Outer Banks Marathon Archives - Joe Lamb Jr. & Associates

Perfect Running Weather Greets Outer Banks Marathon Runners

Marathon runners jog along the Kitty Hawk multi-use path by Kitty Hawk Bay.

Just before the weather breaks and becomes bitterly cold with 30 mile per hour winds, we got the Outer Banks Marathon in yesterday. And the weather was a close to perfect as it could have been.

There were actually two long distance races on the Outer Banks on Sunday. The Outer Banks Marathon linking Kitty Hawk with Manteo and the Southern Fried Half Marathon that begins at Jockeys Ridge.

Both races end in downtown Manteo, which is not a bad place to end a 13 or 26 mile race.

There was almost no wind during the race. Not a cloud in the sky and the temperatures never quite got to 60 degrees. With the races beginning at 7:00 in the morning, conditions truly were close to ideal.

There were over 550 marathon runners this year. The half marathon attracted around three times that number. That’s been a trend for a while, that in longer distances the half marathon has been gaining in popularity.

In the men’s division Byan Morseman from Bath, NY and Harrison Kirigwi really seemed to fight for the lead the whole way. Morseman won with a winning time of 2:28. Kirgwi finshed about two minutes behind him. The next finisher didn’t cross the finish line until 11 minutes later.

In the women’s division Jaqueline Alnes won with a time of 3:07:09.

The Marathons course especially is a beautiful tour of the Outer Banks. Over heard from a marathon runner as she passed Kitty Hawk Bay: “What is this body of water? It’s beautiful.”

Which may be why runners keep coming back.

Is it time for a romantic week on the Outer Banks? Or maybe a holiday getaway with the family. Whatever the plans may bee a stay with Joe Lamb, Jr. & Associates is the perfect place to begin.

Runners Take Advantage of Great Condition at OBX Marathon

The joy of running the Outer Banks Marathon. Still smiling early in the 26.3 mile journey.

A Beautiful Day Greets Marathon and Half Marathon Runners

Combine near perfect conditions with very good runners and the result is some excellent times for the Outer Banks Marathon and Southern Fried Half Marathon held today–Sunday.

The winning time for the Marathon was really fast—2:26:36. That’s an average of 5:35 per mile. To put that in perspective, the winning time for the Half Marathon was 1:11:05. That translates to a 5:25 mile—just ten seconds faster for a course that’s twice as long.

When conditions are as good as they were today—Sunday—that’s what happens.

Although it’s called the Outer Banks Marathon, it’s really the Outer Banks Marathon Weekend, with activities for the whole family on Saturday and Sunday. How strong the family connections with running are is clear at the finish line for the Marathon and Half Marathon in Manteo. Runners with their kids seem to be everywhere.

That has been what Outer Banks Sporting Events, the sponsor and organizer of the event envisioned when the whole weekend was set aside as a time for families to celebrate running and fitness.

Saturday is very much given over to family events, and they are very well-attended. The diaper dash and one mile fun runs are really about letting the youngest children learn about the joy of running, but even the timed events on Saturday favor younger athletes.

Looking over the leaderboards from the 5K, Southern 6 and OBX 8K it is obvious that teenagers love to run and they are participating.

It was nice to see also that local runners did well this year. The number three finisher in the Marathon was Dillon Pope from Kill Devil Hills. Kate Pullen from Buxton was the top female finisher in the OBX 5K.

Kate was also on the winning Marathon four person team, NE X SW.

The 2019 Outer Banks Marathon Weekend is November 9 and 10, but there is no need to wait that long to visit. Check out Joe Lamb, Jr. & Associates listings and stop by the Outer Banks any time of the year.

This Weekend Features the Outer Banks Marathon Events

Outer Banks Marathon runners passing the Wright Brothers Monument. — Runners passing the Wright Brothers Monument.

It’s Veteran’s Day Weekend, which means on the Outer Banks it’s also Outer Banks Marathon Weekend.

What is now Marathon Weekend began as just the Marathon in 2006 with two goals in mind—get people to the Outer Banks in the off season and help fund the Dare Education Foundation, a local nonprofit that supports the school system.

Over the years it has grown and added another nonprofit—the Outer Banks Relief Foundation.

It is no longer just the Outer Banks Marathon, although that is the premier event. Sunday is the headline races, with the Southern Fried Half Marathon beginning at 7:00 a.m. at Jockey’s Ridge in Nags Head and the Marathon kicking off at 7:20 in Kitty Hawk.

Saturday though is the family day, the time when all the shorter fun races are held. For runners who want a timed race and a bit of a challenge, there’s a 5K and 8K. For families and and especially the youngest runners of all, there are two Diaper Dash races and a one mile fun run.

Sunday is the day for the more serious runners, although there are some pretty outrageous costumes mixed in with the hardcore running equipment.

What seems to set the Outer Banks Marathon apart, according to numerous reviews, is how beautiful the course is.

