on customers. Hugh, the owner, and Lynn love the café and their customers. It’s all take-out now, allowing Hugh and Lynn more free time and more fun while working.

Hugh showed me the Hearne house behind his business where court was held on the lawn and in the house from 1841 to 1941.

Next came Troy, the Montgomery County seat and a major part of the North Carolina’s “Gold Region.” I ran 1.55 miles on the “Streets of Gold.” When the streets of the town were first paved in 1922, residents found traces of gold in the gravel used for the subsurface. Troy is in the heart of the Uwharrie National Forrest, named by President Kennedy in 1961. Historical markers are notable throughout the town. Andy Griffith’s wife, Barbara, came from Troy and they returned often to visit her family. Her dad was the county school superintendent.

Bill Clinton visited Troy for a town hall meeting at the elementary school in 1994. The most prominent building in downtown is the Hotel Troy, first built in 1909 as a four-story hospital. It also housed a drug store, jewelry story, clothing store and grocery market before being converted to the hotel in 1920s.

Carthage was my next stop, Moore County’s seat. I ran 1.52 miles while dodging trucks carrying logs and lumber. The Carthage courthouse sits right on the top of the hill in the center of town, with traffic heading east on one side and west on the other. Tobacco was long important to the economy here and  a few remaining tobacco storage facilities are now used for other things.

The farther east I went, more spectacular murals dominated the towns. Carthage resident James R. McConnell, highly decorated WWI aviator for the Lafayette Escadrille, died in the war and had the most impressive mural in Carthage. Another well done mural noted the Tyson and Jones Buggy Company, one of Carthage’s major employers from 1850-1929. A Tyson and Jones buggy was considered well-built and a certain status symbol.

Andrew Johnson, 17th President and one-time resident, was honored by Moore County citizens for his calming influence during the bitter days of Civil War reconstruction.

My final visit of the day was Sanford, county seat of Lee County, where I did 1.63 miles. Early on, I was fortunate to find the future visitor center and Downtown Sanford Executive Director Kelli Laudate. Her office is in a renovated portion of the old depot. Kelli and I talked running and the strong wind blowing that afternoon in Sanford. She gave me information on the town and told me especially about the Temple Theatre, built in 1925, and an Elvis show, “All Shook Up,” coming for two weeks in April. I plan to return for the show and hopefully visit a few other counties at the same time.

Just outside Kelli’s office was the No. 12 steam locomotive and railroad house museum in Depot Park. The museum wasn’t open, although the house is the oldest in Sanford, built in 1872. Sanford was born in 1871 and was once the only N.C. town serving four rail lines. I got that spectacular courthouse photo I was looking for in the 1908 Lee County Courthouse and also the town hall building.

About a dozen murals already grace the town, one honoring the Tobacco State League Baseball Champions 1946,1947 and 1948, the Sanford Spinners. Another mural was being painted that same afternoon. An app tells the story of each mural.

One final thought-provoking thing that I saw on my last block was a giant wall-sized chalkboard with this statement and about 60 blanks,“Before I die, I want to __.” I had to read them all.

A grand day resulted in 6.13 miles in four county seats! Ninety-six more to go and I hope they are this much fun! 

By David Freeze

The next race in the area is a new one with a strong message. Scheduled for next Saturday, March 11, is the Jace Landon TBI Aftercare Awareness 5K at Knox Middle School. Serving as the race director is Jace’s mother, Nichole Steadman. She said, “This race means a lot to me personally because I lost my son Jace due to a traumatic brain injury. He was in a serious car accident in December of 2020 where he suffered a severe TBI and subsequently took his life on Mother’s Day 2022. Too many people with TBIs suffer in silence. March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, and this gives me the opportunity to spread awareness throughout our community about the importance of TBI aftercare.”

Runners and walkers of all abilities are invited for the 9am 5K start. A fun run for kids 12 and under will follow on the Knox track after the 5K. Commemorative dri-fit shirts, plenty of awards and refreshments will be part of Nichole’s effort to share more information about traumatic brain injury. Registration is open at runsignup.com.

