RECREATION & LEISURE
By Randy B. Young
Correspondent
CARRBORO– Out of literally thousands of runners participating in last Thursday’s Thanksgiving morning Gallop and Gorge 8K road race in Carrboro, some came to see friends at what has become a rite of passage and an annual reunion of the local running community. Some ran to offset the caloric intake planned for later that day.
All participants, however, were certainly wishing on their wishbone for self-improvement: PR’s (personal records) in the race. But despite a COVID-19-era lull, the Cardinal Track Club event has boasted an enviable string of PRs in terms of race numbers and popularity. It’s an enviable accomplishment for the quaint, hometown race that is now bigger than many quaint North Carolina hometowns.
The season-ending 4.97-mile race reflected the culmination of another Le Tour de Carrboro series, which included the Four on the Fourth (of July), and October’s Carrboro 10K and newly added 5K.
“That’s the one change this year,” said Cardinal Track Club (CTC) President Tina Clossick. “We had success in the changes this year, adding the 5K (in October), which really increased the overall numbers.
“We also had a lot more people this year at the Gallop & Gorge,” Clossick said. “It was a beautiful day. The signups this year were 1,888—that’s 1,888 who registered. 2019 saw the biggest numbers—when the Gallop and Gorge had almost 2,000 runners—but we’re very close to that this year. I mean, we’re back to pre-COVID in terms of our numbers.”
Gallop and Gorge race director and Cardinal Track Club board member Wayne Eckert was pleased with the Thanksgiving morning race.
“There were no real problems, really,” Eckert said. “I think it went pretty smoothly.”
Participant Joey Pointer wore the appropriate “dressing” for Cardinal Track Club’s Gallop and Gorge Road Race on Thanksgiving. Photo by Randy B. Young
Adulting
Chapel Hill and Carrboro residents know it all too well. Living locally, it’s not too long before you realize that, while you turn a year older every year, the towns stay the same age: roughly 18-22. Still, some folks and some institutions age more gracefully than others. As such, Cardinal Track Club’s Le Tour de Carrboro race series is taking its twenty-first birthday in stride.
“Yeah, amazing,” Clossick said, joking. “The race series is a ‘real adult.’”
The Cardinal Track Club (www.cardinaltrack.com) is a Carrboro / Chapel Hill-based organization dedicated to the enjoyment and promotion of running. Founded in the late 1990’s by Dick Forbis and Bobby Biles, Cardinal offers a wide range of activities designed to cater to various fitness levels, including group road or trail runs in a supportive, motivating environment.
For over two decades, Cardinal has worked with the Community Partners to put on the annual Tour de Carrboro running race series, which is comprised of the Four on the Fourth (July 4 four-mile run), the Carrboro 10K (6.2-mile) and 5K (3.1-mile) typically run on the first Saturday in October, and the Gallop and Gorge 8K (5-mile) on Thanksgiving morning, each beginning and ending in Carrboro.
Now in its 21st year, the Tour de Carrboro race series supports local runners and the community at large, having provided nearly $ 700,000 over the Tour’s first 20 years to community non-profit organizations. In January 2025, Cardinal donated $50,000 to its Community Partners based on revenue from 2024 races.
“This money goes directly back to organizations that give back to the Carrboro/Chapel Hill area themselves,” Tina Clossick said in January. “We look for Community Partners who can support efforts around healthy living, healthy lifestyles, and who are doing good work in the community.”
CTC’s Partners provide volunteers who work alongside the Carrboro Police Department, Public Works, and the race sponsors. 2025 Community Partners include Meals on Wheels, TABLE, the Orange Rape Crisis Center, UNC’s Get Real and Heel, the Optimist Club of Chapel Hill, UNC Therapy, the Carrboro Family Garden, and Boy Scout Troop 845.
First across the finish line at Cardinal Track Club’s Gallop and Gorge 5-mile road race on Thanksgiving was overall winner Tyler Clark (left) in 24:36, while Sarah Jane Kerwin (right) earned first among all females (28:50). Photo by Randy B. Young
“The best of times…”
After a cold front pushed through the night before, Thanksgiving morning dawned crisp and clear—perfect elements for some super race times—and the runners didn’t disappoint.
Taking top honors among the men’s field was Tyler Clark in 24:36, followed by Michael Harris (25:49) and Wyatt Benjamin (26:42). Among females, it was Sarah Jane Kerwin earning gold (28:50), with Samantha Rueckeis (28:58) and Sydney Bagus (30:47) also earning a spot on the medal stand.
“The times were incredibly fast,” Clossick said. “They weren’t records, but they were close to records for both the men and women. Sarah Jane Kerwin did an amazing job of getting close.”
In the first place in the masters males category (ages 40+) was Audie McRae (27:11); among female masters, it was Emily Boles (31:04) taking gold. Among Clydesdales (males, 220+ lbs), Emile Charles (38:47) finished first; in the Athena category (females, 160+ lbs), it was Cara Jones who won (43:48).
Past the finish line
Looking ahead, 2026 will mark the 22nd year for the Cardinal Track Club’s Le Tour de Carrboro race series, which only seems to be gaining momentum, especially with the addition of the Carrboro 5K run alongside the Carrboro 10K, traditionally on the first Saturday in October.
As the Hillsborough Running Club traditionally stages its Hillsborough Half-Marathon and 5K the very next day, Cardinal is working with the club to create a new combined competition which might be a boon for both races and for any runners who might contemplate running both days.
“We’re toying with the idea of actually creating an ‘Orange County Challenge’ for the 10K / 5K time period (that first weekend in October),” Clossick explained, so that we encourage people to do both our race and the Hillsborough race.”
“Yeah, we’re thinking about it seeing if we can get something started,” Eckert agreed.
For further details and race registration information for the upcoming 2026 Le Tour de Carrboro events, visit the Cardinal Track Club website at “https://runsignup.com/w/LeTourdeCarrboro.”
Youths participated in three races in graduated distances along the Libba Cotten Bike Trail in Carrboro. Photo by Randy B. Young
A Dartmouth College graduate, Randy B. Young first worked as an award-winning advertising copywriter in New Hampshire, then in communications at UNC for over 30 years. He maintained an award-winning newspaper feature covering Recreation and Exercise in the Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Orange County. Retired and living in Chapel Hill, Randy continues to write for regional publications both locally and in New England, and his book, And the Stars Flew With Us, is available through Amazon and at independent bookstores. He coaches track at Chapel Hill High and has a photography business, Pierless (sic) Photography. This reporter can be reached at: Information@TheLocalReporter.press
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