Holiday Party on Monday December 8th
The holidays are fast approaching, so before your calendar gets packed with holiday festivities mark your calendars for the Annual PCVRC Holiday Party on Monday, December 8th from 6:30 -9:00pm at Timothy’s in Newark.

This event, like most club events, is free to club members and non-club members. We ask that if you are a non-club member that you make a small donation toward the food for the event. There will be a buffet and cash bar.

While it’s not necessary to RSVP, if you think you can make it please respond via Facebook or email me at .
Hope to see you all there!

P.S. Don’t forget this is a great time to renew your club membership too!

Coat Drive at Party From Claire:
We are all looking forward to seeing many of you at the PCVRC annual holiday party on Monday December 8th at 6.30pm at Timothy’s in Newark. As we celebrate another wonderful year of running achievements, let’s take a few minutes to think about those less fortunate than ourselves.

There are many, many people in New Castle County, young and old, who cannot even afford a warm winter coat. This year we would like to collect gently used coats and other warm clothing items to donate to the Ministry of Caring, who will then distribute to those in need. We will have some bags set up by the door as you walk into the function room upstairs at Timothy’s.

For more information on the Ministry of Caring clothing needs, please visit http://www.ministryofcaring.org/new-and-lightly-used-clothing.

The USATF National Club Cross-Country Championships are a week from Saturday. We have a club-record 65 athletes representing us in a race-record field of 1750!!! MANY, MANY thanks to Tom Steenkamer and Rich Szymanski for getting the teams together and coordinating all this.

I would like to emphasize that the race results are 95% from member submissions. Occasionally I might see something on Facebook but the results have to come from our members. If a week is light on results it’s because people didn’t send any in. We definitely want to highlight our members’ achievements. If you placed 1st through 3rd overall or in your age group, hit a personal record, did your first race of a given type we want to hear about it! Just think about when you were motivated by someone else’s results. YOU have the chance to be the motivation for someone else! How cool is that?!?!

I also want to give special thanks to Rachel Perkowski for organizing our events so flawlessly! She goes above and beyond every time to make sure everyone can relax, have a good time and enjoy getting to know other members. She and hubby Ryan will soon have their hands full but will still do a great job! THANKS RACHEL!

USATF
Great job Betty Olmstead on competing in both the Rothman 8k on Saturday AND the Philadelphia Half Marathon on Sunday!

Race Results, Reviews and Accomplishments:
(Lots of people competed in the local races so please e-mail in if you aren’t listed below.)

Darlise got her award from the Beach2Battleship race for coming in second in her age group! Well done Darlise!

Sharon Miner did the Philly Half Marathon as her 2nd of 3 races to qualify for the Half Fanatics group. As member #7841 (my only real racing accomplishment this year) I’m waiting to welcome you when you get there, Sharon!

Newark Turkey Trot 10k
(November 21st – Newark, DE)

Andy Jakubowitch 38:01.9 (1st AG)
Jake Landon 38:14.4 (1st AG)
Dave Landon 38:43.8 (1st AG)
Kelly Horowitz 42:25.9 (2nd Overall Female)
Tom Jermyn 42:56.7 (1st AG)
Erin Graves 45:58.1 (1st AG)
Mike Piorkowski 46:03.8 (3rd AG)
Bruce Hubbard 1:02:48.2
John Schultz 1:25:40.9

Newark Turkey Trot 5k
(November 21st – Newark, DE)

Andy Jakubowitch 22:56.9 (3rd AG)
Erin Graves 22:59.4 (1st AG)
Mike Piorkowski 24:51.0
Sue Simmons 33:54.7

Philadelphia Rothman 8k
(November 21st – Philadelphia, PA)

Lynn Knothe 32:11
Betty Olmstead 1:09:01

Philadelphia Half Marathon
(November 22nd – Philadelphia, PA)

David Baca 1:43:08
Claire Neilan 1:47:27
Lori Culnane 1:47:28
Tristan Spates 1:57:36 (PR!!!)
Sharon Miner 2:48:07
Chrissy Hower 2:55:44
Betty Olmstead 3:17:39

Philadelphia Marathon
(November 22nd – Philadelphia, PA)

Noel Dietrich 5:44:38

Hi everyone,
The USATF Club Cross Country Championship race is approaching fast with only 12 days to go. USATF site preparation and our team-building have been going on for months. This event will be the largest USATF Club XC Championship in history with over 1750 registered participants.

