2014 Shirt with 33 tribute to Sonny The Twin Bridges 8K Road Race is one of my favorite races in my hometown. The race is part of the North Carolina Seafood Festival that is held the first weekend in October in Morehead City, NC. I've done the race every year but one since my first in 2000. This marked my fourteenth year of running it. The race starts in front of the Beaufort Drawbridge on the Morehead-Beaufort Causeway. It follows Highway 70 West from the Beaufort Drawbridge, over the Beaufort High-rise Bridge into Morehead City, through Morehead City to the Atlantic Beach High-rise Bridge, ending in front of the Bella Pizza & Subs on the Atlantic Beach Causeway. The course is flat minus the two high rise bridges.
I was so excited and happy when I finally won this race last year. This was the first year of the race since Sonny Hyman passed away. He started this race and and was known for running on the bridges. It was weird last year running when he wasn't but he was still alive then. I was so glad I won it and he could read in the Carteret County News Times that I dedicated my win to him. It took me awhile to win this race and it took Sonny 8 years before he finally won his first Twin Bridges. The race shirts had the number 33 on the back of them this year as a tribute of Sonny. 33 and 3 were his lucky numbers. He always got a 3 in his number at local races. I wish the shirts were neon green also, that was his color. That would have been an even better tribute. Sonny is always going to be missed at local races, especially by me.
I've used this race in the past as a tune-up for a fall marathon. This year's race was also a tune-up; but not for a marathon but for the American Tobacco Trail 10 Miler that was serving as the North Carolina 10 Miles State Championship. I had two goals for this race. First, I wanted to win and repeat as winner. It's been awhile since Twin Bridges has had a male repeat winner. My second goal was to break 29:00. I've broke 29:00 once in a 5 miler in Rocky Mount but I haven't done it yet at Twin Bridges.
I was so excited and happy when I finally won this race last year. This was the first year of the race since Sonny Hyman passed away. He started this race and and was known for running on the bridges. It was weird last year running when he wasn't but he was still alive then. I was so glad I won it and he could read in the Carteret County News Times that I dedicated my win to him. It took me awhile to win this race and it took Sonny 8 years before he finally won his first Twin Bridges. The race shirts had the number 33 on the back of them this year as a tribute of Sonny. 33 and 3 were his lucky numbers. He always got a 3 in his number at local races. I wish the shirts were neon green also, that was his color. That would have been an even better tribute. Sonny is always going to be missed at local races, especially by me.
I've used this race in the past as a tune-up for a fall marathon. This year's race was also a tune-up; but not for a marathon but for the American Tobacco Trail 10 Miler that was serving as the North Carolina 10 Miles State Championship. I had two goals for this race. First, I wanted to win and repeat as winner. It's been awhile since Twin Bridges has had a male repeat winner. My second goal was to break 29:00. I've broke 29:00 once in a 5 miler in Rocky Mount but I haven't done it yet at Twin Bridges.
I arrived at the start of the race at my customarily one hour before the start. My Dad went on to the finish line where Jamie would meet him. The temperature was in the low 70s and sunny but the wind was the issue. It was going to be a strong headwind on the point to point course. Of all the years I've ran this race I think we've only had a headwind twice. I knew the wind was going to make sub 29:00 difficult but I felt I could still win a tactical race. I talked with several friends and local runners before I did my dynamic warm-up. After that I headed off on an easy 2 miles warmup with Katherine and Heidi. My friend Anne was also running. Anne and Heidi had a close race last year with Anne edging Heidi at the line for the overall female win. Anne was training for the Table Rock Ultra Marathon later in October while Heidi and Katherine were training for the OBX Marathon in mid November.
Leading on MHC High Rise Bridge. Photo by Sally Kelly The race started and 297 runners headed towards the Morehead City high rise bridge. I was out front with a group of runners right behind me. It was windy and wasn't going to get any better. Katherine was right on my heels, our feet made contact several times and she apologized several times. It didn't bother me because I knew it wasn't on purpose and things like that happen running in a close pack. We started up the Morehead City high rise bridge and I hit the first mile marker in 6:02, not bad considering the wind.
I maintained my lead up and over the bridge but knew there were several runners within a second or two of me. As soon as we came off the bridge I was hoping someone else would take the lead so we could take turns drafting but it didn't happen so I kept leading. The headwind was brutal, steady at 15-20mph, and gusts over that. I ran miles two and three in 6:10 and 6:11. My effort was there but the time was not reflecting it due to the wind. I was still leading and getting annoyed at the runners drafting me. I moved from side to side some on the road after mile 3 hoping to break the draft but where I went, they followed. I even slowed drastically around 3.5 miles hoping to force someone to take the lead but no one did. I think I could have stopped and they would have stopped behind me.
