Hundreds of participants race, jog and walk the Rodanthe Bridge

Published 3:19 pm Thursday, April 14, 2022

At 8 a.m. on a sunny and partly cloudy Saturday morning, a horn sounded. Racers, joggers and walkers crossed a timer and went under an arch to take on the almost-finished Rodanthe Bridge.

The wind was brisk at the Rodanthe-Waves-Salvo Community Building, but those on the bridge reported less wind. The temperature was 58, good for running on April 9.

Over 25 businesses sponsored the race, billed as the Midgett Realty Run the Rodanthe. Two other top sponsors were Surf or Sound and Vacasa.

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Two races were run: a five mile race which involved going out and back the 2.4 mile bridge plus the south approach and a five kilometer race out to about half way point and back.

Some 550 race packets were picked up and 456 participants crossed the finish line.

A pre-race meeting of emergency agencies made sure runners and walkers were safe. At 6 a.m., NCDOT staff started lining the roadway with orange cones. The southbound lane on NC 12 was closed before the race and off-duty Dare County deputies shifted traffic back and forth. The lane was reopened around 10:30 and closed again at 12:15 p.m. for the second bridge event of the day.

Here’s a rundown of the top runners:

In the five-mile race, Jason Nieuwsma, of Chapel Hill, finished first for men with 29 minutes 31 seconds. Just 15 seconds behind was Gray Berryman from Kitty Hawk. Carter Flicklen from Yorktown, Va. finished third overall.

Fourteen-year-old Morgan Miller was the top female finisher in the five-mile run. She’s from Kitty Hawk. Mary Syrrist from Buxton was second overall and Abby Berquist from Kitty Hawk was third.

Outer Banks runners dominated the 5K race.

In the men’s race, David Kiser from Rocky Mount, Va. finished in 18:18.6, the only non-Outer Banker overall winner in the 5K. Trenton Saunders from Kitty Hawk finished second and third was Christopher Bellows from Buxton.

For the women’s race, Graham Kampfmueller from Kill Devil Hills finished first at 24 minutes 28 seconds. Maja Holy from Nags Head came in second and Richelle Barrett from Manteo finished third overall.

For complete race results, go to BlueCheetahTiming.com and punch the button for race results for Run the Rodanthe five-mile run and walk and the 5K run and walk.

Run proceeds benefit the Rodanthe-Waves-Salvo Civic Association, which maintains the sidewalk in Rodanthe, Waves and Salvo, decorates the villages and sponsors adopt-a-highway and events.

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