The race begins beneath the heavily forested canopy of Kitty Hawk Woods on the Woods Road, through a residential area to parallel Kitty Hawk Bay before circling the Wright Brothers Monument. The packed dirt roads of Nags Head Woods are next and that may be the most beautiful part of the course.

The race ends in downtown Manteo, with it’s classic small town look and feel.

There are a couple of challenges on the course. Nags Head Woods is a little bit hilly, but the real heartbreaker comes at mile 23—the Washington Baum Bridge, 640’ of a 4% grade connecting the Outer Banks with Roanoke Island.

The difficulties aside, runners have been almost universal in their praise of local support and organization.

The Outer Banks Marathon is a Boston Marathon qualifying race.

The Holidays are coming and there is no better place to spend time with family than the Outer Banks. Check out our listings at Joe Lamb, Jr. & Associates.

Kitty Hawk Looks to Restore Soundside Shoreline

Overwash from a March storm made Moor Shore Road impassable.

Last month a storm blew into the Outer Banks from the west. As Outer Banks storms go, it wasn’t particularly memorable.

The wind blew hard from the west; there was about a half inch of rain and temperatures hovered around 50 degrees.

What the storm did do, though, what push water into Kitty Hawk Bay—that’s what west winds do— and that water overwashed Moor Shore Road, a low-lying street along the water.

Kitty Hawk Bay Overwash

The overwash has become increasingly common.

In a presentation to the Kitty Hawk Town Council earlier this month, Michelle Clower, Coastal Specialist with the North Carolina Coastal Federation noted that NOAA observations indicate the shoreline in along Moor Shore Road is eroding at 1’ per year.

At the presentation, Clower discussed two plans for shoreline restoration.

The simplest plan would restore approximately 400’ of shoreline. The complete plan would encompass 866’ and would restore and protect the shoreline along the entire length of Moor Shore Road from the bridge at the north end of the problem area to the multi-use path on the south end.

Project Details

One of the reasons the Coastal Federation felt the Moor Shore project was particularly important are the many uses of the road.

Although a secondary road that sees little traffic, it is an important part of the bike trails that link Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills as well as being part of the Outer Banks Marathon route. This weekend, it will be part of the Flying Pirate Half Marathon.

The smaller project has a cost of $70,000. The larger project would cost the town about $145,000.

Kitty Hawk Mayor Garry Perry, speaking for the Town Council, felt the larger project was the better choice, noting the longterm cost would be considerably less because of the greater protection it offered.

Perry indicated the Council would examine the issue in its budget workshop in May and see if the moneys could be found in the upcoming budget.

Perfect Conditions Greet OBX Marathon Runners

Marathoners on the multi-use path by Kitty Hawk Bay.

It would be hard to imagine better weather for the 11th running of the Outer Banks marathon. Cool temperatures at the start on Kitty Hawk Road, almost no wind for the entire time and beautiful sunshine.

Blair Teal from Charlotte, North Carolina posted the best time crossing the finish line in Manteo at 2:22. For the women it was Svetlana Pretot from Morristown, New Jersey finishing at 2:53.

A regular part of the Outer Banks Veterans Day mix, the Outer Banks Marathon has become far more than a one race and done race. Organized by Outer Banks Sporting Events, over the past ten years since the first race was run, the event has become a weekend extravaganza featuring the Southern Fried Half Marathon—which had over 2400 participants this year—as well as everything from a Family Fun Run to the Southern 6 Run, which is almost a 10k.

Widely seen praised as one of the most beautiful marathons on the circuit, it is a qualifying heat for the Boston Marathon.

The starting line is on the Woods Road in Kitty Hawk under the canopy of the hardwood trees of Kitty Hawk Woods. The route parallels Kitty Hawk Bay, eventually winding through Nags Head Woods.

The finish line on the waterfront in Mateo is adds to the flavor of a unique Outer Banks experience.

The Outer Banks Marathon began its life as an offseason reason for visitors to come to the Outer Banks and a fundraiser for the Dare Education Foundation. Over the years it has grown in popularity and its success has enabled the OBSE to fund two Outer Banks nonprofits—the DEF and the Outer Banks Relief Foundation.

A Different Side to the Outer Banks

Back in 1584, Arthur Barlowe, who was part explorer and part public relations agent for Sir Walter Raleigh looked out over the Outer Banks and wrote when he returned to England, “Under the banke or hill whereon we stoode, we behelde the vallyes replenished with goodly Cedar trees . . .”

It’s a little difficult to know exactly where he was standing but it’s just about a sure bet that the “banke or hill” he stood upon was a large sand dune and he was looking west at a maritime forest.

Maritime forest occur on the leeward side of sand dunes. Protected from the most damaging of the ocean’s winds, remarkable diverse forest take root. Along the swamps and marsh at the lowest levels, cedar trees do grow. But there are also hardwood trees growing on the ridges. The ridges are actually relict sand dunes that have accumulated soil over the past 6000-7000 years.

At one time, a continuous maritime forest stretched from Southern Shores to Jockey’s Ridge, but development and the shifting environment that is a normal part of the evolution of a barrier island has reduced what was once a massive woodlands.