The Forum of Salisbury has been a big part of fitness opportunities in Rowan County for 25 years. Their anniversary was Wednesday, March 1. The business opened on March 1, 1998, as Gold’s Gym and became The Forum in 2006. The Forum has strong community ties to numerous non-profits, most notably Rowan Helping Ministries and Prevent Child Abuse Rowan. The Butterball 5K, Salisbury’s Thanksgiving morning holiday tradition, annually draws the largest 5K participation in Salisbury. The Forum also hosts the Resolution Run 5K on New Year’s Day.

GM Rayna Gardner said, “We rarely say no to any local organization. We sponsor every high school for one sport or another and every yearbook. We do smaller stuff for the middle schools and elementary schools. Right now, with the school system, we provide $1000 a month in cash and memberships for The Forum and SoFul to their staff members of the month (there are two of them a month). We do a bazillion golf tournaments and so forth and so on. We buy enough BBQ chicken fundraiser plates to feed our whole staff many times over. Matt has always been super about giving back to the community that has been so good to him!”

The Forum has had the same owners (Marsh and Steve Safrit), the same Childcare Manager and Personal Training Manager for all of its 25 years. Gardner said they are proud to have helped over 30,000 people from our area in their individual fitness journeys.

The Salisbury Rowan Runners and Salisbury Parks and Recreation kick off the spring Beginning Runners Class on Tuesday, March 14, at the Salisbury PD at 6 p.m. The class meets on Tuesdays for eight weeks and will culminate with a graduation ceremony at this year’s Bare Bones 5K on May 6 at Knox Middle School.

My own journey across all 100 counties nearly kicked off this past Thursday, but one day this coming week I’ll begin to visit all 100 counties over the next year. I will drive to the county seat, then run 1½ miles in each one and take time to learn a little more about the history of the county and county seat. As usual on my cycling adventures, I’ll take a few photos and hopefully meet some interesting people. I am anticipating being hungry quite a bit, so I hope to visit some unique local business for food. Might be a restaurant, a convenience store or maybe even a donut shop. And I am looking for the historic courthouses that many of the county seats still have. My journey, so my rules. The Post will publish a map showing my progress.

Look for more information on the BRC classes and the Jace Landon 5K, along with other upcoming events at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org

By David Freeze

I get a charge out of doing some unusual challenges. Sometimes it’s as simple as seeing if I can lift more or last longer than the much younger farm help. Another thing, I don’t like to be beaten in cornhole. If I lose a match, I’ll say, “Let’s do 2 out of 3!” And then hound that person until I can win.

Some of my bike ride followers might remember Janis Ramsey, then from Alaska, who I met when she asked me to stop in and visit on my ride from Nevada to Anchorage. Janis and her Salisbury native husband Frank Ramsey now have a condo in Salisbury. Just the other day, she handed me a magazine story about a runner from Texas who was trying to run in all 254 Texas counties. Jon Walk was just over 300 pounds when he challenged himself. He’s down to about 200 pounds and has 196 counties completed.

I took the article home and read it. Then set it aside, then read it again. I thought, “Why not do the same thing, but in N.C.?” Post sports editor Ed Dupree challenged me in 2017 to run across North Carolina, largely because he had not been able to do so by the time leukemia began to take his body. The day before Ed died, I was able to tell him that I would run across the state beginning in February. That run was completed in 2018, a few years after Ed himself completed running in all 100 counties. It seems like Janis had something in mind when she gave me the article. She said, “I thought you would like the idea!” In both cases, I got the idea on my mind and couldn’t shake it until I committed to chase the challenge.

The good thing about doing a new challenge is that I get to set the rules. Turns out that Jon Walk was inspired by a man who ran at least a mile in every city and township in Massachusetts. Walk said, “It just keeps me active and motivated and I like to think of it as a healthy addiction.” Walk runs 15 minutes minimum in each county, sure that the 15 minutes will guarantee at least a mile.

