Tobacco Road Marathon & Half Marathon: Why This NC Race Is a Must-Run Ep 132

Welcome to the Find Your Edge podcast. I'm your host, Chris Newport, founder, head coach, sports nutritionist, and exercise physiologist at The Endurance Edge. Our mission is to empower people to reach and sustain peak performance and health. So get ready to dive into all things training, nutrition, recovery, and more. We hope to give you detailed information and inspiring stories to help you be your best. Let's do it. All right. Welcome back to the Find Your Edge podcast. I am your host, Coach Chris Newport, and today I am here with Dave Gross and Mark Dill from the Tobacco Road Marathon and Half Marathon, which we are proud sponsors of this year. And I love highlighting both race directors and local races and just awesome things that we have in the mix. So I'm excited to hear from you guys. Thanks for coming on the show.

Thanks for having us.

Yeah. All right, Mark, I'm gonna start with you because you have been with this race from the get-go. So when did it start? Tell us about why it got started and all that good kind of stuff.

Well, technically you could say it got started in 2009 because it takes that long to, uh, prepare. But the first race was 2010. The inspiration, the force of nature is Kizem Yalapoor. It wouldn't happen without Kazem, and he really founded it, and that's just his nature. He wanted to do something to help others in a meaningful way. So that's where it goes. Plus, he was, he was a big-time runner himself.

Okay, cool. So helping others, you guys have a ton of beneficiaries. I mean, like, let me list the numbers, right?

Well, I think the major beneficiaries, but you're right there, we've got a lot. But the big boys that get the most money are the Breakthrough, TD1, formerly JDRF, the American Red Cross, Hope for the Warriors— not to be confused with, with, uh, I forget the other one that's national, but this one's based in Wounded Warriors.

Oh yeah, that's great. And so some large beneficiaries and some smaller, more local ones.

Yeah, I mean, those are the ones that get the bulk of the money, but then we try to help out a lot of people. And then because GEM instituted something like, uh, 3 or 4 years ago that everybody on the board could give $1,000 to whatever charity they liked.

What?

Or they wanted to help.

That's so cool.

Yeah. So my wife and I, uh, uh, she convinced me Dorcas, who she's done a lot of work with.

Yes.

Would be a good beneficiary.

They're great. And Dave, what, who's your beneficiary being on the board?

Well, I just learned this fact, so I'm gonna have to think quickly here. Um, Alzheimer's.

You don't have to commit to it.

Maybe you can just say it. No, I'll commit. I'll commit. Yeah. Both my parents were afflicted by Alzheimer's, so I'll throw it behind that. Oh, that's a good one.

Yeah.

That's great. I like the fact that the, some of the local charities too are beneficiaries included, like the Triangle Rails to Trails and the Wake Park and Recreation. So it kind of gives back to the very course we're running on.

Yeah.

Yeah. Thank you, Dave. I omitted to mention them, but yeah, they've been with us a long time. And of course it's like, giving back to the people that, that tend to the trail, which is essential.

Yeah. Okay. So let's talk about the course. Speaking of the trail, because it is Tobacco Road and a good majority of the course is literally on the Tobacco Trail. Tell us why that makes such a great race. Hint, hint. It's kind of fast.

Well, I mean, when you talk about doing interviews, I mean, one of our key talking points is this is the flattest, fastest course in North Carolina, and it is. That's why we qualify 18% of our runners for, for Boston. So about 21 miles, I think it is, uh, is of the marathon is on the trail. People like it because it is, it's, it's flat, and there's a lot of undulating terrain around here that can kind of really wear you out. And this one is relatively easy.

Yeah. Flat, but yet the— I've been running on it for over a decade now, and I'm still trying to discern when I'm going uphill and when I'm going downhill. But they're there. They're very subtle. And they're at kind of key points in the race that it can wear you out, and you don't even know it because it looks flat, and it's got a little bit of a grade to it.

So, and you're mostly surrounded by trees, right? You know, it's nice that you're not, uh, I know so many races have to like, okay, well, we're going to take you through this random little neighborhood or down this street. And you're like, why am I running down this random street? It's, it's just so nice that you're like, here I am on the trail, like pretty much the whole time.

