I-277 transformed into race course for Around the Crown 10K

CHARLOTTE — Thousands of runners flooded I-277 Sunday morning, shutting down one of Charlotte’s major highways for the 5th Annual Around the Crown 10K race.

More than 6,000 people gathered around Truist Field in Uptown as they waited to run around the Queen City. Organizers said it was a 100% increase from 2022.

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Around the Crown crowd

I-277 was shut down from 3 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Sunday.

“It’s actually really cool. Cause you know, you drive around there all the time and you’re going so fast, you just don’t really get to stop and see everything,” Nick Wallman, a competitor in the race, said. “You know, you can stop on the hill and just take pictures of the city.”

Participants ran the entire inner loop of I-277.

Channel 9′s Damany Lewis ran the race himself, livestreaming on WSOC’s Facebook as he crossed the starting line.

One of the goals of Around the Crown is to bring the Charlotte community together. The organizers worked to welcome the Queen City with a race where everyone could feel the accomplishment of crossing the finish line.

“It was a great experience, I loved the energy of the crowd, everyone cheering you on - every point of the way, especially the hill, keeping you going,” Caitlyn Hinkul, another runner said. “It was really great to just get with the community and do something that I love.”

This year Around the Crown brought over $10,000 worth of prizes for the racers. The top five individuals in the open division won anywhere from $100 to $300.

Dan Schubert of Durham had the fastest time of 29 minutes 39 seconds.

Channel 9′s Traffic Team Mark Taylor said the road closures continued until noon.

Around the Crown is the largest 10 kilometer running race in North Carolina.

(WATCH BELOW: Camp North End holds Around the Crown kid’s run on Saturday)

Camp North End holds Around the Crown kid’s run on Saturday

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