Race on the Runway: USCG senior chief wins inaugural '10K Tarmac' at Currituck Airport

MAPLE — A U.S. Coast Guard senior chief was the overall winner of Saturday’s inaugural Race on the Runway “10K Tarmac” at Currituck Regional Airport.

Senior Chief Brian Anderson, who is assigned to the Aviation Logistics Center on the campus of Base Elizabeth City, completed the 10K trail with a time of 42:37.74. Finishing second was fellow Coastie Derrick Andre, 29, with a time of 44:25.50.

Cori Purrington finished sixth overall but first in the women’s category with a run time of 49:24.75.

Anderson, 46, said he enjoyed Saturday’s run, especially the way the course was composed of different types if terrain, including a stretch of grass-carpeted field, as opposed to “pavement pounding the whole way.”

He also liked the fact there were no annoying flying insects to bother him.

“Today, I outran the mosquitoes,” he said laughing.

Purrington, 44, also said she liked the course layout.

“It was amazing,” she said of the multi-terrain trail. “It just kept me going.”

In one section, the course carried runners around a small lake.

Though Saturday marked the first-ever Run on the Runway, Purrington said she would participate in next year’s event if scheduled.

“I would definitely do it again,” she said.

Estefhania Andre, 30, finished 11th overall and second in the women’s category with a time of 54:56.63. Andre also placed first in the military women’s category; her husband, Derrick Andre, placed first in the military men’s division.

Andre said she placed third in last year’s 5K race that was part of the U.S. Coast Guard Marathon in downtown Elizabeth City.

Race on the Runway raised money for Kids First Inc., an Elizabeth City-based nonprofit that supports child victims of abuse and neglect.

In addition to the 10K Tarmac, the event also featured the “Flight Deck 5K” and the “1-Mile Taxi Trot.” The start and finish line for each event was the airfield entry gate at College of The Albemarle’s aviation maintenance training facility.

In each event, the course never required runners to enter the airport’s active runway. The 10K and 5K courses carried runners off the airport grounds and along trails surrounding the airport before finishing back at the COA facility. The Taxi Trot was held on an airport road that runs parallel to the runway.

Two teens took home the top two awards for the 5K.

Kamryn Rowe, 14, finished first overall with a time of 25:04.79. She was followed across the finish line by Maccoy Moravek, 13, with a time of 25:31.81.

In the Taxi Trot, Riley Giordano, 8, placed first overall and in the male division, with a time of 8:33.60.

E. Harris, 8, finished first in the female division and third overall with a time of 9:15.01.

According to the website runtheast.com, 55 runners took part in the 10K, 80 ran the 5K and another 28 participants completed the “Taxi Trot.”

For complete race results visit runtheeast.com and at the home page, select “view results” for Race on the Runway.