Yeah. It's shaded. It's shaded most of the way and soft.

That's what I was going to say.

Yeah. Yeah. So that matters to me. I, you know, run enough around a neighborhood to know that concrete's hard. And sometimes—

One day when you're 35 like you are, then it doesn't really matter, does it?

Right, right. Yeah. I wish I were 35. Wish I were half that.

So, flat, fast, great, like, surface to run on. Body-friendly.

And it's mixed. So I know some folks sometimes are wary of, well, if it's soft, then, you know, I'm going to lose some traction and so forth. But, you know, there's asphalt in there too. You got to run to the trail. So, and I've never really— I'd really rather have a soft surface that grips well. I think it's a great variety.

One thing that makes it different, and you mentioned this, that you're not going through neighborhoods. So in other races, you know, not only do you see houses, but people come out and, you know, look at all the fools killing themselves. You can get out on the trail and really kind of zone out. And whatever you want to think about or you want to pray or, you know, whatever, it's more private than, you know, most other distance races.

Yeah. Peaceful, I would say, perhaps. Yeah. And well supported too. Just because, you know, you're on the Tobacco Road, you guys have great support and aid stations, medals, t-shirts. What, what else is in the swag?

Is there anything that, well, I think I missed, uh, one that's near and dear to many. You already, Mark already mentioned that a lot of BQers in the, uh, in the group. And one thing that I like is that if you BQ, you get a special technical Tobacco Road shirt that, you know, over and above the race shirt that go, you get, you get a BQ shirt if you, if you qualify.

That's really cool. Yeah.

And don't, and very much don't forget, don't forget, uh, the free beer from Bond Brothers and the free pizza from Papa John's. I mean, that's a form of sponsorship and, uh, that's good stuff.

It is. Yeah, absolutely. For sure. One thing that I love about y'all's race is that there is a bell at the end.

Ding, ding, ding.

Right? Yes. So if you, uh, it's like basically like the PR bell, but honestly, like if you, if even if it's not a PR, can you still ring the bell?

Maybe. Yeah.

Yeah. Hey, you know, who's to stop you?

That's right. Yeah, I do love that bell. It's so cool.

Yeah.

And it's not like it's— I mean, it's like a gong version of a bell.

It's big.

It's a big bell.

It's cast iron. It's old school.

Yeah, definitely. And you guys have great music. So this— I will have to say, this was my one and only marathon. I checked the box. And if you're watching on YouTube, And you can hear it if you're just listening. Look at that thing. That thing is, it's got like a little train. And apparently this year's race is even better. This year's race medal is even better. Yeah, they do. Yeah, they do. You guys have great medals. You guys have great music too.

Like music at the end. There's a really good festive experience in the, at the start finish with the beer garden, the tent, the music, the band, people hanging out. Usually nice weather. Last year we did get a little dose of rain at the end. But another thing that just occurred to me that I like about the race too is photos are, at least the last couple years, I think have been free. So you go give it your all and look back and download some pictures.

We got a, what is it, stand and repeat behind you with the logos and stuff. Makes it look very professional.

Yeah.

And another point I want to mention on the weather is, I mean, we were thoughtful. It's St. Patrick's Day weekend. And if you look at the average temperatures, it's in the low 50s. So it's good running weather. And we have been lucky despite the late showers we had last year. We have never been rained out.

Knock on wood. Yeah.

Yeah. Exactly.

In addition to St. Patty's Day though, it is also March 16th is Dave's birthday.

Oh, I mean, that's why we are all coming.

That's why.

Yeah. That's just one big Dave Gross birthday party.

I celebrated my 10th marathon on my birthday. I actually, I've run this 10 times. So 3 times marathons and 7 times half.

Oh, that's cool. Yeah. And this year for 2026, it's March 15th, so it's Sunday, March 15th, right? And we'll be at the expo. We're excited about that because we're gonna be doing some metabolic testing for cyclists. So if anybody's Strathclyde or has like friends and family who are, you know, maybe you're doing the race and you've got a friend who's doing it, we're gonna be doing some metabolic, you know, taking people's blood. Uh, that makes me sound like a vampire. I promise I am not, but doing like lactate testing and, uh, metabolic testing. And there are a ton of amazing sponsors there. There too. Like, it's a, it's a fun little, it's a fun little expo.

