Welcome to Around the Crown 10k, an event that has been growing every year, but unlike the Majors doesn’t leave people feeling left out when registration maxes. In fact, they go out of their way to ensure people feel included.
When ATC reached to me, I admit I hadn’t heard much about this race. After all, I don’t live in Charlotte. BUT I am a huge fan of 10K races, they’ve been my sweet spot for a few years so I was immediately game to experience a new place and race.
I had no idea the impact this would have, as I learned about a race that truly wants to see a healthier, happier, more connected community. It’s not just a fundraiser, it’s not just a money maker, it really is about this bigger picture and you can see that in so many ways.
So many runners (that didn’t know me from anyone else) wanted to chat about the race or “have you done this before” and all the reasons they think it’s the best race in Charlotte. Seriously, it felt like community.
Let’s talk about all the unique aspects of Around the Crown.
1. First Timers Club
We all know signing up for that first race is a big deal and can feel intimidating. ATC has a number of things in place to try and mitigate that feeling, but I’ve never seen this before!
The first 100 people to note it’s their first race EVER on the registration get $20 off. Of course, there is some honor system involved, but I like to think that other runners want to see people get involved and aren’t taking advantage of it.
Not only that, but this year they partnered with Feetures to also send them some goodies and training tips.
2. Pay What You Can
If that wasn’t enough, they set aside 300 entries for those who might be struggling to pay for a race, but are doing the training. This almost makes me cry actually because we love to say that running is cheap…it’s gotten significantly more expensive since I started in 2002 with my garage sale cotton t-shirts and $30 entry fees.
AND during registration fellow runners can contribute to this cause, helping to keep it going and spreading the run love.
Since 2021, they’ve had over 1000 runners come through this. Bravo.
3. Mad Miles Run Club Shake Out
Now let’s talk about the run club. The actual all paces, everyone is included run club! While ATC doesn’t host this club, they do work closely with them. The club is clearly here for this race with over 200 people from the group registered.
Which means it was no surprise to turn up to the Saturday Shake Out run and find it packed with neon clad, fabulous people.
But what did surprise me, was to find that there were run clubs from all over at this race! I’ve been running 20 years and never encountered groups like this for a 10K (shoot not always for 26.2). They all had matching shirts and energy and there was so much support. It was clear this was a first race for some members of the group.
4. Stroller Division
Ok, I’m not a stroller runner so I didn’t fully understand why this was so important until I chatted with the Sweat Like a Mother group from Charlotte. While some races allow strollers, this race actually has a division which means you can win your division just like an age group!
They actually had to set a limit of 150 stroller runners because it’s so popular. For a lot of these runners, it’s one of the few races where they can run with their littlest training partners.
Because of the course, you’ll see that there’s no issue with the course feeling crowded due to strollers. They actually start 5 minutes before the rest of the race.
Around the Crown Race Experience
I had no idea Charlotte had a Light Rail that would be so dang easy to use, but it took me right back to living in Miami. Taking the Light Rail means not worrying about parking and I am all for that on race day! Your bib makes it free, so no need to worry about tickets or anything else.
You’ll start and finish at the Truist Baseball field in the heart of Charlotte. The location also meant that I saw TONS of runners at local restaurants post race to enjoy that brunch refuel. I certainly partook of that myself. :)
We got super lucky with fabulous weather and while this isn’t a “scenic” course in a traditional sense, it’s a really fun course.
Closed I-277
Seriously this is a big deal and I couldn’t quite understand why runners were so stoked about it until we were out there. “Have you ever been stuck in traffic on the highway and thought to yourself, “I could run faster than this”? This idea is exactly how Around the Crown 10K got its start.” — SERIOUSLY, we have all said this, but 7 years ago they turned it in to a race!!
A. It’s really fun to see a highway filled with runners.
B. It meant the race didn’t feel crowded.
C. The crowds on the overpasses was shocking. Actually through the whole course I’m not sure I’ve seen cheering like this for a 10K anywhere.
Mile 3 Hill
Listen a hill at the finish stinks, but this Queen’s Hill as they call it is no picnic either. While it’s not actually a huge hill, about 100 feet climb, it’s always hard when you’re pushing!
I actually love that they’ve named it and they own it. Bring it on, we go this.
The total course elevation gain was just under 300ft, so it’s light rolling hills throughout.
As noted, there is a LOT of crowd support which is always so fun.
Aid Stations
This year they also used Hiccup on course for water stations. If you’ve never heard of these, they’re cups that are collected and rewashed to be used again in a future race.
It’s another one of the ways the organizers are focused on this race being good for the community.
I admit I wasn’t paying a ton of attention to aid stations or porta potties, but I know there’s nothing on the highway so a stretch without either.
FINAL FINISHER
This, this is the joy and celebration for the final finisher. An idea that came together both from ATC and Truist, which I couldn’t love any more. We so often hear stories of things being closed down for the back of the pack, but not here.
For this race they have set the cutoff pace at 13:45/mile. So it’s not a walker friendly course, which is likely because of the interstate closure.
Genuinely, I couldn’t wait to tell people about this whole race experience because it just had a different vibe. It felt less pressure and more joyful. Which is not to say that no one is out there kicking butt because all kinds of people were ringing that PR bell and of course they have $13,000 in prizes for awards!
Run It Back
Speaking of running fast…there’s an opportunity to earn your registration fee back for those elites who might not place on the podium by still putting in a solid run!
- Female | Sub 38:00 min
- Male | Sub 33:00 min
- Non-Binary | Sub 36:00 min
I was not in this category, ha. But again just another fun and unique feature of this race to excite everyone from the front to the back!
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