Runners go full-out for half-marathon – Mount Airy News
Runners go full-out for half-marathon Mount Airy News
Runners in Saturday’s half-marathon fill North Main Street downtown as they begin a grueling 13.1-mile trek also incorporating the city greenway network. Tom Joyce | The News
Runners in Saturday’s half-marathon fill North Main Street downtown as they begin a grueling 13.1-mile trek also incorporating the city greenway network. – Tom Joyce | The News
Half-marathon winner Matt Grannis of Winston-Salem streaks past the finish line at Riverside Park. – Tom Joyce | The News
A festive atmosphere prevails at the park at the end of the Mayberry Half-Marathon, 10K and 5K. – Tom Joyce | The News
Veteran local runner Steve Driver, 71, is shown just before participating in the half-marathon. – – Tom Joyce | The News
A chapter of Ainsley’s Angels from Catawba County, made up of disabled persons, prepares to take part in Saturday’s races. – – Tom Joyce | The NewsMatt Grannis rode about 35 miles to Mount Airy just so he could run for another 13.
But the investment of time, money and effort made in each mode of transportation paid off for Grannis Saturday when he finished first overall in the main event of the Mayberry Half-Marathon, 10K and 5K.
Grannis, 41, of Winston-Salem, covered the 13.1-mile half-marathon segment of the three-pronged event in one hour, 21 minutes and 21 seconds, more than a minute quicker than second-place winner Jerrod Huffman of Greensboro.
“It’s a great course,” only a slightly out-of-breath Grannis said shortly after crossing the finish line at Riverside Park. The grueling half-marathon had started in downtown Mount Airy, progressed to Riverside Park and wound its around the city’s greenway system back to the park where an enthusiastic throng greeted finishers.
“Just a tempo race, I would say,” said the Winston-Salem runner, echoing the course’s popularity as one that’s flat and fast. Grannis has participated in the sport for 10 years, but was running in the Mayberry Half-Marathon for the first time.
Maleah Pinyan, 31, of Salisbury, was tops among female competitors with a time of 1:25:07, good for sixth place overall.
“Outstanding turnout”
Along with the individual winners was the 12th-annual event itself, which drew a record field of 822 runners for all three races that started on a staggered schedule from the Main Oak Emporium building downtown as crowds of onlookers cheered.
That number easily outpaced what had been the previous all-time high for race registrants, 721 in 2018.
“Outstanding turnout,” Mount Airy Parks and Recreation Director Darren Lewis said in proclaiming the success of this year’s Mayberry Half-Marathon, 10K and 5K.
“We could not have asked for a better turnout,” Lewis added regarding the gathering his department organizes, one requiring about 40 volunteers to stage along with local police, fire and rescue squad personnel.
“The event continues to grow every year,” the park and rec director said, “an event basically for anybody and their family.”
Figures show that 439 of the 822 total runners participated in the half-marathon, when one might think the shorter 10K (6.2 miles) and 5K (3.1 miles) might be more preferred. Lewis says many half-marathoners are drawn to the Mount Airy event because of the course layout that promotes faster times compared to other places.
In the days leading up to the races, he had reported that 18 states were represented among early registration results. These included North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware, Ohio, Michigan, Vermont, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Indiana and Texas.
Lewis reiterated Saturday that this translates into a big boost for the local economy from a sports-tourism standpoint.
He also said the weather for the trio of races was hard to beat, relatively speaking, with highs in the upper 30s and dry conditions. Cooler air tends to be coveted by runners, who upon getting over the initial shock find it somewhat soothing once their bodies build up heat.
Age no obstacle
All age groups had a presence among the competitors in the three events, including four in the 70-plus category who laced up for the half-marathon — one who is 75.
The pacesetter for that group was Steve Driver, 71, of Mount Airy, who was 144th overall in the 13.1-mile trek with a time of two hours and one second.
“He’s a legend,” Lewis said of Driver, who in his opinion is the best runner in the history of Mount Airy, with a “track” record of marathon success.
“I ran my first marathon in 1978,” said Driver, who has competed in about 40 of those events altogether.
This included the last Boston Marathon in April, which didn’t go so well for the local man due to tripping over a pothole at around the 22-mile mark and falling flat on his face. “It took about 20 stitches,” Driver said of the wound resulting.
That was meant to be his last marathon in Beantown, yet one suspects the local man might give it another go because of what happened the last time around.
But Driver has gone largely unscathed during a lengthy running career.
“I’ve been pretty fortunate, really,” he said while preparing for Saturday’s half-marathon.
“Now my left leg is bothering me a little,” he disclosed. “But I’ve never really had any injury or illness problems.”
Driver, who moved to Mount Airy in 1971 and is retired from the hosiery industry, has gotten much out of the sport of running when it comes to health and other benefits.
“And I enjoy it,” he said, which was the case on Saturday. “I just want to go out and run with people.”
Steve Driver could be considered an inspiration to the senior citizen crowd concerning the need to stay active.
“My advice is just to go out and do something.”
Special-needs participants
Another group of athletes providing an inspiration for the Mayberry Half-Marathon, 10K and 5K was Ainsley’s Angels.
Ainsley’s Angels of America has a presence in 35 states, with a chapter from Catawba County, in the Hickory-Newton area, marking the debut of Ainsley’s Angels at the Mount Airy event on Saturday.
Its membership is made up of disabled people, but who don’t let that stop them — including using self-propelled conveyances such as specially made bicycles to run half-marathons, 10Ks and 5Ks as teams.
“We have a few that walk-run,” explained Tony Mullen of Claremont, a spokesman for the Catawba County-based group that regularly takes part in such races. “We come and try to educate the public and try to advocate for people with disabilities.”
One focus is encouraging special athletes to not sit on the sidelines, according to Mullen.
Ainsley’s Angels is named for the late Ainsley Rossiter, a little girl who loved running despite being stricken with Infantile Neuroaxonal Dystrophy (INAD) — an extremely rare terminal illness associated with paralysis.
Other winners
• Two local runners placed in the top 10 in the half-marathon, Jacob Cooke, 32, who was fourth with a time of one hour, 24 minutes and 21 seconds, and Tom Pobgee, 59, whose 1:27:20 time was good for 10th place. Both live in Mount Airy.
• Austin Eaton, 16, of Ararat, Virginia, was first overall in Saturday’s 10K race, covering the 6.2-mile distance in 35 minutes, 49 seconds.
Sonya Kiziah, 45, of Taylorsville, was the top female finisher at 43:51 and fifth overall.
• In the Mayberry 5K race, Matt Shock, 37, of Boone, won with a time of 16:09.
Lindsey Scott, 28, of Kernersville, was first among females and 14th overall at 23:23.
Tom Joyce may be reached at 336-415-4693 or on Twitter @Me_Reporter.