News | Pike Creek Valley Running Club of Delaware

3/28/14: Nutrition on the Run, CR Results, Track Night

PCVRC Speaker Series, March 31 at 7 PM
Our next speaker in the Pike Creek Valley Running Club speaker series will be Bob Kleszics from Harvest Market. Bob has invited us to the store for a tour and talk “Nutrition on the Run!” on March 31st at 7 PM. Space is limited, so it’s very important to RSVP to Paula Jermyn at . The talk and tour will begin after the store closes and we look forward to seeing good support for one of our own club members and sponsors!

Boston Send-Off, Catherine Rooney’s (Trolley Square), April 16 at 6 PM.
Well, it’s that time of year again! Spring has sprung (kind of) and the Boston Marathon is right around the corner!! This year we will be celebrating those that are going to Boston by holding our annual Boston Send-Off Party on Wednesday, April 16th from 6:00- 9:00pm at Catherine Rooney’s in Trolley Square. No need to RSVP, just drop by anytime between 6 and 9 to congratulate those running the 118th Boston Marathon!

As always the club will provide the food, but the drinks are on you! Come on out and send the runners off in style!

“Track night” update

Changes have come to Coach Fisher’s track nights. They have permanently relocated to St. Mark’s High School track. For the springtime (until mid – May), we are meeting on Wednesday evenings at 5:45 for warm-up, followed by our usual choice of workouts under the guidance of Coach Fisher.

Race Results and accomplishments:
51st Annual Ceasar Rodney 5K and half-marathon, March 23rd

PCVRC fielded over 50 runners in this annual event (did you stop by the PCVRC table?) Here are the results, congratulations to Daniel Wipf on a PR in the half!

Ceasar Rodney 5K:
ANTONAITIS, SARAH, 20:42 (1st overall)
JAMES, ANNIE, 28:43
PERKOWSKI, RACHEL, 28:46 (ran both races)
SIMMONS, SUE , 33:39
TURNER, KAREN, 28:47 (2nd in AG)

Ceasar Rodney Half-marathon:

ACORD, JENNIFER, 2:34:32

ANTONINI, JR, RUDOLPH, 2:16:36

BACA, DAVID, 1:43:26

BROWN, MICHAEL, 1:33:10 (5th in AG)

CAMACHO, EPI, 1:32:28 (4th in AG)

CHELPATY, ANTHONY, 1:54:57

CHELPATY, BARBARA, 2:00:09

CHRISTENSEN, RAYMOND, 1:39:49

COUGHENOUR, JAY, 1:31:24

CRISPIN, KEITH, 1:25:22 (4th in AG)

DOHERTY, KIM, 2:21:44

DRESSER, LEE, 1:45:11

FARREN, DAVID, 1:39:25

FEOLE, CAROLE, 1:40:28 (2nd in AG)

GERMAN, RYAN, 1:38:10

GIAMPIETRO, CAROL, 1:39:01 (1st in AG)

HAND, JR, JOHN, 2:10:42

HERMAN, GERALD, 2:23:09

HOROWITZ, KELLY, 1:35:22

HOWLETT, BETH, 1:50:48 (3rd in AG)

HUBBARD, BRUCE, 2:24:53

JAKUBOWITCH, ANDREW, 1:20:46

JAMES, CHRISTOPHER, 1:35:40

JERMYN, LAURA, 2:32:38

KAUFFMAN, WILLIAM, 1:31:38 (2nd in AG)

KUPCHIK, ELENA, 2:05:53

KWASNIESKI, RON, 1:47:43

LADANY, ANDREA, 1:56:13

LIM, SANG, 1:45:06

LOREN, JENNIFER, 1:37:45

OLMSTEAD, BETTY, 3:17:57 (5th in AG)

PATNAUDE, PAT, 2:18:34

PERKOWSKI, RACHEL, 2:05:48 (ran both races)

ROCHE, ROBERT, 2:30:48

RUSK, SARAH, 1:28:57 (3rd in AG)

SCHULTZ, JOHN, 3:27:13

SIMMONS, DAN, 1:38:58 (2nd in AG)

SNAVELY, SUSAN, 1:49:09

STAEHLE, CHRIS, 2:22:03

STEELE, JAMES, 1:57:57

SWEIGART, DIRK, 1:37:35

SWEIGART, SHERI, 1:39:32

SZYMANSKI, RICHARD, 2:17:50

SZYMANSKI, TRICIA, 2:16:30

WHITE, DOUG, 2:16:36 (5th in AG)

WIECHECKI, DAVID, 1:23:47 (1st in AG)

WINTER, JOHN, 1:48:36

WIPF, DANIEL, 2:03:40 (PR!)

