The Southern affiliate members of the ARC were busy this weekend in Myrtle Beach and Brevard.
Myrtle Beach Marathon
Jacob Montgomery spent the day before his 30th birthday working his way through the breezy streets of Myrtle Beach. Montgomery entered Saturday's race with a 2:45:57 PR from Chicago 2018, but after the first few miles it was clear he was aiming for a PR. Running conservative opening miles on the windiest part of the course, Montgomery split through halfway in 1:20:18. Alternating breezes kept Montgomery conservative through 30 kilometers, but once he had a sustained tailwind he flipped a switch. 6:05s rapidly became 5:50s, and Montgomery would not let up until he finished in 2:38:13. That 6 1/2 minute personal best also earned Montgomery 3rd place overall.
Oskar Blues "4"-miler
Inspired by seeing his athlete and training partner Montgomery crush his first full-fledged training cycle, Phil Latter was a late signee for the Oskar Blues 4-miler, held in the outskirts of Brevard at the Oskar Blues brewery. Latter was joined by Christopher Murrey and Dave Workman, two of the top master's runners in the region. Latter would run alone in 5th place for the majority of the race, trying to keep the effort as even as possible after a low mileage winter. Behind him, Murrey and Workman worked together until the final stretch when Murrey pulled away to take 8th place overall and top master's honors, nudging his friend by one spot. The slightly long course saw Latter run 22:35, Murray 23:39, and Workman 23:44. ZAP Fitness's Johnny Crain, fresh off of participating at the 2020 U.S. Olympic trials marathon, took the win over Charlotte's Jesse McEntire.