Here are my rules. As time allows, I am going to commit at least a day a month for the sole purpose of running at least a mile and a half in the county seat of every N.C. county. Some months, I will do more than a day. A few readers might say that a mile and a half isn’t much but consider that Walk has visited seven counties in the same day at least a couple times, and that all of this will come after my usual morning run. Before, during and after the run, I want to learn more about the county seat and the county. When possible, I will eat at an interesting place in the town. There is no time limit to get all the counties complete, but I do have to average at least a day a month in this pursuit. And to make it more interesting, my daughter and granddaughter have committed to go along when they can. My daughter Amber just completed her first marathon and the Booper, my 3-year-old granddaughter, is doing the local fun runs and doesn’t mind a good ride in my “Murphy to Manteo” baby jogger. My challenge, my rules!

I am ordering a large N.C. map that will reside on an upstairs wall and I’ll keep a journal of what transpires, likely posting a recap often in this column.

Speaking of challenges, our Beginning Runners Class begins on March 14 at the Salisbury P.D. and lasts for 8 weeks. Our next local run/walk is the Jace Landon TBI Aftercare Awareness 5K is on March 11 at Knox Middle School and the Salisbury Greenway. Look for more information on both and other upcoming events at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org.

By David Freeze

I read with much interest the obituary of Cora Shinn this week. Cora had a physical fitness degree from college, and she knew the importance of staying active. Cora put herself through intense workouts in her 70s, and then decided to take up running and racing in her late 70s. Always meticulous in her workouts, she knew exactly what she was doing and why. I have lots of racing memories, but watching Cora was part of some of the best. She was a very popular local winner in her age group.

Here is what Cora knew. “Use It or Lose It!” We’ve all heard that term. For general health and movement wellness, you want to avoid getting weaker or losing muscle mass. Our muscles, joints, connective tissues and bones require some form of consistency and daily movement. Calisthenics, cardiovascular activity, stretching and moving progressively heavier objects are all ways to exercise the body.

We need the necessary foundation of strength, durability, stability and mental and physical conditioning that make us more capable humans. These principles are particularly important when it comes to fitness performance, overall health and wellness.

Why should you exercise? You need a reason as to why you are working hard if you want to be consistent. Is it to look good? Feel good? Live longer? All are great reasons to train yourself. For many, becoming stronger and remaining agile into their later years will be motivation enough to keep moving while remaining independent.

If we don’t use our bodies, we get rusty, stiff and things do not work as they once did. I constantly hear about balance failing. As we age, our body’s natural ability to recover, rebuild and repair from stress decreases. If you don’t continuously challenge yourself, we will start to lose our physical fitness level. This can lead to a decrease in overall health and wellness, and you may reach a point where chronic illnesses start to creep into your daily life.

It is never too late to start exercising and it doesn’t have to be boring or hard in the beginning. Just moving will feel good. Maybe you can listen to music or watch a movie for a distraction while riding a stationary bike. Start small and gradually increase your frequency, intensity and duration (another fitness principle). This will help you to stay motivated and ultimately build good habits and discipline, making your fitness easier to maintain so you never have to worry about losing it.

There are many life-saving reasons why maintaining physical activity for the rest of your life is needed, but here are the main health reasons. Keeping a waist circumference limit of 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men will help to reduce the risk for high blood pressure, high triglycerides, stroke, heart disease, diabetes and many types of cancer. Regular exercise has been proven to reduce the need for medications to treat the above ailments.

I had a potential personal training client ask me about what exercise she should be doing the other day. The options are endless. I, in turn, asked her what types had she been doing? In her mid-thirties, she couldn’t give me one. A short walk and stretching day today would be a great start for anyone in that situation. Don’t wait!

Our spring Beginning Runners Class is just ahead. It begins on Tuesday, March 14, at 6 p.m. at the Salisbury Police Department. Eight weeks of pertinent classes, your own training schedule, a training T-shirt and entry into your graduation 5K are the perks by joining in. And you’ll be a member of the Salisbury Rowan Runners for a year, all for $65.

The “Will Run for Food 5K” is set for Saturday, Feb. 25 at 10 a.m. It is a low-pressure, fun event for runners/walkers provided by Centenary Methodist Church. Proceeds go to Rowan Helping Ministries.