USATF Grand Prix update – Caesar Rodney Half Marathon
In the USATF club competition, PCVRC finished 1st for the day and moved into 1st place overall after the 2nd race of the season. Congratulations to everyone who competed!

CLUB

ADR

ROD

TOTAL (up to 7 best race scores)

AVG of 7 best scores

Pike Creek Valley Running Club

428.944

393.471

822.415

South Jersey Athletic Club

427.539

390.049

817.587

Greater Philadelphia Track Club

421.055

391.318

812.373

Downingtown Running Club

397.305

371.352

768.658

Pineland Striders

375.488

347.161

722.649

Bryn Mawr Running Club

430.448

Moorestown Distance Running Project

355.829

TNT International Racing Club

327.227

Clubs score their best 7 events.

Note – that previous leader Bryn Mawr did not have a full team for this race and that Athena has yet to compete this season. Both clubs are expected to return to competition in our next road race @ the Valley Forge 5 miler on Sunday 4/27.

PCVRC USATF individual scoring:

Wiechecki

David

81.301

Pike Creek Valley Running Club

Feole

Carole

79.114

Simmons

Daniel

78.343

Camacho

Epi

77.704

Kauffman

William Lee

77.010

393.471

Howlett

Beth

76.790

Crispin

Keith

76.474

Rusk

Sarah

74.330

Coughenour

Jay

72.028

Sweigart

Dirk

71.033

Sweigart

Sheri

70.345

Christensen

Raymond

68.242

Loren

Jen

67.366

Baca

David

65.856

James

Christopher

63.972

Lim

Sang

57.041

Herman

Gerald

56.409

Olmstead

Betty

48.438

Schultz

John

47.141

Check out the News Journal race coverage and pictures here

Races/results for the Grand Prix Circuit can be found at http://www.mausatf.org/htmlldr/grandprix.htm

Races/results for the Off-Road Series can be found at http://www.mausatf.org/htmlldr/offroad.htm

Links for Club Members
PCVRC Events Calendar: www.pcvrc.com/calendar.php
PCVRC News Bulletins: www.pcvrc.com/news.php

Please patronize our sponsors!

New Balance Brandywine & Christiana stores offer a 20% discount to current club members. www.NBretail.com

M&T Bank offers personal & business banking, credit cards, mortgages, investments. www.mtb.com

Foot Care Group provides comprehensive care and treatment of the foot and ankle. www.FootCareGroup.org

Harvest Market provides organic and natural foods, nutritional supplements, and natural health care products. www.HarvestMarketNaturalFood.com

Cheskin Chiropractic – Dr. Jeff Cheskin is a club member & long-time sponsor w/20+ years experience.
www.cheskinchiropractic.com

Sourcing corporate gifts or products for fundraising and wellness programs? www.WholesalePersonalCare.com

3/24/14: Boston Send-Off, Nutrition Talk, Adrenaline 5K, Two Rivers Marathon

As always the club will provide the food, but the drinks are on you! Come on out and send the runners off in style!

“Track night” update
Changes have come to Coach Fisher’s track nights. They have permanently relocated to St. Mark’s High School track. For the springtime (until mid – May), we are meeting on Wednesday evenings at 5:45 for warm-up, followed by our usual choice of workouts under the guidance of Coach Fisher.

Race Results and accomplishments:
Here’s what’s been sent in…

Kellys Logan House 5k, March 8
Andrea Ladany, 22:19 (1st Female Masters, 2nd overall female)
Kelly Jones, 22:26 (1st in AG, 3rd overall female)

Reminder to all of you wonderful runners to send in your times, your PRs, your “firsts” – any results you want published. Please send the name of the race/run, the date and your time and any significance (PR, BQ, up to 3rd place in AG, 1st time at that distance).

