Delaware Distance Classic!
The Delaware Distance Classic (DDC) 15K and 5K is fast approaching. The date is Sunday October 6th, at Frawley Stadium, with a 9am start time. This is the Club’s signature event, and the ONLY annual event that we raise funds for both local charities and our Club.
If you are not planning on running either of the races, please consider volunteering. It is extremely important that you all participate in some form, be it running or volunteering!! There is a wide variety of volunteer opportunities available and you can view these and sign up for specific tasks at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0D49ADAB2DA64-delaware. Even if you can only spare a short chunk of time, every little bit helps. And remember, more volunteers = greater success = more club funds generated = a better club for you!
What’s up with Hugh Campbell
I called Hugh this week to see how he’s doing. His positive attitude is very inspiring and he’s a very funny guy! Here’s a recap (mostly in his words with my edits).
“I had a tumor that grew between two disks of my spine and broke my back! It interfered with that big national 8K that I was invited to race in at Williamsburg. I got a mile into the race and I had so much sudden pain that I was forced to walk the whole damn thing! It took over an hour and my wife was really annoyed.
A week later I woke up totally paralyzed – I couldn’t move my legs. I went to the hospital of course and they took out the tumor and they put in some titanium rods to put my back together. That was in mid-June. Since then, I’ve had to have a “clean-up” operation plus radiation treatments. So now I just started on chemo and I’ll get that once a month for six months. I just go to Helen Graham and I get to sit in an easy chair while they shoot that poison in me. But so far I’ve had no pain and no ill effects.
I also have physical therapy two days a week plus vigorous PT at home. But I still can’t walk without a walker and my balance in not very good. Hey, I’m perfectly happy and I’ve really appreciated the club and all I’ve been able to do. Now I have to learn just to walk again!”
We’re on Meetup!
PCVRC has a new MeetUp site (www.meetup.com) with group runs already posted. If you haven’t already been on MeetUp, try it out and search for Pike Creek Valley Running Club. You don’t have to pay anything to register as a member.
Race Results, Reviews and accomplishments:
Here’s what’s been sent in…
Lehigh Valley “VIA” Marathon, September 7
Jay Coughenour, 3:02:12 (BQ)
Lori Culnane, 3:57 (BQ)
Lehigh Valley “VIA” Half Marathon, September 7
Keith Crispin, 1:29:04
The Last Chance for Beantown Marathon, Holly Ridge, NC, August 24 (7:30pm start!)
Dave McCourquodale, 4:15:53 (Read details at http://mccorq.blogspot.com)
Charm City 20-Mile NCR Trail Race, Hunt Valley, MD, Sept. 1
Theresa Kauffman – 3:00:24 (1st in AG)
HAC Plunge and Run Duathlon, August 25 (1/4 mi swim, 5K)
Kelly Horowitz 28:04 (1st female, 3rd overall)
Jim Steele 32:02
Bottle and Cork 10-Miler, September 7
Kristen Stump 1:09:12 (2nd in AG)
Kelly Horowitz 1:10:39 (2nd in AG)
Jack Horowitz 1:19:42
Lums Pond State Park, Sept. 7
Diamondman Youth Triathlon
Liam Kauffman, 17:35 (1st Triathlon!)
Ethan Shilling, 23:23 (1st Triathlon!)
Diamondman Sprint Duathlon, (Run 2, Bike 19.5, Run 3.3)
Dirk Sweigart, 1:39:16 (2nd in AG)
Theresa Kauffman, 1:48:43 (1st in AG)
Sheri Herrmann, 1:49:39 (2nd in AG)
Ron Kwasnieski, 1:53:01
John Schultz, 2:45:26 (1st in AG)
Diamondman Sprint Triathlon (Swim 1/2, Bike 19.5, Run 3.3)
Jim Steele, 1:51:19
Lums Pond State Park, Sept. 8 –
Diamondman Half-Ironman Triathlon
Darlise DiMatteo, 5:52:25 (3rd in AG)
Kevin O’connor, 5:26:44 (1st in AG)
Lehigh Valley Marathon Review – Part I (Lori Culnane, “Lori Loco”)
Following the Rebel tradition of writing about “meaningful” races, this is my story. This was a comeback marathon of sorts for me as I haven’t been running too well the last couple years. My last “decent” marathon time-wise and BQ was “10/10/10” in Chicago, before the new faster BQ qualifying standards. I now had 5:59 less minutes in which to qualify.
