The Occoneechee Speedway began as a house racing track that was purchased and converted to auto racing for the inaugural 1949 NASCAR season. Well known drivers like Ned Jarrett and Richard Petty raced there before the track closed in 1968. After being inactive for many years, the track is now used for a car show, the Hillsborough 5K, the Occoneechee Speedway Relay and is part of the Hillsborough Half Marathon course.
Begun as a dare among friends to run 5 miles and to eat 12 doughnuts within an hour, the Krispy Kreme Challenge could only be thought of by college students. From the start at North Carolina State University (State), the race runs through Raleigh to the nearest store where the eating is done then returns to campus. The event raises money for the North Carolina Children’s Hospital that can treat the resulting gastrointestinal problems and is located at the in-state rival University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Carolina).
Inspired by the Krispy Kreme Challenge, the Doughman was started by more crazy college students and features cycling and “swimming” (floating on a intertube in a kiddie pool) in addition to running with food supplied by local restaurants. These students attend Duke University (Duke) which is a rival to both State and Carolina. The event is held in Durham and benefits Seeds which grows healthier food than served at the contest.
The WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, NC also has a cross country course that is popular for running events. There are 18 5K races held annually between April and November with a few of them on the same weekend. It has more 5K races than any other venue in the Raleigh and Durham, NC area which is impressive considering it is a place that is primarily for soccer.
List of 5K Races:
Running Over Cancer 5K – 3 April 2016
Greater Raleigh Young Life 5K – 9 April 2016
Triangle Run to Remember – 24 April 2016
Step on Sepsis – 7 May 2016
Glow in the Park – 3 June 2016
Dress to Impress 5K – 25 June 2016
Run for Liberty – 2 July 2016
Bella Rose Strides for Babies 5K – 6 August 2016
Raleigh Run for Life – 20 August 2016
Good Dude 5K – 21 August 2016
Miles for Melanoma – 28 August 2016
Strike out for Sarcoma – 11 September 2016
Run with the Pack 5K – 24 September 2016
Rotary District 7710 5th Annual Global Run4Water – 25 September 2016
Ellie Helton Memorial 5K – 15 October 2016
Say Boo to Cancer 5K – 22 October 2016
Cary Unity Walk & Fun Run – 12 November 2016
Raleigh GO FAR 5K – 19 November 2016
In the Raleigh-Durham area there are many cycling clubs to ride with. For road riders there is the North Carolina Bike Club and its subculture Slow Spokes, Carolina Tarwheels Bicycling Club and for competitors Tri-Cyclists Bicycle Racing Club. If dirt, rocks and tree roots are more fun, there is Triangle Off-Road Cyclists, the local chapter of the International Mountain Biking Association, and Triangle Mountain Biking Group. There are also a smaller cycling groups that are for a specific group of riders. The local bike stores including Performance Bicycle, Cycling Spoken Here and The Bicycle Chain that organize rides to promote their products and build loyal customers.
The Raleigh-Durham area hosts the City of Oaks Marathon, Tobacco Road Marathon, Umstead Trail Marathon and the Rock n Roll Marathon with each having their own characteristics. The City of Oaks with its combination urban street and greenway course. Tobacco Road run on a former relocated railroad line that became the shaded American Tobacco Trail with its gradual elevation changes. Umstead Trail, as its name implies, running on the bridle and single track trails of Umstead State Park. Rock n Roll, which is part of a series, is mostly an urban street course with live music. With the three races held close together in the spring and one on the fall, it is a challenge to complete all four in a year.
The Wake County government has created a draft Greenway Plan and Map that will fill in gaps, connect to parks & lakes and build links between communities. Take a look at the planned expansion of the greenways.
PeoplePorting, a portmanteau of people and transporting, is a place to get practical and fun information about running, cycling and driving for people located in the Raleigh-Durham, NC area.