For information on these events, go to www.salisburyrowanrunners.org.

By David Freeze

Salisbury’s 40th Annual New Sarum Brewing Winter Flight races are in the record books for 2023. No other race in the county takes as much planning and cooperation as this event, and I thought this column would be a good opportunity to explain how the event comes together each year.

Usually in the spring, Salisbury Rowan Runners officials confirm the date for the next race. This is done by avoiding Super Bowl Sunday and coordinating with the Catawba College athletics schedule. Catawba has been a partner in the event for 35 years, with the race start in front of the gym and ending on the track.

Next comes making up the race’s information brochure, crowded with the long history of the race and any new changes. At the same time, SRR members begin to seek sponsors for the event. Most of the approximately 40 community sponsors continue their support year after year, especially with all proceeds going to Rowan Helping Ministries.

Since the historic course remains the same and is nationally certified in distance, all that needs doing there is to repaint the mile markers, plus the start and finish. A City of Salisbury events permit is required 60 days ahead of the event and once acquired, the race is full speed ahead. The City of Salisbury provides support from the police, fire and street maintenance departments.

Shirts and awards for three races, the historic 8K, the community health 5K and the half-mile fun run on the track, are ordered. Meredith Abramson and the Lettered Lilly do their new annual logo for the front of the shirt, and they put it in the proper format for printing. Within the last few weeks ahead of the race, the shirts are printed while overall and age group awards for the three races are made at the Trophy House.

Sharing brochures and social media promoting the race are a main focus in the last 4-6 weeks before the race. Rowan Helping Ministries prints the brochures and both SRR and RHM spread the word by social media.

And finally in the last 10 days to 2 weeks, volunteers are lined up and assigned to specific jobs or as course monitors. About 60 overall volunteers are required to make the races happen, many of them focused on race day check in and registration for participants. By 1 p.m., the Catawba gym is very busy as runners/walkers rush to be ready for the 1:30 p.m. fun run (all ages allowed) and the wheelchair and open races that start at 2 p.m. Amidst all of this, the streets are coned, and final course volunteer assignments are made.

At about 1:54 p.m., a welcome and encouragement message from RHM’s Kyna Grubb, a rousing national anthem from Neal Wilkinson and final instructions are all completed by 1:58, the start time for wheel chairs. The 8K/5K races start at 2 p.m. City of Salisbury police and fire, along with the assigned course monitors, keep the runners safe on the course and in the finish area.

A stadium announcer and his crew provide names and hometowns as participants enter the track on the way to the finish. Water, refreshments, photos, awards and cleanup close out the day, at usually about 5 p.m. And by 5:01 p.m., at least some talk begins on how to make next year better.

Next up locally is another favorite race that also benefits Rowan Helping Ministries. On Feb. 25, Centenary Methodist Church hosts the 10th Annual Will Run for Food. It’s a very rural course without a major hill and its protected by the local fire departments. The logo for the race is a shopping cart, ready to be filled with food. No other race in the county has as many home baked brownies, cookies and other pastries. It’s a fun event, always staffed by friendly church members, and walkers are encouraged!

More information about Will Run for Food and other upcoming events is available at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org.

By David Freeze

When we think of the Catawba College campus on a Sunday afternoon, first thoughts probably include peaceful and quiet. This Sunday will be quite different! The Indians baseball team will be playing at noon in the third game of their first series of the season. And about the same time, nearly 400 runners from at least seven states will descend on campus for the New Sarum Brewing 40th Annual Winter Flight 8K, 5K and Fun Run. Peaceful and quiet will exit until the game and races are complete.

If you’re new to watching races, especially one of the oldest and best in the state, here are a few tips. Especially on this day, parking around the baseball and football stadium, the finish area for all the races, will be at a premium. As I said, the game starts at noon, but the races start later. My suggestion is to park somewhere else on campus and walk down to the stadium.

Here’s the schedule. The fun run at 1:30 p.m. is open to any age and is set for the track inside Shuford Stadium. The distance is a half mile, approximately two laps around the track. Mostly dominated by kids, 12 and under, this will be a mad dash back to the finish line that’s worth seeing.