USATF
The 2014 USATF road racing season kicked off Saturday March 15th with the Adrenaline 5k in Haddonfield NJ. This 5k typically has one of the largest and fastest fields in the region and the 9th annual running of this race was no exception. The top nine finishers were under 15 minutes, and the top 75 runners completed the course in 18 minutes or less.

A light mist greeted the 17 PCVRC members during our pre-race warm-ups. Thankfully the clouds cleared and gave way to a light breeze and sunshine just before gun time. With the sound of the starting horn, 916 runners began the long spring down the Haddonfield’s main street and through the adjacent neighborhoods. The race course is predominantly flat for the first mile, followed by a short downhill then a gradual uphill to mile two. It returns to the main street for a final 800m kick to the finish.

The PCVRC running team had numerous outstanding performances. Led our newest club members, Andy Weaver (4th overall), and Dan Feeney (14th overall) and capped by a DE Age Group record by Kirsten Belair, (1st female master) and also Greg Cauller (3rd male master), it took an age graded score greater than 83% to count towards our team score. Additional age group awards: Dave Wiechecki (1st), Theresa Cannon (3rd), Tom Steenkamer (1st), Epi Camacho (2nd), Carole Feole (1st), Beth Howlett (2nd), Dan Simmons (2nd). Special note – Carole Feole missed setting an age group record by a mere 4 seconds. Congratulations to all!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – -Overall

min

secs

Cauller

Gregory

86.882

Weaver

Andrew

86.771

Steenkamer

Thomas

86.249

Wiechecki

David

85.133

Feeney

Daniel

84.039

Belair

Kirsten

83.909

Camacho

Epi

132

81.271

Rusk

Sarah

105

78.729

Simmons

Daniel

215

78.699

Knothe

Lynn

120

78.466

Kauffman

William Lee

154

77.629

Howlett

Beth

358

77.515

Sweigart

Sheri

217

72.783

Cannon

Theresa

328

70.401

Herman

Gerald

626

57.469

Schultz

John

827

56.935

In the club competition PCVRC finished in 2nd place just 1.5 points behind Bryn Mawr and 1.4 points ahead of South Jersey AC.

USATF MID-ATLANTIC 2014 GRAND PRIX – CLUB CHALLENGE

CLUB STANDINGS

CLUB – – – – ADR

Bryn Mawr Running Club

430.448

Pike Creek Valley Running Club

428.944

South Jersey Athletic Club

427.539

Greater Philadelphia Track Club

421.055

Downingtown Running Club

397.305

Pineland Striders

375.488

Moorestown Distance Running Project

355.829

TNT International Racing Club

327.227

No break! The second USATF race was the 51st annual Caesar Rodney Half Marathon yesterday. Results to follow.

Take a look at the MidAtlantic USATF quarterly newsletter that recaps the end of the 2013 season and other events. Numerous PCVRC members are recognized for their accomplishments. http://www.mausatf.org/association/newsletters/Newsletter-2014-February.pdf

Races/results for the Grand Prix Circuit can be found at http://www.mausatf.org/htmlldr/grandprix.htm

Races/results for the Off-Road Series can be found at http://www.mausatf.org/htmlldr/offroad.htm

Race Review (Mark DeNio) – Two Rivers Marathon, Lackawaxen, PA
David McCorquodale and I headed up on Friday morning, shortly before noon, hoping to avoid rush hour traffic since most of our route was on I476. That plan worked and we saw very little traffic the whole way. The most “traffic” we saw was a train that stopped us for more than ten minutes (more later on that).

It was a very picturesque drive, going through the Poconos and lots of wooded country. Once we got off I476 it was a lot more two-lane roads and such but traffic was never an issue. In the town of Tobyhanna we had to cross some railroad tracks. That’s where we got stuck. We were the first car in line so we had a front-row seat. The train was offloading some propane storage cars. To do this it had to pull back, offload, pull forward, switch tracks, pull back, offload, rinse, repeat. The timestamps on my pictures showed we were sitting there for 12 minutes, just watching the ballet.

I learned a new term for propane: “Liquified Petroleum Gas”. I thought all petroleum gas was liquified so I wondered why they had to specify liquified. David spotted a propane storage tank nearby so we figured that was it.