PCVRC is setting its own attendance records with 65 members competing across the 4 races! With such a large group we do have some logistics to cover and ask that everyone spends a couple minutes to review the following content. Contact me () or Rich () if there are any questions.

Bus Transportation
The club-sponsored charter bus will be departing the Wilmington Riverfront parking lot @ 7AM. (The parking/meeting area is in the back lot across from Timothy’s. Look for the Krapf’s Charter bus.)

Please arrive promptly between 6:30 and 6:45 to facilitate gear stowing and seating. It is a 2-hour trip to Lehigh and we need to arrive with plenty of time to prepare for the 1st race of the day. Departure from Lehigh will be between 3:30 and 4PM to return to the Riverfront by 6PM. Please bring $5 to contribute to the driver’s tip.

Food
Bring your own food for the day and any non-alcoholic beverages. If you are bringing a cooler to stow on the bus please make sure it has your name on it. Food trucks will be on site but with 1750 people plus guests it may be a long wait for food service.

Alcohol
We have several club benefactors donating beer. If you have a favorite personal beverage I suggest you bring it with you.

Other Items You May Need

A folding chair and or blanket for use in the heated team tent.
A change of clothing appropriate for the anticipated weather conditions.
There are showers available in the building located in the Lehigh football stadium north end zone. Plan accordingly if you wish to take advantage of the shower facilities.

Race Gear
As previously stated all team members must have a matching uniform top as their outermost layer. Only those within the designated team must match. Do not forget your singlet!

Additional layers that you want to add to dress for the weather are at your discretion. For example, hat, gloves, arm warmers, long sleeve shirt, tights are permitted and do not need to match your teammate. See attached spread sheet for team roster details. Please note that some age groups have more than 1 team.

If your team is wearing the new PCVRC grey or black singlet you are strongly encouraged to attend the club Christmas party on 12/8 (6:30 p.m.) at Timothy’s in Newark to pick up your gear. One less item for me/us to manage on race day! (Even if you aren’t wearing the gear please come to the party to be part of the send off and well wishes from the club members!) RSVP to Rachel Perkowski () if you are planning to come to the party.

Shoes
The Lehigh University Paul Short course is all grass with a few short road crossings. Spikes are recommended but not required. If you choose to wear spikes suggested spike length is 3/8”. Road flats may be a better choice for those not accustomed to XC spikes.

Course Info
Please spend a few minutes to read through the course description; review the course maps and elevation details on the following web site: http://www.mausatf.org/2014ClubXC/2014-Club-XC-Championships-coursedescription.htm

For those who are driving themselves to the Lehigh athletic complex: Please ensure that you arrive early and have adequate time for parking, locating the team tent, warmup, etc. Look for the heated PCVRC Team tent – our club banner will be proudly displayed. Tent locations are expected to be in the field near the mile mark. You will have a 5 minute walk from the parking lots to the tents. (See the 6k course map for location.)

Race Day Schedule
10:30 AM : Masters Women’s 6-K
11:30 AM : Masters Men’s 10-K
12:45 PM : Open Women’s 6-K
1:30 PM : Open Men’s 10-K

Rich S. has offered to be the designated driver for a maximum of 7 people. If you plan on celebrating post-race and into the evening Rich is happy to drive you home. Contact Rich ASAP for the RichZ taxi service.

Holiday Party on December 8th
Now that we are into the month of November the holidays are fast approaching, so before your calendar gets packed with holiday festivities mark your calendars for the Annual PCVRC Holiday Party on Monday, December 8th from 6:30 -9:00pm at Timothy’s in Newark.

This event, like most club events, is free to club members and non-club members. We ask that if you are a non-club member that you make a small donation toward the food for the event. There will be a buffet and cash bar.