There are a number of protected maritime forests on the Outer Banks. One of the most accessible and the largest is Kitty Hawk Woods.

The Woods Road in Kitty Hawk, which is where the Outer Banks Marathon begins, goes through the heart of the reserve. There is also a multi-use path that parallels the road.

For the more adventurous, there are hiking or walking paths in the park. Suitable for almost anyone six years of age and up, they are a great way to learn about a side of the Outer Banks that is often overlooked.

In the summer, insect repellant is a necessity for walking the trails.

Click here for a trail map.

#joelamb,jr. #kittyhawkwoods

Joe Lamb, Jr. Outer Banks Review of 2015

By any standards, 2015 was a good year on the Outer Banks. Final figures aren’t in yet, but unless November and December post a negative number of people coming to the Outer Banks, visitor spending will set new records. The housing market is back on its feet again. There has been steady improvement for the past five years, and 2015 seems to be the year we can safely say it has come back; new construction is significantly up over 2014, the number of properties sold passed 2014 in November and we’re still waiting for the December figures to finalize the year.

There was other good news as well. NCDOT and the Southern Environmental Law Center reached an agreement that halted lawsuits preventing a replacement for the aging Bonner Bridge over Oregon Inlet. NCDOT also decided to accelerate the timetable for the Mid Currituck Bridge and with any luck there will be traffic relief in Southern Currituck and Southern Shores by 2021.

We gathered a some of the headlines from bigger events by month to look back over 2015. Some are significant; some remind us how much fun it is to be on the Outer Banks.

January

Wedding Expo Best Attended Yet

Weddings and events are big business on the Outer Banks and the 2015 Expo brought brides, grooms and their entourage from all over the US. This year’s Outer Banks Wedding Association’s Wedding Expo is January 16-17.

February

Possibility of Offshore Wind Energy in NC Future

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced lease sites for offshore wind energy development. Located 28 miles offshore, the Kitty Hawk site is one of the potentially most productive on the East Coast.

March

OBX Opposition Grows to Offshore Oil & Gas

With the news that BOEM was going to reopen the Eastern Seaboard to offshore drilling, a unified Outer Banks rose up in protest. The issue is still undecided, with surveys of potential drilling sites not yet finished.

The Joe Lamb Jr., & Associates BBQ & WINGS Showdown

Part of the Outer Banks Taste of the Beach, the Joe Lamb Jr., & Associates BBQ & Wings Showdown packed them in. Well, we couldn’t help but pack them is since it rained that day and we had to hold the whole event in a giant tent, but we would have packed them in anyway. This year’s Taste of the Beach is March 17-20.

April

A Special Day for OBX Special Olympics

Held the last Saturday in April, the Dare County Special Olympics brought together over 200 athletes in a remarkable display of love, family and competitive effort.

May

OBX Brewfest

The first of what we can only hope is many OBX Brewfests. Great beer, great music and a wonderful atmosphere. The initial event for the refurbished and expanded Outer Banks Event Site, the setting could not have been any better. Look for the 2016 version over Memorial Day Weekend.

June

Bonner Bridge

An historic and hard fought settlement between the SELC and the NCDOT put an end to the litigation holding up construction of the replacement for the Bonner Bridge. The bridge, built in 1964 originally had an 40 life span. Construction for the replacement span should begin this spring.

July

Jefferson Starship

Under the heading of what’s old is new, Jefferson Starship made an appearance at the Lost Colony. Amazing that after all these years, they still sound as fresh and new as ever.

August

34th New World Festival of the Arts

Back in 1981 Edward Greene, owner of the Christmas Shop in Manteo, felt there had to be some way to get people to come to the town so he introduced the Outer Banks to the New World Festival of the Arts. He’s handed it off to the Dare County Arts Council—Edward is 91 and wants to slow down a bit—but the festival is still a marvelous combination of craft and high art.

September

Mother Nature Forces OBX Cancellations

Mother Nature really threw a curve at us in September. Hurricane Joaquin started to come this way then veered out to sea and that was followed by an early season nor’easter. Quite a number of events had to be cancelled and the Beach Road north of Black Pelican in Kitty Hawk was washed out for the second time in 2015.

October

Brewtag-Can Beer Kegs Fly?

The short answer is apparently not—or at least not well. But the event, sponsored by Kitty Hawk Kites, was a lot of fun.

November

10th Annual Outer Banks Marathon This Weekend

Blossoming from a single event 10 years ago to a weekend of family fitness time with races from fun runs to the Marathon. Near record times in 2015. The 2016 Marathon Weekend will be November 11-13.

December

New Town Council in Southern Shores

Capping a year of turmoil a new town council was seated in Southern Shores with three the three incumbents standing for re-election voted out of office.

Record Warmth for the Month

More like spring or early fall that winter, the Outer Banks experienced 60 and 70 degree daytime temperatures all month. The fishing was great, the surfing ok—there wasn’t a lot to stir up the ocean—but the spirit of the holidays was alive and well.

Tag: Outer Banks Marathon