This race was fueled by Isagenix nutrition which enabled me to lose some weight and get leaner, powered by friend and trainer Kelly Jones-Reph, who helped tone me up and strengthen my core, and training-supported by my Rebel Girls – Tricia, Claire, Darlise and Barbara. Love my girls! Special thanks to Tricia who got me out there the last couple of weeks for tempo runs which I believe definitely helped me start strong and fast, especially because I slowed quite a bit during the last third of the run. Now that she has her own GPS watch, I won’t be needed for that anymore! But it reminded me of the advantage of doing those types of runs.
The Expo was held in Bethlehem, PA. where the old Steel Stacks are located – a very cool place. It was a small and informal expo. I had no problems picking up two other runners’ packets and even changed one from the full to the half- no questions asked. The official race shirt is nice. The only marathon-specific gear was a design-your-own booth where you picked the shirt and iron-on decals and they ironed them on where you wanted. Not the best quality but reasonably priced. I got a cute v-neck with two decals for $15!
The temps felt OK but a little warm. It’s warm for me if I don’t need at least a t-shirt throw-away before the start. You could definitely feel the humidity. The only thing that kept this from being a complete disaster humidity-wise was that most of the run was in the shade- thank God! Think of Creek Road.
The course is fabulous! Definitely one of the nicest of many courses I’ve run! After a “death-drop” at mile two (40′ in a quarter-mile) which brought us to a wooden covered bridge, the rest of the course was flat to slightly rolling. The only “ups and downs” were getting on and off the D&L Trail (not as drastic as the C&D canal!) and on and off of several small Lehigh River crossings. The surface was crushed gravel and paved towpaths with a few miles on roads. 16 miles total was on the D&L Trail. It reminded me of Creek Road back where the yellow pole used to be, but no rocks, sand or roots, just smooth and, in some spots, hardened mud. Some areas were only two to three people wide but most of the runners were pretty good about remaining to the right unless passing. Hardly any runners were chatting as it seemed most had one thing in mind- a Boston qualifier.
The only not-so-nice spot was between miles 12-13.5 which had us running up off of the Trail onto a road and circling a parking lot before going back down onto the Trail. It was sunny and we were so used to the shade at this point. The only spectators were at the relay transition areas of which this was the largest. I had a 1:53 first half so I was doing pretty good but knew I would start slowing down with the weather being what it was. It was strange but there were no timing mats here or anywhere else on the course. They were not really needed since there really was nowhere to cut the course except for this spot. I’m not even sure if relay runners got individual splits.
We stayed by the start in Allentown so John drove to the finish at Easton, PA. in the morning and rode his NEW mountain bike backwards on the course. He got to mile 16 but it was pretty narrow and with runners starting to appear he turned around and waited at mile 20. He was then able to pretty much ride right with me as the course widened from here on out. I ran with my fuel belt for the first time since the Rome marathon in 2005 so I was shedding water bottles and e+ shot bottles to him, which was nice. I finally gave him my whole belt at mile 24.5. I was definitely struggling by this time. I knew at mile 20 when I saw him that I had over 65 minutes to get in under 4:00 so it was do-able. I just needed to keep moving under 10 min/mile.
I crossed the finish line of my 33rd marathon in 3:57!! Happy, a little teary-eyed, and Lee Dresser was there to give me a congratulatory high-five!!! Not bad for a 52 year-old chick!! Then it was beer time!!!!
