Odds + ends for my running friends

Several interesting nuggets to pass along on this gloomy winter day:

The Tobacco Road Marathon, which has been boasting "the fastest marathon course in N.C.," is not sold out after all. Organizers decided Wednesday evening to reopen registration and expand the field from 800 to 900 for multiple reasons, explains race spokesperson Mark Dill: "Demand has been so great ... . I think people realize this may be their best chance -- with the ideal climate and flat course -- to achieve their personal best times or even qualify for the Boston Marathon. ... We also recognized this was a great opportunity to do something for Haiti. A full 50 percent of the registration proceeds of those 100 extra runners will go to the Red Cross for Haitian relief. That should be about $5,000." Dill said organizers also expect the half marathon to sell out all 2,500 available spots. As of Wednesday afternoon, fewer than 500 spots for the 13.1-miler remained. To track how many spots are left for both races, keep an eye on the Tobacco Road Marathon Facebook page.

It's shaping up to be a good year for fans of trail races: This month, two separate trail race series were announced. I was informed last week about the Carolina Trail Run Series, which is being developed by Marcus Barton and kicks off Saturday with the inaugural Charlotte Running Company Trail Race. It will be the first of at least four races in the series (a fifth may eventually be added), and runners can earn points based on their performance in each event. Each event offers multiple distances. For the full schedule and details on how the series works, click here. ... And then on Tuesday, Jamie Brown over at the U.S. National Whitewater Center told me about the River Bound Race Series, a joint production of the Whitewater Center and N.C. Outward Bound. The series will consist of a 5K on March 13, a 10K on May 22, a 15K on July 17 and a half marathon on Sept. 25; all races take place on the Whitewater Center's trails. Click here to register.

On Saturday, Vac & Dash in Albemarle is hosting another Fellowship of the Idiots Run. This is basically just a loong training run (19.7 miles), from the Stanly County YMCA in downtown to the top of Morrow Mountain and back. Start time is 5:30 a.m. There'll be water at Mile 6 and at Mile 13.7, and refreshments at the finish. Runners who complete the trek get a "Fellowship of the Idiots" T-shirt and a certificate, and their name will be engraved on a plaque at Vac & Dash. The best part? It's free. To sign up, e-mail peter@vacanddash.com or call 704-983-3274. More info here.

Amy Peacock is leading a ChiRunning workshop next Saturday (Jan. 30) at Carmel Country Club, 4735 Carmel Road. ChiRunning, created by Danny Dreyer of Asheville, professes to teach runners "how to heal and prevent injuries" using a running style based on "disciplines such as yoga, Pilates, and ... T'ai Chi." The session will run from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and costs $125. E-mail amypeacock@me.com for more information; to check out Amy's Web site, click here. (I attended one of Amy's workshops in December and blogged about it.)

Sisters Claudette Dahlberg and Shannon Steffler have founded a new Christian Runners chapter in Waxhaw. Members will typically run together at least every Saturday, and Dahlberg says: "We will have a group of walkers, a group for beginning runners who will mix some walking and running, and at least a couple of faster pace running groups depending on turnout. There are no requirements other than to show up!" For more information, click here.