While it’s not necessary to RSVP, if you think you can make it please respond via Facebook or email me at .

Hope to see you all there!

P.S. Don’t forget this is a great time to renew your club membership too!

I left Gelsomina Paolini out of last week’s newsletter so she could be more prominently featured this week. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it. 🙂

The Holiday Party will also feature a “send-off” of the USATF athletes competing at the USATF National Club Cross-Country Championships in Bethlehem, PA that weekend. Come meet the athletes who will be representing us!

I want to welcome Erin Graves to the club and explain a club policy. The newsletter is a paid member benefit and only paid club members (family members for family memberships) will be featured. I made an assumption that Erin was a member and featured her a few times when I shouldn’t have. The good news is she’s a member now so let the games begin!

USATF
Grand Prix Finale (Fee-nah-lay – must be Italian!)
This weekend is the closing weekend for the 2014 USATF Grand Prix Series (Road Race). The race team will be participating in the Rothman 8k on Saturday morning and some members will be taking on the Philadelphia half- or full-marathon on Sunday. Please remember to get your race packets at the Marathon Expo before race day. Or have another member pick it up for you – all they need is a copy or picture of your photo ID and your race confirmation email. (No race-day pickups for any races.)

Off-Road Finale
The USATF Trail Race Series concludes on Saturday, 11/29 at the DE XC Open Championships. This is the 30th annual running of the DEXC Open races at Brandywine Creek State Park. Besides cash prizes to the top open and masters runners the race offers a huge post-race random giveaway. This year the race organizers promise a few special surprises. Drawing items include running attire by Gore, gift cards and lots more. Plan on sticking around later as we warm up at the BBC Tavern with a few of our fellow competitors. Race registration is here and day-of registration is always available.

Please note that Brandywine Creek State Park will charge $3 per car unless you have a Delaware State Parks annual pass.

The Big Day – 12/13/14
There is still time to join us for the USATF Cross Country Club National race at Lehigh University. The club has graciously sponsored a charter bus for transportation to the event and there is limited space still available. Please RSVP to Tom Steenkamer () or Rich Szymanski () for details.

Here is a picture from early in the 2013 Men’s Open Division race in Bend, Oregon.

(Photo Credit: USATF)

Gelsomina Paolini – IRONMAN!
On November 1st Gelsomina competed in her first full-distance Ironman race. The 2.4-mile swim was cancelled due to high winds and rip tides but she excelled in the 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run, finishing in 13:55:02! She’s got the bug now. She’s planning to compete in IRONMAN Arizona on November 15th next year!

Way to go Gelsomina!

(Photo Credit: FinisherPix – just in case the watermark wasn’t obvious enough)

Race Results, Reviews and Accomplishments:
Just want to remind people to send in any race results that you are particularly proud of. There’s no way for me to be able to watch Facebook and all the race sites. We want to congratulate everyone who deserves it!

Andy Jakubowitch, Erin Graves and Kelly Jones all competed in the Inaugural Skirt Chaser TEN-MILER this past Saturday. Andy was 2nd overall in 1:00:40.5, a blistering 6:04-per-mile pace. Erin won for the females, finishing in 1:11:53.5, a 7:11 pace. (Afterwards she went for a Slurpee. OK, I made that up.) Kelly placed 3rd in her age group, finishing in 1:24:06.4, an 8:25-per-mile pace! That’s just astounding! All three ran TEN miles in less than an hour-and-a-half!

(Photo Credits: Dave Frederick)

Theresa Cannon-Kauffman placed 2nd in her age group at the Bucks County Delaware Canal Half Marathon this past Saturday. This was her first big race back since her arm injury and she rocked it, finishing in 1:52:55! Awesome job Teresa!

Lynn Knothe and Greg Cauller both did us proud at the USATF National 12k Championships! Greg finished in 44:50 and Lynn mowed down 7.46 miles in 48:58!

