Happy New Year to all our club members and their families! We hope you were able to enjoy the holidays and share the time with family and friends in safe manner. Whatever stage you are at, the club is here to support you whether on the road, trail or indoors. PCVRC has been busy hosting social events and completed a very successful Delaware Distance Classic (DDC) after a one year hiatus! Donations were made to our charity partner and volunteer groups, Nemours Children’s Hospital (pictured below), Delaware Nature Society and Daughters of the British Empire.
We welcome you to take advantage of the all the club benefits and activities and hope to see you soon. Check out our 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 joggers to the highly competitive road racer to marathoners.
Membership benefits
Please visit https://pcvrc.com/join-our-running-club/ to renew online or mail check. Only new members need to submit a member form. Only $25 per year for the entire family includes free T-shirt for new members, race discounts, discounted Delaware State Park Pass, weekly group runs, track workouts with Coach Fischer, fun runs, Club social events including Holiday Party, Spring Social, Delaware Distance Classic (our signature event), 20% discount at New Balance Stores in Brandywine and Christiana, 10% discount at Delaware Running Company, 20% discount at Tifosi Optics on all orders over $30, eligible to participate as a member of our team in USATF events and more!
Discounted DE State Park Passes for 2022 Members
PCVRC has again arranged for discounted Annual Parking Passes to the Delaware State Parks for club members only. Delaware State Parks have received the Gold Medal Award as the top parks in the nation for the second time in 6 years. For details and to place your order CLICK HERE
More Discount$ for Club Members!
Noxgear – 35% off with code PCVRC: www.noxgear.com
Tifosi – 20% off $30 or more with code PIKECREEKVALLEY: tifosioptics.com)
Picky Bars – www.pickybars.com PCVRC-TRIDAWGS-2021 30% one purchase or first month of Picky Club
Road ID – roadID.com 20% off through June with code JX0QT0JVKXRD
StretchPlex is offering a 10% discount off any service at StretchPlex (pptandfitness.com) using the code: PCVRC10. StretchPlex provides one on one wellness services that includes assisted stretching, massage therapy, personal training and compression therapy. The mission of StretchPlex is to help people feel more flexible, have less pain, and move easier in their lives so they can do all the things they love doing!

Couch to 5K is Back this Spring
Lee and Michelle Dresser are again hosting the spring Couch to 5K program at Paper Mill Park starting in April. The approximately 10-week program is free and culminates with a goal 5K race in June or July. Please bring a mask to wear before and after running and walking and stay 6 feet away from anyone not in your immediate family at all times. As demonstrated in past sessions, following these recommendations, we can run safely.
Check out the PCVRC website for updates HERE.
PCVRC Racing Team Update
The busy fall for the Mid-Atlantic USATF Grand Prix and Off-Road series finished up at the end of November with the Philadelphia Marathon weekend and the Delaware Open Cross Country Championship. PCVRC fielded strong teams for all of the events, finishing 3rd in the Grand Prix and 2nd in the Off-Road series. The 2022 series sees many of the races contested in the fall of 2021 returning to their regular spring dates for 2022. We also forgot to mention Sarah Rusk in the last newsletter, who set a state age group record at the Boston Marathon!
Club members turned in several outstanding performances at the Philadelphia Marathon weekend. In the Dietz and Watson Philadelphia Half Marathon Rob Mason set another state record in the process of winning the 65-69 age groups. Betty Olmstead placed 3rd in 75-79 and Anthony Swierzbinski placed 5th in 35-39. The club’s largest contingent of racers was in the Rothman 8k. Allison Emmons continued her outstanding year of racing by winning the master’s division. Mike DiGennaro and Greg Cauller placed 2nd in age group, Matthew Cutrona 3rd in age group, and Liz Swierzbinksi and Gerald Herman placed 4th in age group. At Sunday’s AACR Philadelphia Marathon, Abby Dean set another state age group record in the process of winning her age group.
