Outer Banks Fall Fun

It’s been a weekend of fun on the beach–if, that is, you consider running 26 miles 385 yards fun. This has been the Outer Banks Marathon weekend.

Actually it’s much more than just a marathon now. Four races–the marathon, a half marathon, the Outer Banks 8K and Bucanner 5K. And for good measure there is a one mile fun run on Saturday.

For the record, Tim Surface from Raleigh was the overall winner with a time of 2:38:40. The overall women’s spot went to Megan Hovis, Charlotte at 2:54:38.

This was the fifth marathon and it has been growing in popularity and importance ever since the first one was run in 2007. It is now one of the qualifying races for the Boston Marathon, and it doesn’t hurt, either, that the course is beautiful.

This was more than race weekend on the Outer Banks.

Up in Corolla, Mike Dianna, chef and proprietor or Mike Dianna’s Grill Room, sponsored the first annual Mustang Music Fest on Saturday. An all day affair (noon to midnight), when he said “fest” he meant it. Eleven bands, two venues–on the porch of his restaurant at TimBuckII and under the huge tent set up in his parking lot.

Never ending music–one band would be playing on the porch, finish and the next would start playing right away in the tent. Tough call on the best–Mercy Creek was on fire, Donna the Buffalo (the headliner) has a really unique and interesting sound complete with concertina and amazing guitar work. Also, Pimps of Joytime put on an amazing show! Imagine Latin jazz with a driving funky beat with layer upon layer of texture to the music. Great stuff.

And–this might be the best part of all of this–it’s all for charity. Both the Marathon and the Music Fest. The Outer Banks Marathon has, since its inception, been a fund raising effort for the Dare Education Foundation and the Mustang Music Fest donated the proceeds to the Corolla Wild Horse Fund and Food for Thought.

It speaks to other issues as well. Certainly they are part of the quality of life on the Outer Banks. This type of activity is very much a part of why people who live here, and our regular visitors–especially property owners, consistently say the autumn is there favorite time of year.

There is also, underlying all the fall entertainment and activities a belief that the Outer Banks is much more than a one season wonder–that with the right activities and the right promotions people will keep coming here in September, October and November. And the other seasons as well . . . it’s probably that if you live here, you tend to fall in love with the place, but there is life even in the off seasons on the Outer Banks.