The Historic Beaufort Road Race is the longest running race in Carteret County, NC. My friend Sonny Hyman and his wife Taylor started and it ran it for years before turning it over to the Beaufort Ole Towne Rotary Club. The race is known for being hot and humid. It's held the third Saturday in July every year. The courses are flat and fast. The 1 mile and 5K races are a down and back on Front Street. The 10K goes to the end of Front Street, then down Lennoxville Road, Ann Street, Broad St, and finishes on First Street just past the First Citizens Bank. The 10K course can be very hot and humid once you get in the historic district. If you are lucky enough to get a breeze on the waterfront you won't feel it on Ann and Broad Streets. They are shade so that helps a lot.
I've ran the race every year with my first year being in 1997. I ran the 5K from 1997-2007 and then moved up to the 10K. I didn't run the 10K before because it is just brutal in the heat and humidity. The 2007 10K was a good race for me though. I ran a 37:21 for 2nd Overall and just did beat my friend Anne Wheatly by a step for 2nd Overall. I also ran the 10K in 2008, 2009, and 2010. Last year I chose to do the 1 mile road race to do something different and it was also my first ever one mile road race. I also paced Sonny Hyman in the 5K last year.
I decided to run the 1 mile race again this year to try and beat my 5:18 from last year. I trained through the race last year and did 4X1600m with an 800 jog between in 5:40 average. This year I only did 4x400 and 4X200 on Tuesday and ran easy the rest of the week before Beaufort on July 21. The weather was cloudy but humid when my Dad and I arrived around 6:50 AM. The air temperature was 83 degrees but the heat index was already 90 degrees at 7am. I ran an easy warm-up mile on Ann Street before making my way over to the staring line.
I've ran the race every year with my first year being in 1997. I ran the 5K from 1997-2007 and then moved up to the 10K. I didn't run the 10K before because it is just brutal in the heat and humidity. The 2007 10K was a good race for me though. I ran a 37:21 for 2nd Overall and just did beat my friend Anne Wheatly by a step for 2nd Overall. I also ran the 10K in 2008, 2009, and 2010. Last year I chose to do the 1 mile road race to do something different and it was also my first ever one mile road race. I also paced Sonny Hyman in the 5K last year.
I decided to run the 1 mile race again this year to try and beat my 5:18 from last year. I trained through the race last year and did 4X1600m with an 800 jog between in 5:40 average. This year I only did 4x400 and 4X200 on Tuesday and ran easy the rest of the week before Beaufort on July 21. The weather was cloudy but humid when my Dad and I arrived around 6:50 AM. The air temperature was 83 degrees but the heat index was already 90 degrees at 7am. I ran an easy warm-up mile on Ann Street before making my way over to the staring line.
Start of the Mile The mile started at 7:30 AM and the wind was steadily blowing a round 20mph and gusts over 30mph. It would be a strong head wind coming towards the finish. The gun went off and I was out fast. Ricky Bell and another runner were leading but I was right behind them. Ricky has won the mile the previous eight years in a row at Beaufort. My legs felt weird trying to go so fast. I don't think they were caught up with as fast as I wanted to go because they wobbled some.
I was feeling good after the first quarter mile. Ricky and the other runner were pulling away but I kept running hard to beat my time from last year. I hit the turn around in 2:30. I may have went out a little too fast but thought I could still run a sub 5:15. The wind was tough coming back though. I kept trying to pick it up but I just didn't have another gear in me. I ended up finishing in 3rd place overall in 5:21. Ricky won his ninth consecutive Beaufort mile in 4:49.
I was feeling good after the first quarter mile. Ricky and the other runner were pulling away but I kept running hard to beat my time from last year. I hit the turn around in 2:30. I may have went out a little too fast but thought I could still run a sub 5:15. The wind was tough coming back though. I kept trying to pick it up but I just didn't have another gear in me. I ended up finishing in 3rd place overall in 5:21. Ricky won his ninth consecutive Beaufort mile in 4:49.
Finishing 3rd in the Mile I was disappointed I didn't beat my time from last year. The wind was tough. I've only done a few track workouts all summer so I didn't train for the mile. I like to think I could still break 5:00 minutes in the mile if I trained more for it. I liked the old mile course better too. The old course was a nice loop instead of an out and back.
The cloud cover helped but the sun started to come out as I lined up for the start of the 5K and 10K. I was going to pace Sonny Hyman again in the 5K. I started training with Sonny my summer before my senior year in high school. I became a much better runner and continued to train with him whenever I was home from college. He's had a big impact on my life, not just improving my running. I consider Sonny a close friend and he's always been a great friend to my family as well. I don't get to run with Sonny as much as I used to so it is fun getting to run side by side with him at one of the races he founded.
I had several friends running in the 5K too. A personal training client of mine, Melanie Ng, decided the day before to run the road race. She has set a new personal record in every race she's ran since I started training her in April. She's improved a lot and still surprises me with her times on courses or in conditions I didn't think were PR worthy. She ran a great race and won the women's race in 20:04, another PR for her. She would have broken 20 minutes if she didn't have to battle the strong head wind the last half. The runner that got second to Ricky in the 1 mile also got 2nd in the 5K. I don't think anyone has ever won the mile and 5K at Beaufort before.
The cloud cover helped but the sun started to come out as I lined up for the start of the 5K and 10K. I was going to pace Sonny Hyman again in the 5K. I started training with Sonny my summer before my senior year in high school. I became a much better runner and continued to train with him whenever I was home from college. He's had a big impact on my life, not just improving my running. I consider Sonny a close friend and he's always been a great friend to my family as well. I don't get to run with Sonny as much as I used to so it is fun getting to run side by side with him at one of the races he founded.
I had several friends running in the 5K too. A personal training client of mine, Melanie Ng, decided the day before to run the road race. She has set a new personal record in every race she's ran since I started training her in April. She's improved a lot and still surprises me with her times on courses or in conditions I didn't think were PR worthy. She ran a great race and won the women's race in 20:04, another PR for her. She would have broken 20 minutes if she didn't have to battle the strong head wind the last half. The runner that got second to Ricky in the 1 mile also got 2nd in the 5K. I don't think anyone has ever won the mile and 5K at Beaufort before.
Me, Melanie, and Ryan post race I'm not sure what I will run at Beaufort next year but I may take another shot at trying to win the 10K after running the mile this year and last year. My last year running the 10K at Beaufort was 2010. The three original road races in Caretet County are the Lookout Rotary Spring Road Race, Historic Beaufort Road Race, and Twin Bridges 8K Road Race. I won the 10K at the Lookout Road Race in 2010 in my tenth consecutive year of trying to win that race. I want to win Beaufort and Twin Bridges as well. It took Sonny eight consecutive years of getting second place overall before he won Twin Bridges.
In terms of total participants the Historic Beaufort Road Race is the largest race in Carteret County. It's great to see the race still going strong after 33 years.
A total of 750 runners and walkers participated in Beaufort this year. The record is 876 from last year's race.
In terms of total participants the Historic Beaufort Road Race is the largest race in Carteret County. It's great to see the race still going strong after 33 years.
A total of 750 runners and walkers participated in Beaufort this year. The record is 876 from last year's race.
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