Conway Notebook | Race promoter hoping runners fill up ranks

CONWAY -- Race organizer Mike Shank said he's hoping enough people will register for this year's Conway Race Fest to pay the $2,975 in prize money he'll be awarding.

The Fest on Saturday will have three races: The Sun News 10k, a 5k and a one-mile. All races will start and end at or near the Conway Marina at the Waccamaw River end of Elm Street. Registration is $23 for the one-mile, $30 for the 5k and $33 for the 10k, Shank said.

Shank said 200 runners showed up for last year's event, so he should be OK financially.

All three courses will use Elm Street. The longest race, the 10k, will go from downtown Conway and through the downtown residential district to Twelfth Avenue to Lakeland Drive to Long Avenue to Country Club Drive and back. Those runners in it as much for the exercise and outdoor experience will be entertained by views of the historic downtown and live-oak canopied streets if not by dreams of taking home the prize money.

The one-mile race begins at 8 a.m., with the 5k scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. and the 10k at 9:15 a.m.

Shank said this year's race has been revised from the 2009 version, which featured a half marathon as the premier run.

The prize money will be divided among the top finishers in each race, with overall and master's categories in the 10k. Top prize in the 10k overall division is $1,000.

"I don't want to lose money," Shank said of the business end of the Race Fest, "but I'm looking at it as a long-term investment."

Fun on the farm

Racers looking to replace some of the energy they used on the streets of Conway or those who prefer less arduous exercise can get a boost from the cane syrup Minnie the Mule will be squeezing from stalks Saturday at Larry Paul Living History Farm.

Saturday is the farm's first anniversary and annual Fall Festival, farm manager Wayne Skipper said, which means there will be a whole lot more to do than to watch Minnie walk in circles as she squeezes syrup from the farm-grown sugar cane. Tobacco will be tied, fields will be plowed, grits will be ground, lye will be soaped and meat will be smoked. There will also be blacksmith, treadle sewing and wood stove cooking demonstrations at the event, which stretches from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

There will also be music in the farm's church.

Skipper said the farm grows about four rows, or about 1/16th of an acre, of sugar cane that is cut, with the stalks placed between two stone wheels that Minnie's movement squeezes together, extracting about 60 gallons in two hours. The syrup is refined as it's cooked for five to six hours over a wood fire.

Skipper said the amount of syrup that'll come from the stalks depends on the heat and moisture of the season in which it was grown.

The finished product, which will be bottled and available for sale to visitors, can be used for cake baking and pecan pie making, Skipper said. But back in the day, farm owners and workers would pour it almost every day over hot-off-the-griddle pancakes or warm-from-the-oven biscuits.

Skipper said farm-produced grits and lye soap also will be for sale.

No admission will be charged to the anniversary day. The farm is on U.S. 701 just beyond the HTC office north of Conway.

And with those cane syrup pecan pies ...

People who leave the farm with syrup and children before 1 p.m. could head over to Conway Elementary School, where the Conway Parks and Recreation Department will give them an opportunity to win a turkey to go with their pecan pies on Thanksgiving.

The department will be sponsoring a parent/child Basketball Turkey Shoot for kids from ages 5 to 15 and their parents. Competition will be in five age groups of kids in a free throw/hot shot contest. Boys and girls will compete separately with the winning team in each age group winning a certificate for a turkey.

The competition, like the day of the farm, is free. Registration begins at 12:45 p.m. Saturday.

Conway Elementary School is at 1101 Snowhill Drive.

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4,000 put Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon runners on the right track

MYRTLE BEACH - Almost an hour after the winner of the inaugural Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon crossed the finish line Denise Lane finished its first half marathon, songs and scream with raised arms.

For most runners near 4000 in the race, he did not win; it is to achieve.

"I started training in January," said Lane, Baltimore. "I had to do for my birthday ^th 40 three years ago but I had injuries after the blessure.Après two knee operations, a bulging disk and a herniated disc, I'm on track, and I've done!

"I shooting for 2 h 45, and never, I expect to come through 2: 17, which was very interesting," says.

13.1-Mile race was created by continental event and managing sports to be fun for experienced riders and inexperienced tant.Le start of the race of the knights jousting mounted Medieval Times, and the term included six band and a DJ on the road course, the music at the finish line and a band on the part of the equine beach.

"Myrtle Beach is fun, so I think they did a really nice job," said participant Anita Dwyer of Wilmington, N.C. "the energy and enthusiasm was extraordinary." People were everywhere, and the bands and music on the route was really cool.Je thought the course was really Joli.

"If you've never been to Myrtle Beach, it strikes the hot spots." It took you past Broadway at the beach, Medieval Times, the centre commercial [Grand coast] and ocean boulevard and it is well organized.?

The course ends with walk around ninth avenue to the North."It is nice and flat and has a great spot for finishing," declared winner of the race Gary Curran of Asheville, N.C.

Director of race Pozo de Robert welcomed this inaugural event, which included a race 5 km Saturday and other events over a period of three days.

"This is a phenomenal event," said the Pozo. "We really appreciated that he rowth signal and really well passé.Je believe that we met all the numbers, we wanted to.

Myrtle Beach has carried out the red carpet and these people are going to go home with a good taste what southern hospitality is really... I would say tomorrow we are going to start planning for next year.?

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