Lehigh Valley Marathon Review – Part II (Keith Crispin)
The marathon started in Allentown at the Lehigh Hospital and ran through the parkway to Bethlehem and finished in Easton. I ran the half marathon which started on Main Street in Bethlehem. The half had a 7 AM start time (a little early!) with a nice downhill start to the canal. From that point on it was 13.1 miles all the way to Easton. The course ran along the canal – it’s a hard dirt path and very flat. My time was consistent at each mile for all 13 miles. Not a second faster or slower! The course is wide enough for a car or two and has a nice tree line all the way. If it was a hot day then that could be a real plus.
A couple of downsides – for the half marathon, the water stops were OK but for the marathon they probably could have used couple more stops (not every mile had a water stop). Also, there were very few people along the course (maybe one person J) As Jay said… it was like running Creek Road for 26.2 miles. J
It’s a small race but not too small. There are always two or three people running around you. I believe there were over 1,000 runners in each race and there were many runners from the Delaware and Elkton areas. It’s a point to point race so you need to take the shuttle back. The hotels are close to the start so you don’t need to get to the starting line an hour before. They could have used a couple more bathrooms but I believe this year the race tripled in size so it may have caught them by surprise.
I liked the course and I would run the half marathon again. But then I could be little biased since I spent ten years living between Allentown and East Stroudsburg.
USATF (from Tom Steenkamer)
The fall USATF road reason resumes with the Delaware Distance Classic 15k on Sunday, October 6. This is the first race of the fall season and we look forward to fielding a very competitive team in our club’s premier event.
3 additional races remain after the DDC. We will be focusing our top performances for the Bridge Run 10k on Sunday, November 3rd, and the Rothman 8k on Saturday, 11/16. These two races represent our best scoring opportunities to maintain our current second position in the Grand Prix club scoring competition.
Once again this year we will be de-emphasizing participation in the Radnor five-miler, October 27th. It is a beautiful run but because of the very hilly terrain it presents a difficult course on which to score. Therefore this race will likely be counted as our dropped race for the year. Seven out of eight races count towards the final club score.
In addition, I am looking for verification from all club members participating in either the Philly Half or Full Marathon on November 17. If we can field a full team (5 club members with at least 1 woman to score) for either race we will be able to count the team score.
Finally the 2013 USATF National Masters 5k Cross County Championship will be held on October 20th in nearby Flemington, NJ. We are in the process of assembling a men’s 50+ team (50-59 on race day) for this national event. We need a minimum of 5 team members (7 desired) to compete as scoring club. This event is scored as a traditional cross country meet without age grading. (Team score computed by order of finish.) I am seeking additional team members for this nationally competitive event. The early registration deadline is September 30th. Please write me ASAP if you or anyone you know is interested in competing .
Running Book
Here’s an item that might be of interest to club members (from Joe Ellis):
My latest novel, The Old Man and the Marathon, is now available for a FREE download from www.smashwords.com (Nook, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, computer, etc.), or it can be downloaded from the Kindle or Nook store for 99 cents. A paperback version will also be available from online bookstores next week.
My work has been featured in Runner’s World magazine and reviewed by the Washington Post and popular running blogs. The story is modeled after Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea.
Here’s a synopsis of the novel:
The Old Man and the Marathon is a story about taking on a challenge despite the odds. Sixty-four year old Angelo Santiago has been a distance runner most of his life. However, he has never run a marathon because of a history of sciatica problems. This missing piece in his competitive career has always gnawed at him, reminding him of his inferiority among his running peers. After three months of pain-free running, he decides to train for his first marathon. With encouragement from his young friend, Emmanuel, he begins the arduous workouts that will prepare him for one of the most difficult ordeals of his life. Along the way he meets Rita Marling, a beautiful woman who stirs romantic embers dormant since the death of his wife ten years ago. He also encounters Jack Silvers, a local high school coach and marathoner who becomes his rival in racing and romance. On the day of the race, like everyone who takes on the challenge of a marathon, Angelo must reach deep inside to find the strength and courage to finish the race.
http://joecellis.blogspot.com/