What: NorthCoast 24 Hour Endurance Run
When: September 22-23, 2018
By Brian Polen
On September 22 at 9:00am, over 150 runners from over 30 states and Canada, will converge on Cleveland’s Edgewater Park and battle for the right to be called “National Champion.” Celebrating its 10th year, NorthCoast 24 Hour Endurance run has become known as a runner-friendly course as many of the top performances listed on the U.S. National Team standings have been accomplished here. In 2017, The Cleveland Metroparks added a beautiful new beach house on the property which altered some of the walking paths around the park and left a .8822 mile closed loop on 10’ wide asphalt and very little elevation change. This is a perfect venue for a fast and flat 24 Hour National Championship.
The anticipated weather looks to be favorable for great performances. With highs expected to be in the mid 60’s and much cooler temps expected overnight, participants will be able to take advantage of the cool winds coming off adjacent Lake Erie to keep their own temps down. While rain, wind, and other inclement weather coming off of the lake can certainly be present, the overall outlook for the weekend weather is positive.
With the coveted spots for the 2019 World Championship still in flux, many of the top endurance runners in the country will be competing this year and as such, the participant field is still very strong. Upon breaking down the field of runners on both the Men’s and Women’s side, it is certain that it will be a highly contested race at the front of the pack. On the Women’s side, heavyweights and experienced runners Megan Alvarado, Traci Falbo, and Laurie Dymond will certainly be among the leaders for the Women. Keep an eye out for local Emily Collins who had a strong showing at Olander 24 just a few weeks ago.
The men will include annual participant and National standout Harvey Lewis, previous National Champion Olivier Leblond who had a personal best day at the 2017 World Championships and has been on a tear since, and perennial contender Adrian Stanciu will certainly be in line for a podium spot. They are joined by 2nd place finisher from 2017, Steve Speirs, who while not a US Citizen will certainly factor into race strategy as he crossed the 140 mile mark last year and will look to improve on that in 2018.
This is just a SMALL list of the runners competing. The field is full of vets, first-timers and inspiring personalities.
Check out the complete participant listing here: http://verticalrunnerrm.com/2016-north-coast-24-participants.html
Questions regarding NC24 should be directed to Blake Doty, Brian Polen, or Chad Thomas - Race Operations Directors.
Brian Polen
brian@verticalrunner.com
Chad Thomas
cthomasvrrm@gmail.com
Blake Doty
Blake.doty@yahoo.com