Local runner Tom Clifford said “championship weather” contributed to the personal record he achieved during the inaugural Wrightsville Beach Valentine’s 10K Feb. 13.
Clifford, who is training for the Boston Marathon, averaged 5:07-minute miles while beating 256 other runners to the finish line in 31:45. Hugh Crews finished second in 32:48 and Christa Iammarino was third in 37:17.
The air temperature was barely above freezing when the race started at 9 a.m. in Wrightsville Beach Park but Clifford said the chill helped.
“You don’t overheat,” he said. “You can thermo-regulate, so if you get warm you can take your hat off or take your gloves off.”
The 6.2-mile course took racers down Causeway Drive to a turnaround point at the end of Waynick Boulevard. Clifford said some people find out-and-back races to be mentally challenging because they reach the turnaround and think, “I have to do the exact same thing again,” but he believes the format helps with pacing.
“You can see how the first 5K and second 5K fare,” he said.
Clifford is an integral part of Wilmington’s running community as owner and coach at running business Without Limits. Many of the athletes he runs with are training for the Quintiles Wrightsville Beach Marathon March 20, and between 20 and 30 of them used the Valentine’s 10K as a tune-up.
They work out together regularly, but Clifford said a few competitive races should also be incorporated into training.
“It’s always good to get two or three solid races in before your ‘A-race,’” he said. “You can’t ever mimic a race in a workout.”
First-place female finisher and Without Limits runner Iammarino is following that strategy. She’s running a half marathon in two weeks to prepare for the full Wrightsville Beach Marathon.
She hasn’t run a race in about four years, she said, so she wants to build up to a marathon distance.
While the race drew some of Wilmington’s most dedicated runners, the event also incorporated a fun aspect for the less serious athletes. To encourage participants to dress in Valentine’s colors, the event awarded prizes for best individual Valentine costume and best couple’s Valentine costume.
Proceeds from the race benefitted Wrightsville Beach’s Parks and Recreation Department, and parks and recreation program supervisor Katie Ryan said this year’s funds would cover the 2016 WECT Sounds of Summer Concert Series. The concerts, which are free to the public, feature live music in Wrightsville Beach Park every Thursday evening during the summer.
Ryan said she hopes as the race gains popularity it will be able to fund some of the department’s many other projects around the island as well. Based on how well this year’s race went, she already has a date — Feb. 11 — picked out for the 2017 event.
“For the first year, we’re really excited,” she said. “We’ve been getting good feedback, and they really like the course.”
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