I was feeling fatigued and the wind was taking its toll on me but I was still leading and hoping I would drop the pack drafting me on the final uphill on the AB Bridge. We made the left turn and started up the final bridge. The wind wasn't as bad since it was hitting me more on the right shoulder instead of directly in my face. As we started up the bridge two runners pulled out from behind me and pushed up the bridge as I was doing. They ended up getting ahead of me and a third runner passed before we hit the top, dropping me to 4th place. I ran mile four in 6:19. I did a surge down the bridge and was gaining on 3rd place. 1st and 2nd placed were pulling away.
I maintained my lead up and over the bridge but knew there were several runners within a second or two of me. As soon as we came off the bridge I was hoping someone else would take the lead so we could take turns drafting but it didn't happen so I kept leading. The headwind was brutal, steady at 15-20mph, and gusts over that. I ran miles two and three in 6:10 and 6:11. My effort was there but the time was not reflecting it due to the wind. I was still leading and getting annoyed at the runners drafting me. I moved from side to side some on the road after mile 3 hoping to break the draft but where I went, they followed. I even slowed drastically around 3.5 miles hoping to force someone to take the lead but no one did. I think I could have stopped and they would have stopped behind me.
I was feeling fatigued and the wind was taking its toll on me but I was still leading and hoping I would drop the pack drafting me on the final uphill on the AB Bridge. We made the left turn and started up the final bridge. The wind wasn't as bad since it was hitting me more on the right shoulder instead of directly in my face. As we started up the bridge two runners pulled out from behind me and pushed up the bridge as I was doing. They ended up getting ahead of me and a third runner passed before we hit the top, dropping me to 4th place. I ran mile four in 6:19. I did a surge down the bridge and was gaining on 3rd place. 1st and 2nd placed were pulling away.
Finishing. Photo by Jamie Connerton We came off the bridge and I simply had nothing left and third place was starting to pull away from me. I gave it what I had but finished in 4th place overall in 30:59, one of my slowest times ever at Twin Bridges. The winner was 17 year old Nicholas Walker from Durham in 29:56 in his first Twin Bridges Race. He was the only one under 30:00.
Katherine and I post race with our tribute to Sonny Katherine stayed with me till 3 miles or a little more. Katherine kept me and the lead group in her sights and held on to win the women's race in 31:38 and also finished 5th overall out of 272. Anne was the 2nd female in 32:47 and Heidi was 3rd in 33:23. Anne has the women's course record of 28:05. We all ran slower due to the wind. It was a struggle and a test of strength.
I wrote "Sonny" on my right arm for this race as a tribute to him. I also did it for the Boston Marathon and the Beaufort Road Race this year. I haven't decided if I will keep writing Sonny's name on my arm for future races. I may just do it one more time at the Lookout Rotary Spring Road Race in April if I get to do that race. I haven't been able to do Lookout since I won it in 2010. Sonny helped start that race as well. If I decide to keep writing Sonny's name on my arm it will probably just be at local races in Carteret County. I'll keep wearing his color of choice, neon green, as my tribute to him as well.
An awesome feature the race had this year was video of the finish provided by Run The East. You can view the video at the bottom of this post or directly on YouTube by clicking the link in this paragraph.
I wrote "Sonny" on my right arm for this race as a tribute to him. I also did it for the Boston Marathon and the Beaufort Road Race this year. I haven't decided if I will keep writing Sonny's name on my arm for future races. I may just do it one more time at the Lookout Rotary Spring Road Race in April if I get to do that race. I haven't been able to do Lookout since I won it in 2010. Sonny helped start that race as well. If I decide to keep writing Sonny's name on my arm it will probably just be at local races in Carteret County. I'll keep wearing his color of choice, neon green, as my tribute to him as well.
An awesome feature the race had this year was video of the finish provided by Run The East. You can view the video at the bottom of this post or directly on YouTube by clicking the link in this paragraph.
Jamie, Bud, Me, and Justus post race I was disappointed and mad after this race. I did all the work, leading so long in the wind, just to have them sit and kick on me across the final bridge. It just sucks to lose that way. It's a great racing tactic but it would have been nice if they would have been willing to take turns leading so we could all draft some. Leading so long into the wind beat me up and took it's toll on me. It was my own fault. I'm stubborn and a front runner. I know this race isn't an indicator of my current fitness. My first five miles and my second five miles at the American Tobacco Trail 10 Miler will be faster than this race. I still love this race and it is a must do race. The course is great when it's not a headwind which is rare.
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