It's a worthy expo for sure.

Yeah. Um, let's talk about size of the race because I very distinctly remember when I ran it with you, Dave, just incidentally.

Yeah.

I think I found you at like mile 2 or something like that.

That's right. And then you, you, you left me at mile 25. Yeah. Because someone was being a camel and not executing the fueling and hydration.

Even like though you're running with a dietitian who's like, Hint, hint, coffee. Maybe it's time to drink.

Yeah. Mile 19. Are you being a camel, Dave? And I was. So executing the life of a camel.

I didn't accuse you of that. There's just some of those races, the like New Yorks, the Bostons, which are obviously fantastic races, but you go there for that specific experience of being huddled with 30,000 of your friends. This is not that. I feel like not only is it on the Tobacco Trail, which is soft and in nature and well-shaded, but it's also like you're not shoulder to shoulder. So, but it's also not a small race. So like, talk about like size of race and how many runners you guys expect.

No, if we're not the biggest marathon in North Carolina, we are real close. And we have like 1,000 marathon runners. So it gives you a sense of, you know, most of the runners are always in other distances, and especially like the half. So our total runners are about 4,000, and frankly, that's all we can fit on that course. I mean, that, it is a constraint. And we've got about 3,000 or a little over 3,000 people in the half. So that, that kind of gives you a sense of the size and so forth.

I am impressed that you guys got the permits for all this. Like, how hard was that when you started? Like, I, I mean, being a race director myself, holy smokes.

Kazem is like a wonder man. He knows how to negotiate. He knows what buttons to press and yeah, and he did a great job and you gotta put all that out there to him and he, and he found the right people to help him.

Yeah.

You know, if I can add that 4,000 runners on a, I don't wanna call it a tight course, but it is, it used to be a railroad, right? So, you know, when you get to the turn where the full marathoners go right and the half marathoners go left. Despite being limited space on the trail, it gets dispersed enough that you don't feel claustrophobic. You have enough other runners around you to, you know, motivate you. And I enjoyed our conversation. Actually, we were talking about podcasts, Chris, if you recall. Yeah. Oh, I still remember Dave. Yeah. So you never feel too crowded, but you have plenty of good company. And the spectators have some key spots where they can cheer you on, like at the split where the full and half diverge. While it's not New York City or Boston where you've got, you know, tens of thousands of spectators cheering you on, there's some key spots in the race, certainly at the finish, of course, and all throughout the park as you approach the finish line where people can cheer you on, but in the middle of the course too.

Yeah, definitely. And I will have to say that it's fairly like parking friendly. You know how some races can be sort of a nightmare? Like you guys got stuff figured out.

Yeah, well, I mean, uh, working at it since 2010, we kind of figured it out. We had a couple of hiccups early days, but, uh, you know, like with the bus drop buses from NatApp, which have been wonderful and effectively they're another sponsor too because they, uh, allow us to spill over into their parking lot, and that really helps.

Yeah, definitely. And I will have to say, plenty of porta-johns. So two thumbs up from the dietitian.

You're reminding me, I've, you know, I've been a runner in this race, coached, cheered, and I've certainly volunteered most years, but two memorable years. One was NetApp with the buses, making sure that stays efficient. But then also one year I was fortunate enough to put out all the porta-potties. Big job. So there's a lot of work. That's something that I had no clue about, you know, as a runner, just what goes behind getting a race ready.

Yeah. Yeah. So let's talk about that. Like, what are some things that you wish people knew as runners of what goes into this event?

Well, I mean, it isn't something that comes together at the last minute, but you'll have people making requests and so forth. And people just have to realize there's a lot of other runners out there with their needs. As long as you got, you know, your bib and you know where to go and you listen to the advice of people like you and stay hydrated and so forth, that you should be content with that. So I discourage people with special requests and that, that's, I guess, something that I feel would be helpful.

Yeah. Okay. So try to keep your special requests limited. Although, you know, again, I don't think it's necessary with all the work you guys have put in between the great parking, the great communication, the expo and volunteers. How many volunteers do you guys have?

