This week's Memory Monday submission departs from our usual in that we want to take a moment to congratulate all of the runners, organizers an
d supporters of the 5th Annual Outer Banks Marathon, Half Marathon, 8 K race, 5 K race, and Fun Run which was held this past weekend here on the beach!The weather for Sunday's Marathon and half marathon was absolutely gorgeous and perfect for a fast race. Indeed a course record was set in the half marathon as Julius Kogo ran 13.1 miles in an incredible time of 1:02:30, and American John Crews of Raleigh out-kicked two Kenyans to win the Marathon in a time of 2:20:22. Incredible times, and an incredible day on the OBX! Temperatures in the 50's at the start of the race and little if any breeze made for a glorious day for a run and many runners set personal records in addition to having a wonderful time running through four of the towns on the Outer Banks!
The full marathon started in K
itty Hawk and wound through the waterfront of Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills around the Wright Brother's monument, through Nags Head Woods, and around jockey's ridge before continuing through the Village at Nags Head, and across the causeway towards Roanoke Island before ending on the waterfront of Manteo. The OBX Half Marathon started at the 10.5 milepost in Nags Head and followed the same route as the marathon from that point forward. The party band "The Crowd" headlined the entertainment in downtown Manteo where all the finishers were greeted by an enthusiastic crowd of supporters.In a word the many volunteers that helped with the races were "fantastic!" The water stations were cheerfully manned, the mile marker sponsors went all
out to cheer on the runners, and the signs along the race route to give the runners encouragement were very well received. It made all locals proud of the famed Outer Banks hospitality that was on display for all of our visitors.It was reported that in all of the races combined more than 8,000 people participated in the Outer Banks Marathon weekend. Outer Banks Blue was proud to be a marathon expo participant for the 5th consecutive year where we provided "do it yourself" posters for run support. We were also an accommodations sponsor for the race, and we were happy to have many runners stay in our rental properties over the weekend.
We are also proud of our company President, Tim Cafferty who last weekend participated in the New York City Marathon. He was able to recover from last week's race well enough to post a personal record in the Half Marathon on Sunday. Way to go boss!