Next at about 1:55 p.m., Neal Wilkinson will sing his rousing national anthem just ahead of the wheelchair start at 1:58 p.m. About seven racing wheelchairs with special needs children as riders will be pushed by strong adult legs as they get a head start on the rest of the field. They will start in front of the Goodman Gym.

Then comes the main start for most of the competitors. All participants in the 8K and 5K races will officially start at 2 p.m. from that same Goodman Gym location.

Once the races start, tremendous energy will remain in the area as the runners and walkers follow their courses before all 5Kers and 8Kers return to finish on the track inside Shuford Stadium. A popular vantage point is Catawba’s homeside football seating. Names of participants can be heard from the stadium announcer as they loop about 3/4 of the track before crossing the actual finish line. Most participants push as hard as they can once they reach the track and then on to the finish.

The historic and competitive 8K (4.97 miles) leaves Catawba on Yost Street and then turns right on Statesville Boulevard. Then another right on Milford Drive until the course joins Jake Alexander Extension. Next comes another right on U.S. Hwy. 601/Innes Street before entering Catawba’s campus again on North Park Drive before a left on Yost and a sharp right turn into the stadium for the finish. Finding a safe place to park along the course gives spectators a unique opportunity to see the runners pass by. It’s also a great way to encourage them.

Notable runners to watch are China Grove’s Jonathan Martin and England native and current Charlotte resident Luke Greer. Both are in their mid-20s and should be at or near the front of the pack. One of Winter Flight’s favorite runners is 93-year-old Dr. Dick Rosen of Greensboro who will be trying to set a record for the 90-94 age group. Runners coming from the farthest distance at press time were Michael Zachow of Bemidji, Minnesota and Cindy Moser of Wilton, Connecticut.

Awards for all races will be announced inside Goodman Gym starting with the 5K winners about 3:20 p.m. and will conclude when all participants have finished.

The awards ceremony is free and open to anyone. Spectating is free, but registration for all the Winter Flight races remains open until about 1:45 p.m. on Sunday, both online and in person. All proceeds go to Rowan Helping Ministries.

For additional information, go to www.salisburyrowanrunners.org or www.runsignup.com. You can also call 704-310-6741.

By David Freeze

Always a very special effort by a quality athlete is needed to win the very competitive Winter Flight 8K, and most often, the winners have to travel a ways to come to Salisbury to race. This hasn’t been the case with the male winner over the last three years since China Grove brothers, twins Matthew and Jonathan Martin, have taken the last three titles.

Matthew just happens to be getting married during the same weekend and will miss the race, but Jonathan is back to defend his title from last year. Jonathan ran the historic rolling course in 24 minutes, 35.45 seconds, a 4 minute 56 second average.

Jonathan, 27, currently lives in Charlotte with his wife Jasmine and dog Pumpkin. He said, “I grew up in China Grove and attended Carson High School. I had a fairly unorthodox start to my running career, essentially using it as a way to condition myself as a tennis player and to lose weight in high school. From there, I developed a passion for training and racing, and eventually earned a roster spot on the UNC Pembroke cross country and track teams. The rest is history! I’ll also mention that my twin brother Matthew has had an almost identical running career to my own.”

Jonathan lists his greatest running/racing experiences so far as getting to compete at the 2018 NCAA D2 cross country championship and running his current half marathon PR of 1:07:30 in Myrtle Beach in 2020.

I asked Jonathan what he does when not racing or training. He said, “My hobbies and interests really overlap with my passion for running. I am the manager over at Fleet Feet Charlotte and I am extremely passionate about the run specialty industry. When I’m not running, I love to travel and explore new places with my wife.”

Goals are always on a competitive runner’s mind. Jonathan wants to continue to set personal bests in the 5K, 10K and half marathon distances while simultaneously trying to qualify for the United States Olympic Trials in the marathon in 2024 or 2028. He will be running his first marathon in Chicago this October.

The 40th Annual New Sarum Brewing Winter Flight races are next Sunday, Feb. 5. Jonathan said, “Winter Flight is special to me due to it being my “hometown” race. I love coming back to Rowan County to reconnect with everyone! I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention how historically competitive the race is!”