We have about 700 volunteers.

That's crazy.

Yeah. And the board is all volunteer. The only people that get paid are like the FSS series that does the tiny It's their job. You have to take care of those guys. But as far as guys like Dave and I, Kazem convinced us somehow, and we just give away our time. No, it's, and that's part of the culture of the event that there's so many giving people. There's so much genuine desire to help others. And that may sound saccharine, but it's true.

Yeah.

That's right. Giving back is important, right? Endurance events are important to us. It's a strong community, and this is one way, whether you run it, whether you cheer, whether you coach, whether you volunteer to give back and be part of your community. And that's super important for me. I, you know, I happen to be employed by the marathon sponsor, Veradigm. So this is one way that I can give back as an employee and as a runner. And this is an important race for me personally, just on multiple levels. Yeah. And the fact that you can sleep in your own bed because it's local and—

Amen to that.

Yeah.

Or, and I mean, even if you're traveling from out of town, like there's so many options for—

Right. Exactly.

Stays.

Yeah.

That's a good catch. Yeah.

Yeah.

So, you know, coming back to the aid stations real quick, Chris Newport, um, that was one of the things that I underestimated each year in the last Several years now I've been making sure I volunteer to pack the aid stations, which is done days before, right? Or a day or two before, you know, you've got all the containers that you're packing and then they get transported. So the, I totally underestimated how much work to set up one aid station, but, and, and we've got plenty of aid stations, right? So if someone's being a camel and not drinking, then that's not, that's on them.

It is on them.

Because there's plenty of water and, and, uh, you know, nutrition on the course.

Yes.

But yeah, there's a lot that goes into it.

You know, you've got, like we already talked about, the bus transportation, the porta-johns, the music, the volunteers, the board, praying to the weather gods, and police, right? They have to work with traffic.

And don't forget EMS because we've had some scary incidents because it just happens with every race.

It does.

It does.

They are very responsive and they take care of our runners when they need it.

I love that. So if you want to run a race that is not only fast and flat and hopefully cool, it may or may not rain on you, but you know, no guarantees, has a great BQ shirt, a great shirt, a great medal, great post-race beer, food, and heart, it sounds like Tobacco Road Marathon and Half Marathon is right up your alley. So how can people sign up?

Well, the touchstone, and thanks for bringing that up, is tobacco-road-marathon.com. And if you're curious about all the details, I mean, there's so much information in there, we couldn't possibly cover it in this podcast.

Yeah.

So there's very few questions that I can imagine someone would have that they can't find the answer to. There and you can register there. But the other thing is, is you can even register at our expo. I think we'll have some spots and you could come in and register at the expo.

But we're all going to be responsible and sign up beforehand, right?

Yeah, exactly.

Don't wait for the weather report.

I don't want to leave out that in that vein, we have runners from every Typically we have runners from every state in the country. Maybe only one, but, uh, you know, we had a guy come over from Hawaii and then also some people from Europe and we have elite runners. Those are the guys that get a little bit of money at the end for their performance. So it's a world-class race.

Yeah.

In outstanding pace groups too. So those are well covered.

How did I forget that?

Yeah.

So I know there's, there's 2 hours, there's 2:15. Is there like a one, is it by 10 minutes? It's like 140, 150, 2 hours. How do you—

I don't know what the increments are, but Dave, you may know.

It's on the website.

Yeah.

Well, yeah, it's on the website. And I know some of them are kind of centered around making, you know, if qualifying for Boston isn't a goal, then, you know, 350 used to be 1, 4, whatever. So there, but I, it starts low.

So yeah, I guess I was, I was, that was the half.

Yeah, half.

So they're half in full pacers.

There's half in full pacers. Yeah.

Yeah.

So that's, that's something that, and they do a great job. They really do.

Well, you know, and Dave just touched on it. You can easily get caught up in the front runners and, you know, personal goals on, but sometimes people's personal goal is just to finish. And I've talked to people and actually convinced them to enter Oh, I wish I could enter, but I'd be embarrassed. I'd be almost like, enter the half marathon. You can walk the distance and you're still going to be coming in ahead of a good number of the marathoners. So the beer's still flowing, Baum Brothers beer's still flowing. Papa John's brings lots of pizzas. So come over and listen to music and, you know, have a good time.