Our Fearless Leader Claire Neilan won her age group at the Bethel Mariner 7-Miler Trail Run! Her spouse Jordan Fridman placed 3rd in his age group! The family that runs together…

Kelly Horowitz won the 6th Fire Run 5k this past Saturday, running in 19:08.0!!! John Schultz also competed, finishing in 34:41.3! Great job both of you!

Betty Olmstead also competed in the Fire Run as well as the Delaware Bandits 5k (both on Saturday) AND the LUNG Force non-competitive 2.1-mile walk in Rehoboth Beach on Sunday (with hubby Van and pet extraordinaire Gracie)! You’re a machine Betty!

Kirsten Belair won the Girls on the Run 5k on Saturday. PCVRC was well-represented here. Josh Loren came in 3rd overall male. Jennifer Loren placed 2nd in her age group!

IRONMAN Florida
(November 1st – Panama City Beach, FL)

Gelsomina Paolini 13:55:02

Bethel Mariner 7-Miler Trail Run
(November 2nd – Frankford, DE)

Claire Neilan 53:47
Jordan Fridman 1:08:18

Inaugural Skirt Chaser 10-Miler
(November 15th – Rehoboth Beach, DE)

Andy Jakubowitch 1:00:40.5 (2nd Overall Male)
Erin Graves 1:11:53.5 (Overall Female Winner)
Kelly Jones 1:24:06.4 (3rd AG)

Delaware Canal Half Marathon
(November 15th – Washington Crossing, PA)

Theresa Cannon-Kauffman 1:52:55.30 (2nd AG)

6th Fire Run 5k
(November 15th – Wilmington, DE)

Kelly Horowitz 19:08.0 (Overall Female Winner)
John Schultz 34:41.3
Betty Olmstead 39:34.6 (2nd AG)

2nd Delaware Bandits 5k
(November 15th – Wilmington, DE)

Betty Olmstead 42:10

Girls on the Run 5k
(November 15th – Wilmington, DE)

Kirsten Belair 18:58.1 (Overall Female Winner)
Josh Loren 18:15.0 (3rd Overall Male)
Jen Loren 21:20.0 (2nd AG)

U.S. National 12k Road Race
(November 16th – Alexandria, VA)

Greg Cauller 44:50
Lynn Knothe 48:58

Holiday Party, Ben Franklin Br 10k, Josh Loren, Pecan Festival

PCVRC Holiday Party
Now that we are into the month of November the holidays are fast approaching, so before your calendar gets packed with holiday festivities mark your calendars for the Annual PCVRC Holiday Party on Monday, December 8th from 6:30 -9:00pm at Timothy’s in Newark.

This event, like most club events, is free to club members and non-club members. We ask that if you are a non-club member that you make a small donation toward the food for the event. There will be a buffet and cash bar.

While it’s not necessary to RSVP, if you think you can make it please respond via Facebook or email me at .
Hope to see you all there!

P.S. Don’t forget this is a great time to renew your club membership too!

USATF: Ben Franklin Bridge 10k
On Sunday 11/2 we rolled the clocks back and woke up to a sunny (but blustery) day for the annual Ben Franklin Bridge 10k run.

This race typically attracts over 3500 runners who start on the Camden side of the bridge running west into Philly where the race makes a gradual 180 turn to return in the east bound lanes and then turn south to the Battleship NJ and make their way north along the riverfront then finishing in center field of the minor league ballpark – Campbell’s Field.

Interesting that this year’s blustery forecast of winds @15mph and gusts to 40mph kept several hundred folks off the starting line. Despite the early warning that the gusts would be fierce the 11 PCVRC team members were not deterred. (Note to self when the portable toilets start moving across the parking lot it is very windy! I think it was empty but did stop to check.)

Realizing the times would be impacted by the gusts we took a tempered approach at the start for our ascent up the bridge (into the wind/crosswind) followed by a quicker descent, turn repeat and hope for the best heading south. The course had some very exposed sections after the bridge where the full force of the wind was either helping or making you fight to maintain any kind of pace. Thankfully the winds carried the team into the stadium for a number of age group awards – Lynn Knothe, Jay Coughenour, Sheri Sweigart, Dave Wiechecki, Tom Steenkamer, Greg Cauller, Carole Feole.

