Hope you all had a wonderful summer! The hot and humid days may be winding down, but club activities and race season are heating up. Good luck to all eclipsing your running goals for 2024! PCVRC members are competing for the race team in the USATF road and off-road series and joining folks in the running community at our weekly Tuesday track workouts with Coach Jim Fischer, Thursday and Sunday group runs and PCVRC social events. The Club has increased the number of group runs and pop up events so check out the club website and Facebook page to see what’s happening. PCVRC is a social club and very supportive of all our member’s running goals. Most importantly, we have a great time running and welcome runners and walkers of all backgrounds regardless of race, nationality, religion, sexual or gender identity and of all levels of ability from beginner walkers to the highly competitive road racer to marathoners.
See current and all past PCVRC Newsletters
41th Delaware Distance Classic is October 20. Please Volunteer or Run to Support Your Club!
The 41th annual DDC is on Sunday October 20 at 9:00am. The race starts at the Riverfront at Hare Pavilion behind Constitution Yards and goes along the scenic Markell Trail again this year. This is the main event and primary fundraiser for PCVRC, which also benefits our new charity partner, Delaware Greenways (https://delawaregreenways.org/). Please support your club by registering, volunteering or both! Volunteers are needed for 2-3 hours on race day to help give out food and water to runners, direct runners on the course and assist at the start/finish line. To volunteer, please email Adam at: . For details on the race, go to the DDC website at https://ddc15k.org
Discount$ for Club Members!
StretchPlex – 10% discount off any service StretchPlex (pptandfitness.com) using the code: PCVRC10.
Delaware Running Company – all PCVRC members get 10% off anything in store EXCEPT electronics.
Omega Project – $25 off 3D Gait Screen or $50 off full 3D Gait Analysis; $25 off 6 pack of laser sessions or $50 off a 10 pack of laser sessions
Liquid Alchemy Beverages – 10% off entire visit of All Natural Craft Meads and Ciders
Cheskin Chiropractic Center – Complimentary consultation for sports related or accident related treatment
Running coach – Alison McCann is part of Speed Sherpa Nation as a run coach and is taking on new clients https://www.speedsherpa.com/coaches or https://www.trainingpeaks.com/coach/alisonmccann
Omius headbands – 20% off with code PCVRC24 at Omius Inc.
Zealios – 25% off all Zealios products with code ZupPIKECREEK and can be used at https://teamzealios.com/collections and at any event where Zealios is vending.
LEVERMovement – https://levermovement.com/ Use code PikeCreekRC20 to get 20%.
See all current discounts & links at our Member Discount page, https://pcvrc.com/pcvrc-member-discounts/ (Email if you need the password).
Couch to 5K graduation!
The spring Couch to 5K program was a major success! The Club is grateful for Caitlin Reilly and the club members who assisted in providing an excellent 10-week program. The Couch to 5K program was conducted at Delcastle Park in conjunction with our Thursday 6:00pm group runs. Congratulations to all the participants with special recognition to those who completed the goal 5K race on June 22 (Kick off to Summer 5K). Check the PCVRC website for details on the next session of this popular program HERE.
Social Activities
Summer picnic at Bellevue State Park – The rescheduled annual “summer” picnic was held Saturday, September 28 at the pavilion at Bellevue State Park. Club members enjoyed food and drink and good company.
Group Run at White Clay Creek – On Wednesday, June 26 at 5:30pm, the club hosted a group run at White Clay Creek State Park at the Carpenter Recreation Area in Newark, DE. Folks then stayed for the free concert afterwards by Magical Mystery Tour (Beatles tribute).
Group Trail Run and Social – On Thursday July 25 at 6:00pm, the Club hosted a trail run in Fair Hill NRMA. Folks ran various distances and then met up afterwards at Old Stone Cidery in Lewisville, PA.
DDC course preview run – On August 25, Club members ran the scenic Delaware Distance Classic 15K course on a swelting morning starting at Hare Pavilion at the Wilmington Riverfront behind Constitution Yards on the Markell Trail. Besides getting a good workout in, the preview helped identify course markers and anticipated locations where volunteers will be needed. The group then enjoyed a nice breakfast at Riverfront Bakery.
Check out the PCVRC the website for more pictures from these events and for updates on other upcoming events: PCVRC Events Calendar
PCVRC Racing Team updates
The summer months are relatively slow for the USATF road and off-road series. With the cooler fall weather, the series races pick up again with a busy October and November. Pike Creek Valley Running Club is currently in second place in both the Grand Prix and the Off-Road Series.