Yeah, Mark, I'm glad you brought that up because yes, while you can focus on something like a BQ or just a general PR, But just come because it's a great opportunity to test your fitness in what I feel like is just a prime setup of the Tobacco Road.

Yeah, I think a lot of people, and myself included, you know, we're inspired by the people that are really struggling and it's obvious they're not at an ideal fitness level, but don't give up. Get out there, be active and who knows where you can go from there.

Yeah.

Yeah. Just keep moving.

I feel like is another experience and opportunity for growth.

Well said.

Absolutely. Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah. So I, I'm glad you brought that up because I've got a bunch of coworkers who aren't used to running. Maybe they want to walk. And so we've got a small group of folks at Veradigm that are going out to, if worst case, walk it. But the most important thing is you just get out and move. And that's what keeps us from rusting, right?

Yes.

And my Holly Springers, I don't want to forget them and the Cary folks that they'll be out there in force too.

Yeah, I love that. So get out, move your body, enjoy the amazing Tobacco Road that we are so blessed to have in this area. So whether you're coming in from out of town or you're local from the Triangle, we welcome you to the Tobacco Road Marathon and Half Marathon. Mark Dillon, Dave Gross, let's give everybody a last-minute tip who's racing. or might, or is like maybe on the fence, convince them. Let's see what you got, Mark. You go first.

Well, I mean, my best convincer is if you haven't done it and you want to do it, just enter the half and walk it and you won't be embarrassed at the end.

You know, the key thing is to just ring the dang bell when you finish, you know, and ring the bell. Yeah. Okay. All right, Dave, what's your, what's your tip for anybody who might be on the fence?

Well, the, the big tip is it's still open, it's still available. Yeah. And that's, you know, not to be taken for granted. And that won't be that way for long. Register whether you're gonna walk it, whether you're gonna run it. I get out there and, and don't forget to drink and yes. And maybe eat along the way. That's important.

Be sure to hydrate.

Hydrate. And I'm a high carber, so I, you know, amen to that.

Love those high carbers.

Throw your carbs on the—

yes. You will probably see these guys out on race day, I would imagine. And certainly if you do decide to race, come say hi to us at the expo. And maybe I'll have like a little prize at our expo. Like if you signed up because you heard this podcast, I might have to incentivize people a little bit.

I'd like to, I'd like to know about that too. Yeah.

Yeah. Maybe we'll do an extra like donation or I don't know. We always got something up our sleeve. So come say hi and come race or come participate if you don't like the word race.

Yeah. And start out early, runners, as far as arriving, because it starts at 7:00 and, you know, it's not a huge, huge race, but it's out in a more remote area with narrow roads and so forth. So you really need to get there early. You know, don't get caught up with raising your blood pressure over whether or not you're going to make it. Just get out there.

And I will say that tends to be a common— anybody who's new, they're like, oh, the race starts at 7:00, therefore I arrive at 6:45.

Yeah. No, no, no.

You gotta back that up. You can go take a nap later. Just get there early. Yeah.

Come over to our tent and, uh, you know, you can mingle with the other runners and their support base. We, we probably have a total of nearly 10,000 people that come because most runners have like a support team, you know, one or two other people. So there's a multiplier effect there.

You know, I've run over 30 marathons, and I think I've enjoyed the signs at Tobacco Road the most. Yeah. Because some of them get super creative.

Oh yeah.

And especially when you're out on the trail, and then it ends up being one sign leads to another one, and it keeps the mind distracted.

It does.

And the miles go. Fly by.

We've had unofficial hydration stations where people not living nearby come out and set up like a card table and offer Pabst Blue Ribbon beer.

Oh my gosh, that's so awesome.

So there's some character to this is the main point in saying that.

Yeah, I love that. So good. All right, so if you haven't yet, sign up, tobacco road marathon.com. And there's also the half. So come out, come say hi to us, come race, come support all these amazing beneficiaries. Um, Mark Dillon, Dave Gross, thank you so much for coming on the podcast, and I am looking forward to an amazing race.

Thank you for having us.

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