The seventh annual Tar Heel 10 Miler and 4 Mile Run brought people from all over the country to run through Downtown Chapel Hill, and it even brought some people back to the Hill.
“Just an incredible experience,” said Luke Holman, who was the first person to cross the finish line of the four-mile run. “I gradated from UNC’s business school last year, so it’s always great to come back and be in Kenan Stadium. It’s an awesome day to be a Tar Heel.”
He ran the ten-mile race last year. He said he loves the fact that everyone gets involved along the course to cheer on the runners.
“There was great support out there,” Holman said. “Someone with a giant horn out there about 200 yards into it playing the Olympic theme song. So, it’s real encouraging out there. There (was) great community support out here and great support from the race.”
Severe thunderstorms Friday set up perfect weather for the race. At the start, temperatures were around 52 degrees under clear skies. By the end of the race, it reached the mid 60s.
First-place female finisher in the four-mile run, Jennifer Houck (recently married and listed as Jennifer Zwick) said Friday night’s storms created perfect conditions Saturday morning.
“I was nervous, because I ran the Rock & Roll two weeks ago, and I do not run well in humidity,” Houck said. “I thought it was great today. I thought the humidity was lower than (what) they originally expected.”
Houck and her husband recently moved to the area from Minnesota.
Duriel Hardy won the ten-mile race with a time of 52 minutes.
Charlotte resident Matt Longworth also ran a sub-one-hour ten-miler. He ran last year and said he liked the changes that were made to the course this year.
“It was different with the turns; there were a lot more turns this year,” Longworth said. “I liked the position of the hill: it was closer to the end, so you’re going all out. So that was definitely an improvement.”
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