Le Tour de Carrboro Returns
Beginning with "Four on the Fourth," July 4
Le Tour de Carrboro, named for its routes through “the Paris of the Piedmont,” returns for its 22nd year with a 4-mile running/walking race, the “Four on the Fourth,” kicking off the three-race series on July 4. The next race will be the Carrboro 10K and 5K on October 3, followed by the Gallop & Gorge (8K) Thanksgiving morning.
“We usually have between 700 and 800 participants in the ‘Four on the Fourth’ race.” Wayne Eckert, who is serving his fourth year as race director, said. “The Gallop & Gorge is our largest race with about 2000 participants.”
All money raised in Le Tour de Carrboro goes to local organizations. Partners this year include the Carrboro Family Garden, Meals on Wheels Orange County, the Optimist Club of Chapel Hill, the Orange County Rape Crisis Center, Porch, TABLE, and Carrboro Boy Scout Troop 845. The partners who benefit from the funds raised by the races provide volunteers to help manage the event. Last year, Le Tour raised $48,000.
Le Tour organizers work closely with the Town of Carrboro to organize the races. Organizers go through an approval process and meet with Town staff multiple times to review logistics and course plans. Police may be stationed along the course to help with traffic.
Organizers also put up signs in neighborhoods about two weeks before an upcoming race. Residents line the route and cheer participants as they pass through neighborhoods.
One concern for the “Four on the Fourth” is heat. “We have two water stations along the course and a station at the finish where we provide cooling towels that are soaked in ice,” Eckert said. Emergency Medical Services are stationed near the track. To his knowledge, no serious medical events have occurred during the race.
Le Tour aims to balance competition with accessibility, welcoming both elite runners and casual participants. “We encourage walkers,” he said, noting that strollers are often seen along the course. The race recognizes winners in five-year age divisions, including runners well into their 80s. Awards are handcrafted by local potter Janet Reskin.
Anyone can register online up until the day before the race and participants in all three races get special recognition and swag.
Volunteers are welcome—they need about 50 for each race. Volunteers will hand out refreshments, direct parking, help with children’s activities, and act as course monitors. Donations are welcome, benefiting partner organizations. Find more information or sign up here.