Registration will remain open for all three races, the 8K, 5K and half-mile fun run, through several avenues. Online registration is at www.runsignup.com, and anyone can print off the registration brochure and mail it in through Thursday by going to www.salisburyrowanrunners.org. Race day registration will be held inside Goodman Gym at Catawba College on Sunday from noon until 10 minutes before race time. The fun run starts at 1:30 p.m., a large group of wheelchairs will roll off at 1:58 p.m. and the competitive 8K and 5K health run/walk officially start at 2 p.m.

All participants in the 8K and 5K get long sleeve high quality dri-fit commemorative T-shirts. Awards will be given to the overall and age group winners in the 8K and 5K. The 8K also serves as the North Carolina State Championship 8K. Any age runners and walkers can participate in the half-mile fun run as well. That event is free, and runners, 12 and under, will be eligible for awards, but every finisher will get a participation medal.

As part of the 40th anniversary event, a Winter Flight shirt contest continues until race time. Any runner or volunteer who wears one of the previous 39 year’s commemorative shirts, not already claimed on the website, is eligible for a $250 race day raffle. To participate in the contest, an entrant must wear the shirt for a photo and contact race officials to do so. To enter the shirt contest, for more information on Winter Flight and any other event, go to www.salisburyrowanrunners.org.

By David Freeze

I mentioned in last week’s column that our very popular Winter Flight races are just ahead on Feb. 5. One of the best things about one of the state’s oldest races is that I get to see and meet great people from the state and region when they visit Salisbury. One of the best of those is Molly Nunn, and here is her story.

As a small child and tomboy, Molly often set up obstacle courses in her neighborhood for friends to race through. Neighbor’s yards, the surrounding woods, hills, over logs, creeks, etc. were tests for Molly and her friends.

Then came soccer where Molly was good enough to have aspirations for the Olympic Development Program, hoping to be the next Mia Hamm. She said, “I ended up practicing with the boys’ team in high school and tearing my ACL in practice one day. My soccer dreams were ended.” Frustrated and depressed and in a full leg brace, Molly limped to the road and hobbled one step at a time to the top of a big hill, Molly added, “I stood there crying and angry that one dream had ended but that changed into a fire and determination to keep going, and that’s where the birth of my running career began. Every ending is a new beginning.”

Born in Hickory, Molly with mom, dad, and brother Adam moved to Winston-Salem at age three. Molly spent her school years at Calvary Baptist involved in sports, student council, choir, Quiz Bowl, chess club and as a camp counselor in the summers. Next came Wake Forest University where she majored in English and journalism and also walked onto the cross-country/track and field team. Having never run a track race upon entering Wake, Molly was simply told, “Molly, just go left!”

After Wake, Molly taught students with learning and attention disorders at Forsyth Country Day School and coached the running teams, even including being a 20-something terrified bus driver. After five years of teaching, she decided to change careers and went back to Wake to get her MBA. Molly said, “I was working full time, going to school and also pursuing a goal of qualifying for the Olympic Marathon Trials. What I came to realize was that all the hard work, the journey, and the commitment to that goal provided me with invaluable lessons that help me today.”

Molly worked in global finance for 10 years with the great gift to travel internationally and see a lot of different countries. She’s now with Lowes Foods in Winston-Salem as a finance director and about to hit her one-year anniversary.

Molly’s top running memories include leading a blind runner through the Outer Banks Marathon for 6 hours and 33 minutes, running a super muddy cross-country race in London as “Myrna Dune” because she couldn’t use her real name, and missing the Olympic Marathon Trials time by 8 seconds while puking all over the finish line. Lesson learned-take on a goal way bigger than you think you can achieve, and you will surprise yourself.”

For fun, Molly has taken up golf and after a year and a half, she hopes to soon break 90. Always reading, she’s currently enjoying a book on Winston Churchill.

