Brian Hobson
Sports@mitchellnews.com
The inaugural Top to Toe 5k race, sponsored by The Quartz Corp. and organized in collaboration with the Mitchell County Chamber of Commerce, had its debut Saturday in Spruce Pine.
Beginning in a shroud of fog at the Chalk Mountain Mine, the race stage was set with a challenging descent along a gravel mining road before transitioning to a more traditional road course, ending at Riverside Park. Drawing participants from across the Southeast, the event not only showcased competition but also invited attendees to partake in the post-race festivities of the NC Mineral and Gem Festival.
Scott Reese, one of the event’s organizers from The Quartz Corp, said that he thought “It would be a fast race, and that would attract runners.” This assertion was proven true, as the top three finishers held a pace of under 6-minute miles.
“Our ultimate goal was to make this a destination visit,” Reese said.
Competitors came from hours away, and had the option of going on mine tours and attending the NC Mineral & Gem Festival.
As for the winners, in the ages 20-40 men’s division, the fastest finisher was Chase Shermer from Waynesville with a time of 18:03. The 20-40 women’s division winner was Patricia Caixeta Borges of Spruce Pine with a time of 22:13.
The 41+ age group winner in the men’s division was Matt McDaniel from Nebo with a time of 20:29, and the women’s 41+ winner was Teresa Fox from Burnsville finishing in a time of 25:18.
In the 13-19 age group, Ian Austin from Morganton finished first for the men with a time of 20:37, while Alexis Aycock finished first for the women with a time of 33:29.
Last but not least, in the 12 and under division, Paisley Bagwell from Burnsville won the women’s division in 26:05, while Aspen Bagwell from Burnsville beat out Mathews Queriapa of Bakersville in the men’s division by one second, finishing in 24:15.