Cold Miles & Coastal Views: The Oak Island 10k

Last weekend, my wife and I headed down to Oak Island, NC for their annual race series—27 degrees, undertrained, and somehow convinced that a flat coastal course would make it all okay. Spoiler: it mostly did.

The “No-Training” Strategy

To be honest, neither of us had properly trained since the City of Oaks 10k back in November. Life happened, the holidays hit, and the running shoes stayed in the closet longer than they should have. But there’s something about a flat coastal course that makes you think:

“How hard can 6.2 miles really be?”

We told ourselves the sea air would carry us. We were cautiously optimistic. We were also fully aware that optimism has never yet shaved time off a 10k split.

A Frosty Start

The thermometer read 27 degrees when we lined up at 7:00 AM on Saturday. The air was crisp (to put it mildly), and the usual pre-race small talk was replaced with a lot of stomping feet and hands shoved deep into jacket pockets.

But as soon as the horn blew, the adrenaline kicked in. The route took us along the road directly parallel to the beach. Even with the winter chill, the views were worth it—wide, open Atlantic horizon, the kind of quiet that only exists before 8 AM on a cold February morning.

The course was incredibly flat, standard for the island, which was a lifesaver given our lack of recent miles. Running along the oceanfront provided that perfect mental distraction from the cold and from the fact that our lungs were definitely not ready for this.

Valentine’s Day Miles

There was something special about running this with my wife on Valentine’s Day. It wasn’t about the PR or the pace; it was about finishing together. We kept a steady rhythm, enjoyed the sea breeze, and managed to cross the finish line feeling surprisingly good for having “winged it.”

No split goals, no GPS obsessing—just two people running 6.2 miles on a cold February morning because they signed up three months ago and forgot to cancel.

Post-Race Celebration Nothing beats the post-race feeling—cold, tired, but finished.

The Recovery

The best part of any race? The finish line festivities. Despite the cold, we enjoyed a post-race beer and celebrated the fact that we still have the 10k distance in us, training or not.

There’s a certain satisfaction in finishing a race you didn’t really prepare for. Not because you set a record, but because you showed up anyway—cold, underprepared, and smiling at the end.

Key Takeaways

Flat coastal courses are forgiving—lean into them when you’re light on training miles
Layer up for early-morning winter races; the first mile is brutal but it gets better
A post-race beer hits differently when it’s 30 degrees and you just ran 6.2 miles
Running on Valentine’s Day with your partner is genuinely a great tradition

Check out our other travel and fitness posts for more race recaps and adventures on the road.