For 2023, Molly said, “I’ve trained very hard for almost 20 years and so I decided for this year, I will find joy in simply being able to run, pushing myself or not, while finding the freedom that comes with why we fall in love with running in the first place. In the future, I would like to break 5 minutes in the mile again and run a low 17-min 5K.”

Molly summed up her Winter Flight experience, “When I traveled extensively, I loved ‘coming home.’ When I started running the Winter Flight 8K, it was about winning, trying to set records and running a fast time. The course is tough and I loved the challenge, but as the years go by, it got to feel a lot like coming home with that warm sense of welcome and seeing familiar faces, catching up with friends that I sometimes only see once a year at the race, and with each year we make another year of great racing history. So, it is an honor to be able to a part of the Winter Flight races.”

The female 8-time winner of the 8K, more than double the wins of any past entrant, Molly will be at the 40th Annual New Sarum Brewing Winter Flight races again. I hope you will too.

All proceeds benefit Rowan Helping Ministries.

By David Freeze

Salisbury and Rowan runners have known about the Winter Flight races for a long time. Most races have a much shorter lifespan, simply because there are challenges to put just one event on. This race has a life of its own and to keep it going for 40 years through sickness, weather, course changes and more as it has evolved into one of the best races in the Southeast is quite special. The year, Feb. 5 is race day and momentum is building for the historic event.

At present, we know that it is at least the fourth oldest race in the state, and I suspect it will become the third oldest this year. Definitely the oldest 8K (4.97 miles) in N.C. status keeps bringing back some of the best competitors, a fun environment and some wonderful personal stories.

Here are just a few highlights over the years. The first Winter Flight was held in 1981, not held in ’82 or ’83 and was then reborn in 1984 as a combination of 5- and 10-mile races. These races originally started and finished at the mural in downtown. The race was moved to Catawba College in 1986, also the year that the venerable 8K distance was introduced. The 8K events were very popular then but have been replaced by the shorter 5Ks as the main race distance over the years since.

The races were postponed by a measles epidemic in 1989, and heavy snow in 1996 and 2005. I remember SRR members having to call race registrants with a plan for the postponement and new race days due to the snow.

In 2001, SRR went online with races and registrations. In 2002, the only course change since 1986 occurred due to new construction for Shuford Stadium at Catawba. The race was actually moved to Millbridge and the Sloan Park area due to COVID for only the 2021 version.

Course records remain with Olympians Hans Koeleman of the Netherlands with his sizzling 23 minutes and 34 seconds in 1988 and Joan Nesbitt of Chapel Hill in 1992 at 26.48. A Kenyan runner took the male record several years ago but was disqualified for illegal substance abuse in various races more than two years later, so it has reverted to Koeleman, a former Nike executive.

In 2003, the Salisbury Rowan Runners began making significant charitable contributions from the race. All proceeds from the 2023 event will again go to Rowan Helping Ministries.

This year’s New Sarum Brewing Winter Flight event kicks off on Feb. 5 with a free half-mile fun run on the track and open to any age at 1:30 p.m. Wheelchairs hit the street at 1:58 p.m., followed by the 5K and featured 8K race that will start at 2 p.m. Registration is available at www.runsignup.com and by printing the form at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org

Winter Flight offers tremendous opportunities for participation to runners and walkers of all abilities and age. The fun run is open to anyone, the 5K is a moderate distance open to anyone while the 8K is geared to those who can complete the course in 90 minutes. Special thanks to the City of Salisbury for services provided that allow us to have the race!

The SRR/Sidekick Karate Self-Defense Seminar is set for Jan. 21 from 10 a.m.-noon at the Sidekick Karate dojo on Main Street. To reserve your spot or for any questions about Winter Flight, email me at david.freeze@ctc.net

And finally, there has been a huge amount of conversation during the last week about vitamin D deficiency after last week’s column. Signs of low vitamin D levels include fatigue, bone and muscle pain, hair loss, anxiety or depression, and lingering sickness. Sunlight is the best source of D, while food sources are salmon, cod, eggs, and fortified yogurt, orange juice and milk. Vitamin D3 is readily available locally where vitamins are sold.

For more information on these events and others, go to www.salisburyrowanrunner.org.