Once on our way it wasn’t more than a half-hour to the motel. On the motel’s website it’s listed as being in Lake Ariel, PA. Google Maps has it in Sterling. Inside the lobby the info card said it was located in Hamlin/Newfoundland! (I guess being in Newfoundland explains why a Canadian flag was flying along with the American and (I assume) Pennsylvania flags.) We found our room (luckily on the first floor) and unloaded.

After a short break we hit the road again to find the race site and drive the route. On the way we passed a historical marker for Horace Greeley’s Sylvania Colony. I never realized Horace Greeley was from or lived in PA so I had to get a picture of the marker. Unfortunately doing this turned us around so it took a minute to get back on the main road. (We also discovered a second marker saying the exact same thing so I didn’t need to take a picture of the first one. Having two markers makes the location of the colony uncertain.)

We found the park where the race was to finish but packet pickup wasn’t set up yet. We also wondered how the race would work since a good deal of the park was iced over. Drove the course in reverse (no, not THAT way) from near the half-marathon turn-around to the start. We realized that the video the guy made while driving at 40 mph glossed over a lot of the hills. David knew he’d have to play it conservative to make sure he could finish. Even then he wound up walking the last couple miles once he found out the course was short.

We got back to the park and packet pickup was now in swing in the volunteer fire station parking lot. The organizer had boxes of shirts and socks spread out on the ground

Lackwaxen turns out to have housed the Western writer Zane Grey from 1905-1918. He met and married a lady from the area and they (and his mother-in-law) lived just around the corner from the race finish. There is also the Roebling Bridge, a one-lane bridge built by the guy who built the Brooklyn Bridge. I drove over that and back the next day.

We had dinner at The Inn at Lackawaxen, a nice little place with a bar, a dining room and several suites for overnight stays. We were the only dinner guests and asked how they stayed in business. The waitress assured us the summers were full to overflowing. We questioned where people could park and she showed us a parking lot to the side of the restaurant. It turned out the building had three levels and we were on the third. We came in on the ground floor and went out the back on the third! 🙂

After that, we headed back and I turned in pretty early. The next morning we got up at 5:30 and went to breakfast. There we met some nice people who were also doing the race. We sat with a guy named Jim from Ithaca, NY. We mentioned winter training and he said they just got ANOTHER FOOT of snow the week before! It had melted down to an inch of slush then the new snow froze the slush and made getting around slippery. He did very well in the marathon but I got to the finish before he did.

The race was disappointing from the beginning. There was no visible organization for the pre-race shuttle to the starting line. (This was a point-to-point race. David and I opted to park at the finish so we could head out right after.) It was only people’s honor that had them pay for the shuttle. They could have jumped on the bus and the kid left in charge would never have known. The starting line was near the Woodloch Pines Resort, a place so swanky their race special was $165 per person per night!

The resort let us use their theater to stay out of the elements and use the facilities until race time. We had been told there would be a “bag check” so people could have their gear taken back to the finish. Nobody knew where it was except “there was a truck in the parking lot”. We eventually found the race organizer’s trailer and guessed that was it. Luckily David had a name tag on his bag because the supplies the organizer mentioned were nowhere to be found.

The race started and was a jumble because only one short mat had been set out. There was a crowd of people who had gone past it and came back to make sure they crossed mixing with us in the back of the pack who were just trying to get going. Once we crossed I was quickly alone. If a group of four ladies hadn’t gotten lost I wouldn’t have seen anyone else (outside of the water stops) until the finish line. As it turned out, I finished second from last but I don’t know how that happened.

The real race fiasco happened at the first turn, 1.8 miles into the race. There were two high-school kids encouraging me and walking toward the corner. I wondered why they were out there then guessed they had worked the water stop. Sure enough, .2 miles later I approached the water stop table. Not only was there no water or Gatorade but the stop didn’t even look like it had been used! There were several empty trash bags and a couple stacks of cups but no used trash bags or smashed cups on the ground. I kept going figuring there would be water at the next stop, two miles away. (There were supposed to be stops every two miles.)

I was wrong. There were signs of previous use but still no water at the four- or six-mile stops. Then, oddly, there was a stop at 7.5 miles. THIS stop was my joy. They had plenty of water and Gatorade and a very nice family working it. (I assume they lived at the house the stop was in front of because one of the kids was jumping on a trampoline in the front yard.) I called the family my heroes of the day and took their picture. It turns out (I think) the mom was the “official” race photographer because my in-race picture was taken as I approached that stop. I didn’t notice the lady having a camera so maybe the photographer was another person but either way it was nice someone stuck around waiting for me to come by.

