Runners and walkers from all over the Southeast will descend on Salisbury on Saturday, Feb. 8, for the 31st annual Novant Health Winter Flight 8K.
It will be the Road Runners Club of America 8K state championship and a featured event on the Running Journal Grand Prix Tour, a series throughout the Southeast.
A 5K health walk and the kids’ half-mile fun run also are sponsored by Novant Health.
The fun run will be first at 9:30 a.m, followed by the competitive 8K at 10 a.m. and the 5K (3.1 miles) health walk at 10:05 a.m. The walk is untimed, but participants are encouraged to enter this event by the Salisbury Police Department.
The free fun run for those 12 and under is new this year and all participants get a medal.
Rowan Helping Ministries will be the recipient of all proceeds. Catawba College will serve as race host, continuing a long relationship with Winter Flight. Registration will be held in Goodman Gym from 8 a.m. through 9:45 a.m.
Awards will be given in 15 age groups for males and females in the 8K, which has multiple race bonuses available. The top male and female finishers each get $100. Incentive awards of $25 go the first male and female at the one mile mark, provided they finish the race. An additional $25 goes to the first male and female finishers from Rowan County. A $250 bonus is also available for a new course record. Current course records are 23 minutes and 35 seconds for males and 26 minutes and 48 seconds for females.
All 8K and 5K participants get a commemorative dri-fit shirt. Door prizes will also be given at the awards ceremony.
Special Road Runners Club of America state championship awards will be given to top overall, masters (age 40 and over), grand masters (age 50 and over) and senior grand masters (age 60 and over).
Sponsors include Novant Health, Catawba College, Rowan Helping Ministries, city of Salisbury, Fowler Physical Therapy, Walgreen’s, attorney Earle Koontz, Med Express, Civitans of Salisbury, Sheetz, Cheerwine, Community Grocery of Cleveland, Cleveland Drug, The Forum of Salisbury, accountant Brent Parks, The Salisbury Post and Marathon Xerox Printing.
The 8K course starts near the corner of Summit and Yost streets. Participants turn right on Statesville Boulevard, right on Milford Hills Drive, right on Jake Alexander Boulevard extension, right on U.S. 601/ Innes Street, and a final right into the Catawba College campus on North Park Drive. The race ends on the track inside Shuford Stadium. A special waiver has been given by North Carolina Department of Transportation to allow use of U.S. 601/Innes Street for the race, even though bridge construction is planned for the area.
The event is organized and managed by the Salisbury Rowan Runners. Online registration is available at www.sportoften.com. A printable race brochure is available at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org.
Additional information is available by calling 704-310-6741.