On June 30, which may have been the most humid of many humid days this summer, a small squad took on the Run for the Ages at Nolde Forest near Reading. This race has a unique, handicapped, start by age and gender; the first across the line is the winner. Dave Wiechecki led the way by placing 8th overall. Jean Western and Rob Mason also persevered in the rough conditions to win age group awards.
A mainstay in the Off-Road series, the Double Trouble 15k at French Creek was held on July 28. A strong contingent tackled the hilly and rocky 15k course on an unseasonably cooler July day. Pete LoBianco, Dave Wiechecki, Bill Rose, and Laura Brenner all placed in their respective age groups.
Heavy rains in the days leading up the August 11 Chobot Challenge made for challenging creek crossings. A strong contingent was able to successfully navigate the deep and fast flowing water in the main creek crossing, going over it two times. Laura Brenner led the way, placing 2nd overall female. Pete LoBianco, Dave Wiechecki, Bill Rose, and Jean Western also placed in their respective age groups.
The lone road race with a scoring team took place on September 8 at the Main Line Run in Wayne, PA. After several years of this race taking place with heavy rain, racers were treated to perfect racing conditions. Liz Swierzbinski and Roxanne Ramirez led the way, placing first and second overall among women. Mark Hannagan, Angelina Hannagan, Dave Wiechecki, and Rob Mason all placed in their respective age groups. The Pike Creek team also placed second in the team competition, winning a large trophy.
Our racing team wants you! Any club member who joins USATF can participate and represent our club, both in our regional series and in National Championship events! The annual cost to join USATF is $55 at https://usatf.sport80.com/public/wizard/a/941/home, select Pike Creek Valley Running Club as your club affiliation. USATF members can enjoy discounts on series races, win end of year series awards, and are guaranteed entry in the Broad Street Run. Members of the club who are members of USATF and compete in at least 4 races total among both series will receive a complimentary membership to PCVRC for the following year. Please contact Lynn Knothe () for more information. For the racing calendars for the road and off-road series, please go to https://mausatf.org/grad-prixevents/ and https://mausatf.org/off-road-events/.
Group Runs continue every Sunday & Thursday, track workouts every Tuesday and Trail runs on Saturdays
Group runs continue at their usual places and times and a great way to interact with your fellow runners while working out. Click here for details
Sundays 8:00 am – meet in the parking lot behind Brew HaHa! in the Main Street Galleria, 45 East Main St., Newark (free parking); run in White Creek Park and back anywhere from 1-14 miles or more round trip. Anyone is welcome to have coffee and breakfast afterwards at Brew HaHa!
Thursdays 6:00 pm – meet at start/finish of Delcastle Rec Area; Run 1 or more laps of the 1.75 mile loop.
Tuesday evening track workouts: Workouts start at 6:00pm at St. Mark’s High School. Participants can warm up off beforehand outside of the track. Please check the PCVRC website weekly for any updates.
Saturday Trail Runs at Brandywine Creek State Park 7:30am. Meet at the trailhead at the end of Garden of Eden Road, Wilmington, DE 19803. Anyone is welcome to join, runs are typically 8-9 miles, but can accommodate anywhere between 5-12 miles. For more info check out the FB page.
For Your Information
The days are getting shorter, but the sun’s rays can still have negative effects on our skin even during short workouts or when running under cloudy conditions. For guidance on how to protect yourself and some popular products to help minimize skin damage, see articles are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.
41st Delaware Distance Classic Registration is open
The 41st annual DDC will be held on October 20, 2024. This is the seminal race supporting your Pike Creek Valley Running Club as we welcome a new local charity sponsor, Delaware Greenways! Please support your club by running and/or volunteering to help with registration, handing out food and water and keeping runners on the course and safe. Course is flat and fast with many top runners in the region participating, including a number of other USATF clubs.
For details on the race and more pictures, go to the DDC website at https://ddc15k.org.
Your PCVRC Board
Please contact us with any questions.
President and Webmaster: Ray Christensen
Vice President: Adam Shilling
Secretary and Social Media: Alison McCann
Treasurer: Andrea Riley
Membership coordinator: Cindy Alms
Sponsor coordinator: Dwight Swaney
Events coordinator: Mike Janis
USATF Team coordinator: Lynn Knothe
C25K coordinator: Caitlin Reilly
Running Events Coordinator: Hali Mckinley Lester
DDC Race Director: Alison McCann