Before I got to the water stop the second of the four ladies came by. They had gotten lost and went three miles out of their way. (They must be the only ladies who did the full race distance.) I complained about the lack of water stops and she suggested I grab handfuls of snow. That was a very good idea so I did that for the next 4+ miles. Good thing, too, since there was no water stop at all until the 12th mile.

Got past the 12-mile water stop and quickly encountered the half-marathon turnaround! I knew it was in the wrong spot due to the video and my own mapping but I figured maybe they had re-measured the course. I could see they had moved the finish line so maybe the turnaround point was accurate. It wasn’t. I’d given the organizer too much credit for diligence. (I should have known by that point given the water stops but it takes me a while to learn lessons sometimes.)

I went ahead and turned around and finished. Jogged what I thought would be the last tenth but that was short too. Since they moved the finish line they didn’t re-measure the 5k or 10k marks either. Finished and, instead of the BBQ or various foods that had been mentioned, plastic Costco tubs of cheese balls, tubs of mints and bags of tortilla chips awaited. They had a water jug that quickly ran out because people were using it to fill their water bottles, not caring other people were still out on the course. It had also been mentioned we would be able to use the fire station to clean up a little and get out of the cold. No such luck.

Once David came in we kept walking so he could make sure to do the full 26.2 distance. I suggested going by the Zane Grey Museum so I could get some pictures. We did that and David still had 0.3 to go. He went to find out about the volunteer fire station and I waited near the car. We went back to the Inn at Lackawaxen and had a basic lunch. I got a sub so big the waitress cut it and wrapped up half before I even started eating. Neither David nor I had much of an appetite but we knew we wanted to get something before hitting the road.

The night before David found a better route to head back that kept us on expressways so we did that. Much nicer to go around Scranton a little then hit I476 for a very long stretch. Scranton is really only two hours or so away so if I ever get ideas about races it will be easier to get to. We also passed an exit for Jim Thorpe, PA, and I would like to go visit. Good to know I could make a day trip out of it.

In summary, a fun trip! David was very good company and very helpful in keeping me going, both in driving and in racing. Neither of us will do a FastFinishes.net race ever again but we’re glad for the experience!

3/15/14: Speaker Series 3/31, CR Table, Al Carter, Josh Loren

News of our sponsor (Al Carter Racing sponsors the DDC 5k along with The Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation)

Al Carter Racing drove the #80 Mitchum Motorsports Lamborghini Palm Beach/ The Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation/ Jetset Magazine Lamborghini to 1st Place!

Congratulations to Al on his 1st PLACE podium finish in the first Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America race of 2014 today at Sebring International Raceway. Al races in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Friday, March 14 at 1pm, where he’ll drive the #7 Rebel Rock Racing Porsche.

Saturday, Al will race in the TUDOR Championship from 10am – 10pm, driving the #007 TRG Aston Martin.

Caesar Rodney (March 23rd) – volunteers still needed

If you’re not running CR, consider volunteering. Sue Denardo has asked to announce that they still need more course marshals. Contact Sue at if you can help out.

We will also have a PCVRC “table” available before, during or after the race. If you’re not running (or running the 5K), we are looking for a few people to represent us, help us find new members and distribute brochures. Contact Ray at if you can help.

Race Results, Reviews and accomplishments:
Congratulations to Josh Loren for making USAT All American in the 30-44 AG! Only the top 5% in each age group are awarded All American status. Nice going Josh!

USATF
The first Club Challenge Circuit race was this weekend – Haddonfield Adrenaline Run 5K was today (Saturday). Result shortly.

The next Off-Road Running Series Race is on April 5 at 9:00 AM, the Tyler Arboretum 10K Trail Run. This run is sold-out.

Races/results for the Grand Prix Circuit can be found at http://www.mausatf.org/htmlldr/grandprix.htm

Races/results for the Off-Road Series can be found at http://www.mausatf.org/htmlldr/offroad.htm

Links for Club Members
PCVRC Events Calendar: www.pcvrc.com/calendar.php
PCVRC News Bulletins: www.pcvrc.com/news.php

Please patronize our sponsors!