On the Saturday after Thanksgiving a group of brave runners battled the cold and wind at the hilly Brandywine Creek State Park in the Delaware Open Cross Country Championship. A strong performance by the team vaulted us from 4th to 2nd in the series standings. Mike DiGennaro and Allison Emmons led the way by winning the masters divisions. Matthew Cutrona, Dave Wiechecki, and Lynn Knothe all placed in their respective age groups.
PCVRC has numerous runners who placed in the overall Grand Prix and won age groups in the 2021 series. Congratulations to Abby Dean (1st), Allison Emmons (2nd), Greg Cauller (6th), Robert Mason (8th), and Matthew Cutrona (9th) for placing top ten in the individual Grand Prix for 2021! Additionally, Angelina Spadaccini (1st), Allison Emmons (1st), Abby Dean (1st), Betty Olmstead (1st), Mark Hannagan (1st), Anthony Swierzbinski (1st), Greg Cauller (1st), Matthew Cutrona (2nd), Robert Mason (2nd), and Gerald Herman (2nd) placed top 3 in age groups for the series. Andrea Rubinoff and Lynn Knothe each placed second in age group in the Off-Road Series. Details are being finalized for an informal awards luncheon following the Fireside Frostbite 5 Miler in Ambler.
Now is a great time to join USATF and participate in the Grand Prix or Off-Road series! You can join USATF by going to https://www.usatf.org/ and selecting Pike Creek Valley Running Club as your club affiliation. A list of the Grand Prix races is https://www.mausatf.com/grandprix-events/ and the Off-Road races is https://www.mausatf.com/off-road-events/.
Social Activities
Holiday Social – The annual PCVRC holiday party was held on Wednesday December 15 at Klondike Kates on Main Street in Newark, DE. There was a great turnout of more than 60 members, who enjoyed food and drink along with fun raffles and giveaways. Members used the opportunity to catch up with friends and reminisce from the past year and many took the advantage of the time to renew annual membership for 2022.
Cupid’s Charity – Last year, several members of the PCVRC had a great time at this wonderful event to support Cupid’s Charity, a fantastic cause to find a cure for neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1), a genetic disorder of the peripheral nervous system that causes tumors to grow on the nerves anywhere in the body at any time. Club members dressed their Valentine’s Day best for a short run and scavenger hunt in Wilmington and then relaxed with a drink afterwards at Maker’s Alley. We’re doing it again on Saturday, February 26th! The venue will be House of Laffs on Union Street in Wilmington. Click here to register and join the PCVRC Team! For details, click HERE.
Check the website for updates on these and other upcoming events: PCVRC Events Calendar
Group Runs continue every Sunday & Thursday and track workouts every Tuesday
Socially distanced 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 8:00am (NEW LOCATION!) – 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 evenings at 6:00 pm – track workouts with a Delaware Hall of Fame running coach, Jim Fischer, are at St. Marks High School.
For Your Information
With a couple more months of cold weather, these articles provide some helpful tips to consider HERE. For the days where running outside is not desirable or feasible, the tread(dread)mill is a viable option to get a good workout. For some tips to get the most out of it, click HERE
Save the Date! Delaware Distance Classic in 2022!
The DDC is tentatively scheduled in October at the Riverfront again this year! Please check the website for more information and race updates at https://ddc15k.org/
Your PCVRC Board needs you!
Please consider joining the board to help our club become more beneficial and enjoyable to current and prospective members with group runs, socials and other activities. Board meetings are typically every other month. You’ll have plenty of support and get to help shape the club. For more details, click HERE.
President: Wes Stafford
Vice President: Adam Shilling
Secretary: Alison McCann
Treasurer: Andrea Riley
Membership coordinator: Open
Events coordinator: Mike Janis
USATF Team coordinator: Lynn Knothe
Sponsorship coordinator: Ray Christensen
Webmaster: Ray Christensen
C25K coordinator: Lee Dresser
DDC Race Director: Alison McCann
Social Media: Alison McCann