Here’s Dave Wiechecki’s finishing kick passing South Jersey’s Jim Sery to capture 1st place in their age group.

Our team age-grade score for the day landed us a close 3rd place behind Bryn Mawr and Greater Philly. Bryn Mawr gained 3 points, GPTC 2. In the season-long competition PCVRC retains its hold on 1st Place.

Steenkamer Thomas 29 0 37 58 84.241
Coughenour Jay 21 0 36 27 83.539
Cauller Gregory 32 0 38 24 83.290
Wiechecki David 27 0 37 53 82.358
Feole Carole 210 0 47 32 78.086
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – 411.513
Sweigart Dirk 94 0 42 59 73.788
Knothe Lynn 78 0 42 16 72.989
Kauffman William Lee 124 0 44 32 72.418
Sweigart Sheri 196 0 47 8 69.059
Herman Gerald 1758 1 3 18 57.952
Schultz John 2802 1 24 14 54.729

Thanks to everyone who participated.

Next and final road race for 2014 – 11/22, and 11/23 at the Philly Marathon weekend. (Race entry is now closed for these races.)

USATF competition – What’s this age grade stuff all about?
Recently I was asked to help explain what the USATF series age grading system is all about. I found that I needed to review it myself and thought the club members would appreciate more information.

In general terms age grading is a way of putting all race participants on a level playing field, regardless of age or gender. Age graded scores let you compare your race times to those of different runners, as well as to the standard for your age and gender.

From the USATF web site:

Age Grading provides the athlete with a percentage value of the world record for their age and sex. Since the world record also degrades with age, the percentage can be used over a number of years to compare an athlete’s performance. The percentage can also be used for comparing men and women equally. Typical percentages are as follows:

100% = Approximate World-Record Level
90+% = World Class
80+% = National Class
70+% = Regional Class
60+% = Local Class

In the Mid Atlantic USATF club competition team scores are created from the top 5 age graded finishers from each club. One of those scores must be by a female team member. In a typical event the top performing male competitors are in the 80% range while female competitors are in the 70% range. Of course there are occasional truly exceptional performances such as that delivered by our own Hugh Campbell in 2013. At the Haddonfield NJ Adrenaline 5k race Hugh broke the existing record for his age and scored 102.572!

Want to find your age grade percentage for a recent event? Check out the USATF age grade calculator.

Race Recap: Pecan Festival “Run Like A Nut” Half-Marathon
From Carll Human:
I went to South Carolina to spend a long weekend with my daughter and her family. While down there (on Saturday, 11/1/14), I ran the Florence, SC annual Pecan Festival “Run Like a Nut” half marathon. I ended up setting a new PR of 1:42:54 (7:51 pace), beating my previous PR by over 2 1/2 minutes. I also took 2nd place in my age group (50-54) for the first time ever and 19th overall. I checked off half marathon #22 and state #16 since 2008.

In the below picture I’m the guy in red, with the white hat (bib#594).

It was a very small race on a cold, rainy and windy morning, through nearly all residential streets. While they took great care to spray paint directing arrows on the roads, they had to use a paint that washes away. So, as you can imagine what happened when it rained during the race. Ugh. Many people missed turns, myself included. Luckily, I saw several runners doubling back, having missed the same turn as I did, and followed them back and located the missed marker. There were some volunteers giving directions, but far too few. I guess the foul weather kept most of them, as well as nearly all spectators, at home. The race staff and volunteers tried their very best and I commend them for their efforts. Considering the missed turn, I can only imagine what my time and placing might have been. But, I’m very happy with the PR and 2nd place in AG.

The “trophy” they gave for 2nd place was a Mason jar (in true Southern style) with the race logo on the front and 2nd place on the back. I thought is was a really unique and cool way to recognize the runners, in addition to the small, but nicely-done, finisher’s medal.