New Balance Brandywine & Christiana stores offer a 20% discount to current club members. www.NBretail.com

M&T Bank offers personal & business banking, credit cards, mortgages, investments. www.mtb.com

Foot Care Group provides comprehensive care and treatment of the foot and ankle. www.FootCareGroup.org

Harvest Market provides organic and natural foods, nutritional supplements, and natural health care products. www.HarvestMarketNaturalFood.com

Cheskin Chiropractic – Dr. Jeff Cheskin is a club member & long-time sponsor w/20+ years experience.
www.cheskinchiropractic.com

Sourcing corporate gifts or products for fundraising and wellness programs? www.WholesalePersonalCare.com

3/1/14: Banquet, CR Volunteers, B+, Ugly Mudder Results

Annual Banquet March 8th at Hartefeld Country Club
Final reminder! You can still sign up (yes, you are late!) until March 3rd. Forms and online registration for banquet are live on the club web page at http://www.pcvrc.com/banquet.php Event starts at 6 pm, cost is $30 for members, $40 for non-members.

Mark your calendars now for April 16th for our annual “Boston Send Off” party.

Caesar Rodney (March 23rd) – volunteers needed

If you’re not running CR, consider volunteering. Sue Denardo has asked to announce that they still need more course marshals. Contact Sue at if you can help out.

We are also looking to have a PCVRC “table” available before, during or after the race. If you’re not running (or running the 5K), we are looking for a few people to represent us, help us find new members and distribute brochures. Contact Ray at if you can help.

B+ at the DMRF

Our charitable partner, the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation, is a participant, contributor and benefactor of the Delaware Marathon Running Festival weekend. They are looking for members who would be willing to support B+ for the DMRF.

The B+ Running Team website is now “live” and is accepting registrations for their team in the Delaware Marathon/Half Marathon. Last year, they had 26 participants and are looking to field a bigger team this year. It doesn’t matter if you’re a seasoned runner or you’ve never run before… all are welcome!!! For the Delaware Marathon (May 11, 2014), B+ will provide:
• a personal running coach
• registration
• a medal
• team meal the night before the race
• a team running shirt
• the satisfaction of knowing that you’ve accomplished two big goals — running a marathon/half marathon and helping cure childhood cancer
• for those from out-of-town, The B+ Foundation also picks up the cost of travel and lodging

In return, participants are expected to raise $2,000 in donations ($2,600 if you need travel/lodging). This is much less than most groups ask for. It’s easy to raise the money. B+ can even help with proven methods from past team members.

For more information, please visit: https://www.beposfdn.org/demarathon14/index.aspx

Race Results, Reviews and accomplishments:
Mike Reph, Chocolate Lover’s 5k, Feb 15, 18:12 (Overall Winner!)

John Schultz, Feb 23rd
27th Wawa Stair Climb, 52-story (1,019 step) Mellon Bank Building, Phila., 16:08 (oldest finisher)
Browning Ross Ten-Miler, Glassboro, NJ, 2:36:33 (2nd in AG)

Riverbend 5k, Jupiter, FL, Feb 22
DJ Farren, 21:23 (1st in AG)
Dave Farren, 21:58

USATF
Results from the Ugly Mudder (Tom Steenkamer)

On Sunday, February 23rd, the 2014 USATF off-road series began with the Ugly Mudder trail race. Seven PCVRC club members took on the challenging snow-covered course on the hills of Mt. Penn in Reading PA.

The race day began with some additional drama during the drive up to Reading. A team member awakened in the back seat to realize that they had forgotten their race shoes. Conversation then occurred debating whether or not “Crocs” are suitable trail running shoes. This was immediately followed by the question “does anyone have a second pair of shoes in size 10.5?”

A stop at the Reading Walmart determined that despite being the home of great values they are not the store for running shoes.

Fortunately, upon arrival at the Leiderkranz, we were able to locate a loaner pair of shoes and the sun began to break through the overcast sky. Things were shaping up.

