It wasn’t the race Brian Mister had planned, but the form and energy it embodied stayed true to what Around the Crown 10K was created to be – an opportunity for runners to see the city in a new way, at a speed and from a vantage point they could enjoy.
“Everyone loved the route,” says Mister, the ATC10K’s creator and director. “Our route was something we were passionate about. We wanted to create a safe route while showing runners parts of the Queen City they’ve never seen before.”
“Partners for Parks once again was the main beneficiary of the race, and the route stayed true to the partnership of Breathing Life Into Our Community. Runners utilized greenways, shared streets, cemeteries, and sidewalks to keep everyone protected while taking in the skyline from nearly every inch of the course”, says Mister.
“It was definitely a unique way to run around the crown,” he added.
The inaugural Around the Crown 10K was a resounding success in 2019. Nearly 5,000 runners took to I-277 around uptown Charlotte in the first-of-its kind race. The excitement was there, and runners were eager to do it again. But like other road races in 2020, the encore trip around uptown for ATC 10K had to first be postponed, then changed completely to another form to preserve the health and safety of participants. In a move to mirror the creativity of the original race, Truist Time Trials were born.
Runners signed-up for a 30-minute window during the week and started their run at any point during their reservation time from the Start/Finish area at Camp North End. They also chose their own route, but many liked the feeling of community that the given route provided. The Truist Time Trials also offered options to run the race a second time to improve your time, or run it 5 times for a 50k. Runners loved the new ideas.
“There were definitely a lot of challenges in 2020, but our small team is made up of passionate runners, and we knew we wanted to create something special for the people of Charlotte,” says Mister. “We’re here for our community and they were here for us. The runners and sponsors in Charlotte showed up to support us and we greatly appreciate it.” More than 2,000 runners signed up to ‘go for it’ in the unique new format.
Mister and Sponsorship Director Brittany Yoho heard great feedback:
“I was running alone, but I could feel the entire community with me,” said one runner.
“Absolutely amazing week,” said another. “I crossed the finish line six times, but this one was by far my favorite! Amazing job by the whole ATC10K team!”
“Congrats to everybody who ran the @aroundthecrown10k Truist Time Trials this week! Life gave them lemons this year and the week-long event that they created was commendable.”
Yes, in a year of lemons, ATC 10K made some sweet lemonade. They also made an incredible impact for their sponsors, with 33,602 impressions on social media in the few weeks before and during the race week, and more than 17.4 million impressions between November 1 and the end of the races December 12.
But the biggest impact, says Yoho, was giving runners a safe and exciting way to race in 2020.
“Without our unique format, we wouldn’t have been able to share the ATC10K Truist Time Trials with the amount of runners we reached,” she says. “It proved successful in so many ways including providing flexibility in start times, running through a part of Charlotte not many have seen on foot before, and the ability to challenge themselves with the Second Chance and 50K options.”
Mister says that although the venue and format were different, the ATC 10K team felt the excitement as they watched it take shape during race week.
“It’s incredible to see the work of an entire year (and then some) come together for the first runner, the 277th runner, and the last runner,” he says. “To hold that same feeling together for a week was definitely a challenge, but we wouldn’t have it any other way!”
Partners for Parks added to the festivities by hosting a table at Camp North End so runners would be able to learn about the beautiful parks and activities the group has supported for nearly 25 years.
“This is a great partnership,” says Al Brown, Treasurer for Partners for Parks. “We look forward to seeing what 2021 has in store for both Around the Crown 10K and Partners for Parks.”
And speaking of 2021, registration is already up on the website. The race will return to its original format, starting and finishing at First Ward Park. Runners will once again get the opportunity to run this landmark race, viewing the Queen City’s skylines from 3 miles of I-277’s inner loop around uptown Charlotte.
Mister is grateful for the support and can’t wait until the race returns to its landmark route.
“We set out to give runners a view they hadn’t seen before, and show our city’s beauty in an unforgettable way,” he says. “It shows runners how important it is for us to work with Partners for Parks so we can continue to Breathe New Life Into Our Community through sweat and a few hills.”
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