Delaware Track and Field Hall of Fame Induction Banquet
This is not a PCVRC event but we wanted to include it to support fellow runners. Our own Tom Fort is the coordinator for the banquet.
When: Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Where: Cavaliers Country Club
Time: Social Hour @ 6:00, Dinner @ 7:00
RSVP/Tickets: or (302) 234-7803 (Form attached)

You can read Kevin Tresolini’s article in the News Journal for the honoree bios. Enjoy!

Race Results, Reviews and Accomplishments:
Just want to remind people to send in any race results that you are particularly proud of. There’s no way for me to be able to watch Facebook and all the race sites. We want to congratulate everyone who deserves it!

Matt Cutrona and Andrea Rubinoff both competed in the TCS New York City Marathon. Matt finished in 3:00:41, a blistering 6:54-per-mile pace! Andrea finished in 4:30:16, an extremely impressive 10:19 per mile!

(Photo Credit: MarathonFOTO.com)

Josh Loren competed in the XTERRA World Championships in Maui, finishing in 3:21:44! Tom Steenkamer wrote in about Josh: “Josh finished 193rd overall against a field of professional and elite amateur tri-athletes.” He also provided the following:

> WHAT IS XTERRA: The world’s premier off-road triathlon, combining a 1.5-kilometer (1-mile) rough water swim, a 30.4-kilometer (18.89-miles) mountain bike and a 9.5-kilometer (5.9 miles) trail run best described as a tropical roller-coaster ride through pineapple fields and forests.

>
> WHO RACES IN MAUI: A capacity field of 800 athletes from 28 countries and 42 U.S. states including professionals and amateurs.



(Photo Credit: Jennifer Loren)

Traci Melvin won her age group at the Halloween Hoopla 5k, finishing in 23:11.

(Photo Credit: Unknown)

John Schultz sent this description of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge 10k: “The weather was, shall we say, challenging. On the downward stretch approaching Philadelphia the west wind was brutal. On some other parts of the course there were brief periods when it was nearly impossible to make any headway at all; I had to turn and run sideways to the wind. ” When asked for comment Tom Steenkamer replied “Oh. bother.”

Kirsten Belair won the Inaugural Mark J. Dowling 5k this past Saturday, finishing in 18:47.4!

(Photo Credit: Undeniable Moments)

Dan Feldstein won his age group at the Queen of the Roses 5k, finishing in 30:44!

(Photo Credit: TriSportsEvents)

Carll Human sent in his Delaware Distance Classic 15k results as well as an excellent picture (if I do say so myself) of him finishing. He finished in an impressive 1:18:34.1, an 8:26 per-mile pace!

(Photo Credit: Undeniable Moments)

Delaware Distance Classic 15k
(October 12th – Delaware City, DE)

Carll Human 1:18:34.1

Halloween Hoopla 5k
(October 25th – Wilmington, DE)

Traci Melvin 23:11.9 (1st AG)

XTERRA World Championships
(October 26th – Maui, HI)

Josh Loren 3:21:44

Run Like A Nut Half-Marathon
(November 1st – Florence, SC)

Carll Human 1:42:54.433

TCS New York City Marathon
(November 2nd – New York City, NY)

Matt Cutrona 3:00:41
Andrea Rubinoff 4:30:16

Cooper Norcross Run the Bridge 10k
(November 2nd – Camden, NJ)

Jay Coughenour 36:27 (1st AG)
David Wiechecki 37:54 (1st AG)
Tom Steenkamer 37:58 (1st AG)
Greg Cauller 38:24 (2nd AG)
Lynn Knothe 42:16 (1st AG)
Dirk Sweigart 42:59
William Lee Kauffman 44:35
Sheri Sweigart 47:08 (3rd AG)
Carole Feole 47:32 (2nd AG)
Gerald Herman 1:04:05
John Schultz 1:24:14

Queen of the Roses 5k
(November 9th – Chestertown, MD)

Dan Feldstein 30:34 (1st AG)

1st Mark J. Dowling Foundation 5k
(November 9th – Wilmington, DE)

Kirsten Belair 18:47.4 (1st Overall Female)
John Schultz 36:26.1 (3rd AG)

The board is meeting with Delaware City officials tonight to recap/post-mortem the Delaware Distance Classic. Feel free to e-mail me any comments, good or bad, you would like to pass along.