Race director Ron Horn was in his usual jovial mood promising the 300+ runners that we had no idea what we were getting into. He added that the course conditions were soft, wet snow averaging in the one-foot range. Due to the snow pack, he estimated that the shortened course would cover somewhere around 5 ¾ to 6 miles. After the usual instructions regarding course markings, we were off for the 500m uphill sprint on the road to the trailhead. Greeted by 12 -14 inches of soft wet snow, the pace slowed as runners attempted to gain footing and traction on the first climb of the day. The front runners were doing all the work! The top 15 runners were packing down the deepest snow as the rest of us followed. Passing on the trails required waiting for the runner in front of you to fall or bush-whacking your way off-course through the deep snow. The race stretched out and we continued around Mt. Penn past the pagoda and sliding around the hills back to the Leiderkranz.

At the finish, the course was determined to be 6.3 miles and the PCVRC team came home with multiple age group awards. Thanks to Andrea Rubinoff (4th in AG) , Lisa Jalot (1st in AG), Paul Randolph (3rd in AG), Epi Comacho, Tom Jermyn, Sang Lim, and Keith “Shoeless” Crispin (6th in AG), for supporting the USATF trail team. Congrats to Sang for completing his very first trail race!

[Editor’s note: Thanks to Tom Steenkamer for all the great work he does organizing these teams…and he also got 5th in AG]

PCVRC now sits in 2nd in the club results!! Great start to a new season.

USATF Club Scoring –
Greater Philly – 224.21, PCVRC – 213.57, Pineland Striders – 203.14,
Rosemont – 198.62 Note – Rosemont runners took 6 of the top 10 places. Their young runner’s speed was neutralized by conditions not seen since the blizzards of 2010.

The next Off-Road Running Series Race is on April 5 at 9:00 AM, the Tyler Arboretum 10K Trail Run.

The first Club Challenge Circuit race is the Haddonfield Adrenaline Run 5K – March 15

2/21/14: Banquet Deadline, CR Volunteers, B+ Runners, Ugly Mudder

Annual Banquet! Sign Up Now! March 8th at Hartefeld Country Club
We need to provide Hartefeld with a near-final count tomorrow, so please RSVP now! Forms and online registration for banquet are live on the club web page at http://www.pcvrc.com/banquet.php

Event starts at 6 pm, cost is $30 for members, $40 for non-members.

We are very pleased to have Clay Shaw as our speaker this year. Clay was the first Pennsylvanian to complete a marathon in each of the 50 states. In 1997, he finished in the top ten in both the Antarctica and Midnight Sun Marathons (farthest south and second farthest north in the world). In 1993, Clay won the Wyoming Marathon, placed 3rd in the 1996 Midnight Sun Marathon, 5th in the 1992 Delaware Marathon, and 5th in the 1989 Bismarck Marathon. Clay has run marathons in 8 of the 12 Canadian provinces and territories. A native of San Francisco, where he ran his first marathon in 1979, Clay has lived in York, Pennsylvania, since 1972. His PR is 2:53, which he ran in Winnepeg in 1984. Unusual for the 50 States and DC group, Clay has never run more than seven marathons in any year. An accomplished photographer, Clay is also race director of the Bon Ton 5-Mile Race and the White Rose 5-Mile Run, both in York.

Caesar Rodney volunteers needed
If you’re not running CR, consider volunteering. Sue Denardo has asked to announce that they still need more course marshals. Contact Sue at if you can help out.

B+ at the DMRF

• a personal running coach
• registration
• a medal
• team meal the night before the race
• a team running shirt
• the satisfaction of knowing that you’ve accomplished two big goals — running a marathon/half marathon and helping cure childhood cancer
• for those from out-of-town, The B+ Foundation also picks up the cost of travel and lodging

For more information, please visit: https://www.beposfdn.org/demarathon14/index.aspx

Race Results, Reviews and accomplishments:
Five Guys 10K, Boca Raton, FL, Feb. 15
Dave Farren, 44:49 (1st in AG)
DJ Farren, 45:04 (1st in AG)

“Didn’t think we would get there but after having our flight canceled last Thursday, it was jump in the car and drive or not make it…”

USATF

The first Off-Road Running Series Race of the season is the Ugly Mudder 7 Mile Trail Run, tomorrow! Conditions should be perfect, race day sign up is available!

The first Club Challenge Circuit race is the Haddonfield Adrenaline Run 5K – March 15