PCVRC Annual Awards Banquet
From Interim President Joel Schiller:
We are sorry that we had to postponed last Saturday’s annual PCVRC banquet but we are indeed ON for this Saturday at 6PM at the Hartefeld National Golf Club, 1 Hartefeld Drive, Avondale, PA 19311. Ph: 610-268-8800.
If you have not already done so, please re-confirm your attendance by sending an email to .
Registration for the banquet has also reopened, and if you can now attend, you may register through Thursday Noon at http://www.pcvrc.com/banquet.php.
See you Saturday for a FUN evening!
Joel Schiller
Interim President, PCVRC
A friendly reminder to renew your membership if you haven’t yet. March 1st is the deadline after which you will stop receiving this newsletter as well as all the other benefits. Don’t let that happen! You can either print off the form or renew online!
USATF Off-Road Update – Ugly Mudder 2/22/15
From Tom Steenkamer:
Once again Mother Nature delivered epic conditions for the kickoff race of the USATF trail season. With Saturday’s snow storm adding another 8 inches of new snow to the already snow-covered trails of Reading’s Mt. Penn the race was going to deliver “more value and excitement” to participants. That last comment was made by the race director, Ron Horn, who always puts a sideways spin on his trail events.
Not quite as epic as the 2014 Ugly Mudder, which was held on 15 inches of new snow, this event provided its own unique entertainment for the 12 PCVRC runners.
Due to the trail conditions the race course was shortened from its usual 7m route.
299 runners managed to slip and slide across the approximately 6-mile trek around Mt. Penn. The first quarter-mile of the race was on blacktop but from there on the race leaders would have to “post hole” their way along the trail in wet snow. Temps were warming up by the 11 AM race start and the sun was starting to make it presence felt. That was nice but it just made the snow that much harder to navigate. Thankfully the PCVRC team emerged without injury and with many great performances.
The most interesting part of this race is that it is held on mostly single-track trails. The leaders blazed thru deep snow, packing it down for those who follow. Whilst passing opportunities existed they required blazing your own off-trail path over the snow-covered rocks, root and tree limbs.
The finish led to some unexpected results. It is preceded by the final steep climb of the day that is barely runnable under normal conditions. The race leader had been in the front since the very beginning. He slipped going up the final climb and was passed by 2 PCVRC team members. At the top of the hill a 150m sprint ensued to the finish line where the new leader lost his footing and fell a mere 3 feet from the finish. Seizing the opportunity and hoping to avoid stepping on him Mike O’Brian hurdled over the downed runner to win the event!
PCVRC participants:
Mike O’Brian 1st
Herv DaCosta 2nd
Mark Hannigan 6th and 1st AG
Paul Randolph
Tim Schuler 1st AG
Jessica Cataldo 1st Female
Tom Steenkamer 2nd AG
Keith Crispin
Lisa Jalot 1st Female Master and 3rd Female overall
Tom Jermyn
Rich Szymanski
Mark Holliday
USATF team scores have not been completed at the time of this note.
Couch-to-5k Spring Session
The next C25k session will start on Monday, April 6th. Darlise is looking for volunteers to help coach. Previous graduates are especially sought as they can inspire participants and show what heights can be achieved! E-mail Darlise at if you can help.
Central YMCA Indoor Triathlon/Duathlon
The race is THIS Sunday!
Joel Schiller is the race director for a very unique race. There are three stages: a 20-lap pool swim, a 15-mile SPIN bike ride and a 3-mile treadmill run. Start time slots run between 10:00 AM and 1:30 PM. You get to choose your start time and the order you do the stages in. Transition times do not count so you’re not penalized if your transitions are slower than most. If you do the duathlon you can choose from any of the three stage types!
Registration is only $20 (until January 31st, $25 afterward and day-of) and you get a tech t-shirt and a finisher’s medal! Here’s the link to sign up online. (Online registration closes on Feb. 26th. Day-of registration will be available, starting at 8 AM.)
Race Results, Reviews and Accomplishments:
Tom Steenkamer gave a great recap of the Ugly Mudder so I’ll just leave this picture here.
(Photo Credit: Theo Hardies)
12th Annual Ugly Mudder 7-Mile Trail Run
(February 22nd – Reading, PA)
Mike O’Brian 1:00:35 (Male Overall Winner)
Herv DaCosta 1:00:38 (2nd Overall Male)
Mark Hannigan 1:00:53 (1st AG)
Paul Randolph 1:01:22
Tim Schuler 1:01:33 (1st AG)
Jessica Cataldo 1:01:35 (Female Overall Winner)
Tom Steenkamer 1:01:36 (2nd AG)
Lisa Jalot 1:02:35 (Master’s Female Winner)
Tom Jermyn 1:03:09
Rich Szymanski 1:05:11
Mark Holliday 1:14:32
Pike Creek Valley Running Club Membership Fee Structure and Renewal Policy
The current dues are $25 per membership, which includes family members and significant others, and covers membership for the calendar year. The renewal period runs from October 1st through March 1st. If you are planning to remain a member of PCVRC, you must renew by March 1st. On March 1st, those who have not renewed are not eligible for club member benefits such as e-bulletin, member pricing at banquet, free Boston Send-off party, etc.
Any member who races for PCVRC in 4 or more USATF races, and is a member of USATF, will receive complimentary PCVRC membership for the following calendar year.
New members who join on or after June 1st but before October 1st will pay a reduced rate of $15 to cover membership for the remainder of the current calendar year, then are subject to same renewal policy as current members stated above. Anyone who joins on or after October 1st would pay $25 that would cover them for remainder of current calendar year and the entire following calendar year.
To sign up or renew you can to to the Join/Renew page in the below links section.
If mailing, send a check or money order (payable to PCVRC) to:
PCVRC
PO Box 3259
Wilmington, DE 19804