The USATF section has updates both on last week’s Evansburg 10-Miler and upcoming races.

Pike Creek will have a LARGE (40-50 people) representation at the USATF National Club Cross-Country Championships in Bethlehem, PA this December. Whether you run or not such a large event only comes to our area once every three years or so. Come on out and cheer our runners on!

Race Results, Reviews and Accomplishments:
Just want to remind people to send in any race results that you are particularly proud of. There’s no way for me to be able to watch Facebook and all the race sites. We want to congratulate everyone who deserves it!

Andy Jakubowitch, Darlise DiMatteo and Lee Dresser all competed in the Beach2Battleship Ironman-Distance Triathlon this past weekend down in Wilmington, NC (the other Wilmington). Both Andy and Darlise placed 2nd in their age groups. In true team spirit Darlise and Lee crossed the finish line at the same time! Awesome job everyone! Swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles and then running a full 26.2-mile marathon is an astounding feat!

(Photo Credit: Lori Culnane)

I don’t know who was on the team but The Real Wilmington male relay team did the Half-Ironman Triathlon, coming in 4th overall with a time of 4:47:12!

Chrissy Hower competed in the Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday, contributing a wonderful photo.

(Photo Credit: Erin Lockwood @ RunHaven.com)

Claire Neilan and Barbara Chelpaty both won their age groups at the PAWS for People 5k! Claire was the 2nd overall female! Awesome job both of you!

(Photo Credit: Barbara Chelpaty)

Kelly Jones, Kirsten Walther-Belair and Betty Olmstead all competed at the Halloween Hoopla 5k. Kirsten won the event as the first overall female! Kelly placed 2nd in her age group and Betty won hers!

(Photo Credit: Kelly Jones)

(Photo Credit: Mark DeNio)

John Schultz gets a special mention. I told him to smile because the picture was definitely being put into this week’s newsletter.

(Photo Credit: Mark DeNio)

Carole Feole won her age group at the Shore Medical Center 10k, finishing in 45:45! (Data entry had her age as 2 years older than she is. That’s a BIG no-no, data entry people!)

Nancy Fleming came in 2nd in her age group at the E-Racing the Blues 10k this past Saturday. Nancy wrote in to also say that her hubby, Dan Weintraub, came in 2nd in his age group at the 5k walk!


(Photo Credit: Nancy Fleming)

Nancy also wrote in to brag on Kelly Horowitz. Kelly won the 5k and was the 2nd overall finisher!

(Photo Credit: Nancy Fleming)

(Photo Credit: Nancy Fleming)

Shore Medical Center 10k
(October 18th – Atlantic City, NJ)

Carole Feole 45:45 (1st AG)

PPD Beach2Battleship Iron Distance Triathlon
(October 25th – Wilmington, NC)

Andy Jakubowitch 9:37:09 (2nd AG)
Darlise DiMatteo 12:05:11 (2nd AG)
Lee Dresser 12:05:11

PPD Beach2Battleship Half-Iron Distance Triathlon
(October 25th – Wilmington, NC)

The Real Wilmington male team 4:47:12

6th PAWS for People Wag-n-Walk & 5k Run
(October 25th – Newark, DE)

Claire Neilan 23:22.4 (1st AG and 2nd Overall Female)
Barbara Chelpaty 25:25.2 (1st AG)

4th Halloween Hoopla 5k
(October 25th – Wilmington, DE)

Kirsten Belair 18:50.7 (1st Overall Female)
Kelly Jones 23:19.3 (2nd AG)
John Schultz 37:34.1 (2nd AG)
Betty Olmstead 42:38.9 (1st AG)

Marine Corps Marathon
(October 26th – Washington, DC)

Chrissy Hower 6:38:49 (clock time was 7:00:48!)

