Sir Walter Miler 2015 set for Friday, August 7
Second edition will feature a one-of-kind “North Carolina vs. The World” Mile; also "Pop Up Miles” will take place Tuesdays in June
From Sir Walter Running
Three months from today, the Sir Walter Miler will ride again. The 2015 edition of the Sir Walter Miler will take place on Friday, August 7th, once again, at Meredith College. The event will feature elite Men’s and Women’s Mile races, as well as another race to be named later.
2014’s Sir Walter Miler saw three men break the hallowed 4 minute Mile barrier, for the first time in Raleigh, since Duke’s Steve Wheeler ran 3:59.4 on April 20, 1974, at the“Big 3” meet. New Jersey/New York Track Club’s Ford Palmer led the way in 3:57.61, with Donnie Cowart (3:58.43) and Isaac Presson (3:59.77) close behind. Palmer later went on to sign a shoe deal with Hoka One One. In the Women’s race, Heidi See (nee Gregson) ran the fastest time in North Carolina history, crossing the line in 4:34.05. See would go on to win the 2015 Australian National Championship earlier this year.
The 2015 edition will feature a one of kind “North Carolina vs. The World” Mile, where top athletes from North Carolina will square off against some the best athletes in the world, in cross country-style scored race. Team North Carolina will be led by Raleigh residents, Sandy Roberts and Bobby Mack, who both competed in last years event.
2015 will also offer a new local series in June, that will allow one man and woman a chance to qualify for the Sir Walter Miler elite race. The “Pop Up Miles” series will start Tuesday, June 2nd and will run every Tuesday of June; climaxing with the Championship Miles on Tuesday June 30th. The Top 10 Men and Top 10 Women with the best Mile times over the course of the month will square off for a spot in the Sir Walter Miler elite race on August 7th. More information is available at http://PopUpMiles.com.
Along with the races on Friday, more events are planned for the 2015 Sir Walter Miler weekend. The Thursday “Eat with the Pros” pre-race dinner will again take place in downtown Raleigh at The Busy Bee Cafe. Fans will have a chance to dine with the elite athletes competing, and ask questions of them and the Sir Walter Running team in advance of the races. Food and drink provided by the Bee. Only 20 spots are available. Reserve your spot here.
The pre and post race party will take place at Raleigh Brewing Company. The beer theme this year will be “Interval Sessions.” RBC will be brewing a special Session IPA for the event, and the Sir Walter Running team will be brewing an exciting collaboration with Les Stewart at Trophy Brewing, that will be available at the event and at Trophy. Expect a few out of town breweries to be involved this year, as the event will be the official North Carolina USATF Track Mile Championship. With that in mind, one of the best breweries in the nation, Wicked Weed Brewing, will be bringing us something tasty from Asheville. More breweries will be announced soon! Proceeds from the “Interval Sessions” beers will go to charity. And yes, there will be multiple food trucks.
Finally, the weekend will close out with the “Run with the Pros” event Saturday morning at Umstead Park. This event is free and open to the public. Come for a run and talk about the races from the night before, and then have a bagel and coffee with the pros after the run is done!
And for the first time, Sir Walter Running will be offering an internship. Want to help us plan the 2015 Sir Walter Miler, the Pop Up Miles series, and potentially get college credit in the meantime? More details are available here: http://sirwaltermiler.com/internship/
For more information, sponsorship information or interview requests, contact Pat Price at sirwalterrunning@gmail.com and (919) 260-8013