E-Racing the Blues 10k
(October 26th – Wilmington, DE)

Kelly Jones 49:51 (2nd AG)
Nancy Fleming 1:06:53 (2nd AG)
John Schultz 1:27:46 (3rd AG)

E-Racing the Blues 5k Run
(October 26th – Wilmington, DE)

Kelly Horowitz 20:03 (1st Overall Female & 2nd Overall Finisher)

E-Racing the Blues 5k Walk
(October 26th – Wilmington, DE)

Dan Weintraub 41:55 (2nd AG)

USATF

Off-Road Team – Evansburg Challenge 10/19
The PCVRC club sent 5 USATF members to Collegeville PA on October 19th to take on the Evansburg Challenge. The trail race is contested at Evansburg State Park and is routed along (and through) the Skippack Creek. The course is noted for the numerous clay sinkholes that are encountered in the first 2 miles of the 10 mile course. It is a common occurrence for some competitors to lose a shoe in the mud holes. Thankfully our intrepid PCVRC members had them laced up tight and persevered through the early obstacles. The Skippack Creek presents another challenge around the mile 4 and again at mile 9 with knee- to waist-deep water running cold and quick. The team performed well, finishing in 4th place among competing USATF clubs. With 1 race remaining in this year’s series PCVRC continues to hold onto 3rd place. The final trail race for 2014 is the Delaware XC Open Championship held at Brandywine Creek State Park on Saturday 11/29.

We had 4 USATF ladies led by our own Paul Randolph, 17th, Lisa Jalot, 30th, Claire Neilan, 78th , Meg Hain, 92nd, Lori Culnane 106th, Lorri Fencer 124th. Anne Hessel also joined the ladies for the challenge. Congratulations to all and thanks for your continued support of our off-road team.

Road Team Radnor 5-mile run 10/26
A dedicated group of PCVRC USATF team members participated in the Radnor 5-Mile Road Race this past weekend up on the Main Line@ Radnor, PA. Known both for its scenic route by the large homes/estates off the Main Line, as well as the challenging hilly terrain, 5 PCVRC members ran very well with 2 age group winners, 1 runner up, and 1 3rd place finisher.

Wiechecki David – 30 34 81.080 50 52 M
Howlett Beth – 41 37 76.211 60 61 F
Kauffman William Lee – 35 42 71.802 56 56 M
Randolph Paul – 33 33 71.535 45 48 M
Herman Gerald – 52 9 55.896 70 70 M

UPCOMING RACES

Rothman/Philadelphia Marathon Races – Registration Deadline 11/1
The final USATF road race weekend is 11/22 in Philadelphia at the Philadelphia Marathon weekend. Our primary race focus is on the 8k contested on Saturday, 11/22, although all 3 races are part of the USATF competition. At this time there are still openings in all 3 races, 8k, Half and Full Marathon. Please don’t miss out on participating in this closing event as PCVRC makes its run at remaining in 1st place in the Grand Prix Club Challenge. Registration details are here.

USATF competition – What’s this age grade stuff all about?
Recently I was asked to help explain what the USATF series age grading system is all about. I found that I needed to review it myself and thought the club members would appreciate more information.

In general terms age grading is a way of putting all race participants on a level playing field, regardless of age or gender. Age graded scores let you compare your race times to those of different runners, as well as to the standard for your age and gender.

From the USATF web site:

Age Grading provides the athlete with a percentage value of the world record for their age and sex. Since the world record also degrades with age, the percentage can be used over a number of years to compare an athlete’s performance. The percentage can also be used for comparing men and women equally. Typical percentages are as follows:

100% = Approximate World-Record Level
90+% = World Class
80+% = National Class
70+% = Regional Class
60+% = Local Class

In the Mid Atlantic USATF club competition team scores are created from the top 5 age graded finishers from each club. One of those scores must be by a female team member. In a typical event the top performing male competitors are in the 80% range while female competitors are in the 70% range. Of course there are occasional truly exceptional performances such as that delivered by our own Hugh Campbell in 2013. At the Haddonfield NJ Adrenaline 5k race Hugh broke the existing record for his age and scored 102.572!

Want to find your age grade percentage for a recent event? Check out the USATF age grade calculator.